Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations (SOR/86-304)

Loading, Unloading and Maintenance While in Motion

14.31 No materials, goods or things shall be picked up from, or placed on, any motorized or manual materials handling equipment while the equipment is in motion unless the equipment is specifically designed for that purpose.

14.32 Except in the case of an emergency, no employee shall get on or off of motorized or manual materials handling equipment while it is in motion.

• 14.33 (1) Subject to subsection (2), no repair, maintenance or cleaning work shall be performed on motorized or manual materials handling equipment while the materials handling equipment is in use.

• (2) Fixed parts of motorized or manual materials handling equipment may be repaired, maintained or cleaned while the materials handling equipment is being used if the parts are so isolated or guarded that the use of the materials handling equipment does not present a risk to the safety of the employee performing the repair, maintenance or cleaning work.

Positioning the Load

• 14.34 (1) If motorized or manual materials handling equipment is travelling with a raised or suspended load, its operator shall ensure that the load is carried as close as possible to the ground or floor and shall not in any case transport the load at or beyond the point at which the loaded equipment becomes unstable.

• (2) Any load, other than bulk materials, that would likely slide on or fall from motorized or manual materials handling equipment resulting in a hazardous condition shall be secured to prevent such movement.

Tools

14.35 Tools, tool boxes or spare parts that are carried on motorized or manual materials handling equipment shall be securely stored.

Housekeeping

14.36 The floor, cab and other occupied parts of motorized materials handling equipment shall be kept free of any grease, oil, materials, tools, equipment or other hazards that may cause an employee to slip or trip or may create a fire hazard or otherwise interfere with the safe operation of the equipment.

Parking

• 14.37 (1) No motorized or manual materials handling equipment shall be parked in a corridor, aisle, doorway or other place where it may interfere with the safe movement of persons, materials, goods or things.

• (2) Where motorized or manual materials handling equipment is required to enter or exit a vehicle other than a railway car to load or unload materials, goods or things to or from the vehicle, the vehicle shall be immobilized and secured against accidental movement, by means additional to the vehicle’s braking system.

• (3) Where motorized or manual materials handling equipment is required to enter or exit a railway car to load or unload materials, goods or things to or from the railway car, the railway car shall be immobilized.

• (4) Any motorized materials handling equipment that is left unattended shall be immobilized against accidental movement, by applying a parking brake or other braking device.

Materials Handling Area

• 14.38 (1) In this section, materials handling area means an area within which materials handling equipment may create a hazard to any person.

• (2) An employer shall cause warning signs to be posted, or a signaller to be in control, at the approaches to any materials handling area while materials handling operations are in progress.

• (3) Only the following persons may enter a materials handling area while materials handling operations are in progress:

  • (a) the Head of Compliance and Enforcement;

  • (b) an employee whose presence in the materials handling area is essential to the conduct, supervision or safety of the materials handling operations; or

  • (c) a person who has been authorized by the employer to be in the materials handling area while materials handling operations are in progress.

• (4) If any person other than a person referred to in subsection (3) enters a materials handling area, the employer shall cause the materials handling operations in the immediate vicinity of the unauthorized person to be immediately discontinued and to remain discontinued until the person has left that materials handling area.

Hazard Areas

• 14.39 (1) Subject to subsection (2), no motorized or manual materials handling equipment shall be used in an area in which it may contact an electrical cable, a pipeline containing a hazardous substance or any other hazard known to the employer, unless the employer has informed the operator of the presence and location of the hazard and of the safety clearance that the operator must maintain with respect to the hazard.

• (2) Where an employer is unable to determine with reasonable certainty the location of an electrical cable or a pipeline containing a hazardous substance, the electrical cable shall be de-energized or the pipeline shut down and drained before any activity involving the use of motorized materials handling equipment commences within the area of possible contact with the electrical cable or the pipeline.

Rear Dumping

14.40 If rear-dumping motorized materials handling equipment is used to discharge a load at the edge of a sudden drop in grade level that may cause the equipment to tip and in order to prevent the motorized materials handling equipment from tipping,

• (a) a bumping block shall be used; or

• (b) a signaller shall give directions to the operator of the equipment.

Fuelling

14.41 Where motorized materials handling equipment is fuelled in a work place, a qualified person shall do the fuelling in accordance with procedures referred to in subsection 14.23(1) in a place that is well ventilated so that the vapours from the fuel will be dissipated quickly.

Ropes, Slings and Chains

• 14.42 (1) The employer shall, with respect to the use and maintenance of any rope, sling or chain or any attachment or fitting thereon used by an employee, adopt and implement the recommendations set out in Chapter 10 of the Accident Prevention Manual for Business and Industry, 10th edition, published by the National Safety Council of the United States, dated 1992.

• (2) Subsection (1) does not apply to ropes, slings or chains or to any attachments or fittings thereon that comply with the requirements of the Tackle Regulations.

Safe Working Loads

• 14.43 (1) Motorized or manual materials handling equipment shall be legibly marked with sufficient information so as to enable the operator to determine its safe working load.

• (2) No motorized or manual materials handling equipment shall be used with a load that exceeds its safe working load.

Aisles and Corridors

• 14.44 (1) An employer shall provide a clearly marked pathway for the exclusive use of pedestrians and persons using wheelchairs and other similar devices that is not less than 750 mm wide along one side of an aisle, corridor or other course of travel that is found in a work place and that

  • (a) is a principal traffic route for mobile equipment, pedestrians and persons using wheelchairs and other similar devices; and

  • (b) exceeds 15 m in length.

• (2) Subsection (1) does not apply where a signaller or traffic lights are provided for the purpose of controlling traffic and protecting persons.

• (3) Where an aisle, corridor or other course of travel that is a principal traffic route in a work place intersects with another route, an employer shall cause warning signs marked with the words “DANGEROUS INTERSECTION — CROISEMENT DANGEREUX”, in letters not less than 50 mm in height on a contrasting background, to be posted along the approaches to the intersection.

• (4) At blind corners, mirrors shall be installed that permit a mobile equipment operator to see a pedestrian, a person using a wheelchair or other similar device, a vehicle or mobile equipment approaching the blind corner.

Clearances

• 14.45 (1) In any passageway that is regularly travelled by motorized or manual materials handling equipment, the employer shall ensure that

  • (a) an overhead clearance is at least 150 mm above

    • (i) that part of the materials handling equipment or its load that is the highest when the materials handling equipment is in its highest normal operating position at the point of clearance, and

    • (ii) the top of the head of the operator or any other employee required to ride on the materials handling equipment when occupying the highest normal position for the operator or employee at the point of clearance; and

  • (b) a side clearance is sufficiently wide to permit the motorized or manual materials handling equipment and its load to be manoeuvred safely by an operator, but in no case less than 150 mm on each side measured from the furthest projecting part of the equipment or its load, when the equipment is being operated in a normal manner.

• (2) Where an overhead clearance measured in accordance with subparagraph (l)(a)(i) or (ii) is less than 300 mm, the employer shall cause

  • (a) the top of the doorway or object that restricts the clearance to be marked with a distinguishing colour or mark; and

  • (b) the height of the passageway in metres to be shown near the top of the passageway in letters that are not less than 50 mm in height and are on a contrasting background.

• (3) Subparagraph (l)(a)(i) and subsection (2) do not apply in respect of

  • (a) motorized materials handling equipment whose course of travel is controlled by fixed rails or guides;

  • (b) that portion of the route of any motorized or manual materials handling equipment that is inside a railway car, truck or trailer truck, including the warehouse doorway leading directly to it; or

  • (c) a load the nature of which precludes compliance with that subparagraph or subsection if precautions are taken to prevent contact with objects that may restrict the movement of the equipment.

DIVISION IIIManual Handling of Materials

• 14.46 (1) If, because of the weight, size, shape, toxicity or other characteristic of materials, goods or things, the manual handling of them may be hazardous to the health or safety of an employee, the employer shall issue instructions that the materials, goods or things shall, if feasible, not be handled manually.

• (2) For the purposes of subsection (1), the employer shall take into account the frequency and duration of manual lifting and the distances and terrain over which an object is to be manually lifted or carried in deciding whether the manual handling of the materials, goods or things may be hazardous to the health or safety of an employee.

14.47 No employer shall require an employee who is an office worker and whose primary tasks do not include manual lifting or carrying to manually lift or carry materials, goods or things in excess of 23 kg.

14.48 Where an employee is required manually to lift or carry loads weighing in excess of 10 kg, the employer shall instruct and train the employee

• (a) in a safe method of lifting and carrying the loads that will minimize the stress on the body; and

• (b) in a work procedure appropriate to the employee’s physical condition and the conditions of the work place.

14.49 Where an employee is required manually to lift or carry loads weighing in excess of 45 kg, the employer shall give instructions to the employee in accordance with section 14.48 that are

• (a) set out in writing;

• (b) readily available to the employee; and

• (c) kept by the employer for a period of two years after they cease to apply.

DIVISION IVStorage of Materials

• 14.50 (1) All materials, goods and things shall be stored in the work place in such a manner that the maximum safe load carrying capacity of the floor or other supporting structures is not exceeded.

• (2) All materials, goods or things shall be stored and placed in such a manner that employees are not required manually to lift materials, goods or things in a manner that would lead to overextension of or excessive strain on the body.

• (3) All materials, goods or things shall be stored in a manner so that

  • (a) light in the storage area is not reduced below the levels required by Part VI;

  • (b) there is no obstruction or encroachment of passageways, traffic lanes or exits;

  • (c) the safe operation of motorized or manual materials handling equipment is not impeded;

  • (d) the ready access to or the operation of fire fighting equipment is not obstructed;

  • (e) the operation of fixed fire protection equipment is not interfered with; and

  • (f) there is no risk to the health or safety of any employee.

DIVISION VTransitional Provisions

• 14.51 (1) Subject to subsection (3), motorized materials handling equipment that is in use at the time this amendment comes into force, and that meets the requirements of this Part as it read immediately before the coming into force of this amendment, is exempt from having to comply with the amendment as long as the motorized materials handling equipment continues to meet those requirements.

• (2) Subject to subsection (3), motorized or manual materials handling equipment that is in use at the time an amendment to a standard or code incorporated by subsection 14.6(1) or 14.8(2) or section 14.18 or 14.19 comes into force and that complies with the standard or code as it read immediately before the coming into force of the amendment, is exempt from having to comply with the amendment as long as the motorized or manual materials handling equipment continues to meet that standard or code.

• (3) An employer shall ensure that, if feasible, equipment referred to in

  • (a) subsection (1) meets the requirements of subsection 14.3(3) or 14.6(2), section 14.10, 14.11 or 14.13 or paragraph 14.16(1)(b); and

  • (b) subsection (2) complies with an amendment referred to in that subsection.

• (4) If it is not feasible for materials handling equipment in use at the time an amendment referred to in subsection (1) or (2) comes into force to comply with the amendment, the employer whose employees use the equipment shall notify the work place committee or the health and safety representative of the non-compliance.