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

Safety Nets

• 3.13 (1) If there is a risk that tools, equipment or materials could fall onto or from a temporary structure, the employer shall provide a protective structure or a safety net to protect from injury any employee on or below the temporary structure.

• (2) The design, construction and installation of a safety net referred to in subsection (1) shall meet the standards set out in ANSI Standard ANSI A10.11-1979, American National Standard for Safety Nets Used During Construction, Repair and Demolition Operations, dated August 7, 1979.

Housekeeping

3.14 Every platform, hand-rail, guardrail and work area on a temporary structure used by an employee shall be kept free of accumulations of ice and snow while the temporary structure is in use.

3.15 The floor of a temporary structure used by an employee shall be kept free of grease, oil or other slippery substance and of any material or object that may cause an employee to trip.

PART IVElevating Devices

Application

4.1 This Part does not apply to elevating devices used in the underground workings of mines.

Standards

• 4.2 (1) Every elevating device and every safety device attached thereto shall

  • (a) meet the standards set out in the applicable CSA standard referred to in subsection (2) if feasible; and

  • (b) be used, operated and maintained in accordance with the standards set out in the applicable CSA standard referred to in subsection (2).

• (2) For the purposes of subsection (1), the applicable CSA standard for

  • (a) elevators, dumbwaiters, escalators and moving walks is CSA Standard CAN3-B44-M85, Safety Code for Elevators, other than clause 9.1.4 thereof, the English version of which is dated November 1985 and the French version of which is dated March 1986;

  • (b) manlifts is CSA Standard B311-M1979, Safety Code for Manlifts, the English version of which is dated October, 1979 and the French version of which is dated July, 1984 and Supplement No. 1-1984 to B311-M1979, the English version of which is dated June, 1984 and the French version of which is dated August, 1984; and

  • (c) elevating devices for the handicapped is CSA Standard CAN3-B355-M81, Safety Code for Elevating Devices for the Handicapped, the English version of which is dated April, 1981 and the French version of which is dated December, 1981.

Use and Operation

4.3 No elevating device shall be used or operated with a load in excess of the load that it was designed and installed to move safely.

• 4.4 (1) Subject to subsection (3), no elevating device shall be used or operated while any safety device attached to it is inoperative.

• (2) Subject to subsection (3), no safety device attached to an elevating device shall be altered, interfered with or rendered inoperative.

• (3) Subsections (1) and (2) do not apply to an elevating device or a safety device that is being inspected, tested, repaired or maintained by a qualified person.

Inspection and Testing

4.5 Every elevating device and every safety device attached thereto shall be inspected and tested by a qualified person to determine that the prescribed standards are met

• (a) before the elevating device and the safety device attached to it are operated;

• (b) after an alteration to the elevating device or a safety device attached thereto; and

• (c) once every 12 months.

• 4.6 (1) A record of each inspection and test made in accordance with section 4.5 shall

  • (a) be signed by the person who made the inspection and test;

  • (b) include the date of the inspection and test and the identification and location of the elevating device and safety device that were inspected and tested; and

  • (c) set out the observations of the person inspecting and testing the elevating device and safety device on the safety of the devices.

• (2) Every record referred to in subsection (1) shall be made by the employer and kept by him in the work place in which the elevating device is located for a period of two years after the date on which it is signed in accordance with paragraph (1)(a).

Repair and Maintenance

4.7 Repair and maintenance of elevating devices or safety devices attached thereto shall be performed by a qualified person appointed by the employer.

PART VBoilers and Pressure Vessels

Interpretation

5.1 The definitions in this section apply in this Part.

Boiler Code

Boiler Code means CSA Standard B51-97, Boiler, Pressure Vessel, and Pressure Piping Code, the English version of which is dated September 1997 and was amended in February 1998 and the French version of which is dated September 1998. (Code des chaudières)

high pressure boiler

high pressure boiler means a boiler in which steam, gas or vapour is generated at more than one atmosphere of pressure or a boiler containing liquid that has a working pressure exceeding 1,100 kPa or an operating temperature exceeding 121°C. (chaudièreà haute pression)

inspector

inspector means a person recognized under the laws of any province or by the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors as qualified to inspect boilers, pressure vessels and pressure piping systems. (inspecteur)

low pressure hot water boiler

low pressure hot water boiler means a hot water boiler that has a pressure not exceeding 1,100 kPa and an operating temperature not exceeding 121°C. (chaudière à eau chaude basse pression)

low pressure organic fluid boiler

low pressure organic fluid boiler means a boiler that contains an organic fluid, that has an operating temperature not exceeding 343°C and that has no valves or other obstructions to prevent circulation of the organic fluid between the boiler and an expansion tank that is fully vented to the atmosphere. (chaudière à basse pression contenant un hydrocarbure)

low pressure steam boiler

low pressure steam boiler means a boiler that operates at a steam pressure not exceeding one atmosphere of pressure. (chaudière à vapeur d’eau basse pression)

low working pressure hot water boiler

low working pressure hot water boiler[Repealed, SOR/2009-147, s. 5]

maximum allowable working pressure

maximum allowable working pressure means the maximum working pressure that is specified by the manufacturer in the plans and specifications accepted and registered by the provincial authorities and that is set out in the record referred to in section 5.18. (pression de fonctionnement maximale autorisée)

maximum temperature

maximum temperature means the maximum temperature that is specified by the manufacturer in the plans and specifications accepted and registered by the provincial authorities and that is set out in the record referred to in section 5.18. (température maximale)

NDT technician

NDT technician means a person who performs nondestructive testing and who is certified to carry out such testing. (technicien END)

pipeline

pipeline has the same meaning as in section 2 of the Canadian Energy Regulator Act, but does not include boilers. (pipeline)

pressure piping system

pressure piping system means an assembly of pipes, pipe fittings, valves, safety devices, pumps, compressors and other fixed equipment that contains a gas, vapour or liquid and is connected to a boiler or pressure vessel. (réseau de canalisations sous pression)

unfired boiler

unfired boiler means a boiler in which steam or other vapour is generated by a source of heat other than combustion and includes an electric boiler. (chaudière sans combustion)

waste heat boiler

waste heat boiler means an indirect-fired boiler that utilizes waste gases produced by the primary process to generate steam. (chaudière à récupération de chaleur)

Application

5.2 This Part does not apply to

• (a) a heating boiler that has a wetted heating surface of 3 m² or less;

• (b) a pressure vessel that has a capacity of 40 L or less;

• (c) a pressure vessel that is installed for use at a pressure of one atmosphere of pressure or less;

• (d) a pressure vessel that has an internal diameter of 152 mm or less;

• (e) a pressure vessel that has an internal diameter of 610 mm or less and that is used to store hot water;

• (f) a pressure vessel that has an internal diameter of 610 mm or less connected to a water pumping system and that contains compressed air which serves as a cushion;

• (g) a hydropneumatic tank that has an internal diameter of 610 mm or less;

• (h) an interprovincial or international pipeline; or

• (i) a refrigeration plant that has a capacity of 18 kW or less.

Fabrication and Installation Standards

5.3 Every boiler, pressure vessel and pressure piping system used in a work place shall, if feasible, meet the standards relating to design, construction, testing, stamping, nameplates, fabrication inspection and installation set out in clauses 4.15 to 4.18 and 5.1 to 9.1 of Part I of the Boiler Code.

• 5.4 (1) Every boiler and pressure vessel shall have at least one safety valve or other equivalent fitting to maintain pressure at or below the maximum allowable working pressure of the boiler or pressure vessel.

• (2) When two or more boilers or pressure vessels are connected and are used at a common operating pressure, they shall each be fitted with at least one safety valve or other equivalent fitting to maintain pressure at or below the maximum allowable working pressure of the boiler or pressure vessel that has the lowest maximum allowable working pressure.

Use, Operation, Repair, Alteration and Maintenance

• 5.5 (1) An employer shall ensure that a qualified person, charged with the operation of a boiler, is in attendance and readily available at all times while the boiler is in operation and other employees are normally present in the same building as a boiler.

• (2) The attendance referred to in subsection (1) is not required if

  • (a) the boiler is equipped with a fail-safe device and an automated warning device that will ensure the safe operation of the boiler and its shutdown if required, and that are installed in such a manner that they

    • (i) cannot be rendered inoperative, and

    • (ii) can be tested under operating conditions; and

  • (b) the boiler is rated below 2,000 kW in the case of a high pressure boiler, and below 3,000 kW in the case of a low pressure boiler, which includes a low pressure hot water boiler, a low pressure organic fluid boiler and a low pressure steam boiler.

• (3) When a boiler is shut down by a device referred to in paragraph (2)(a), the boiler shall not be restarted unless it has been examined by a qualified person and the cause of the shutdown rectified.

5.6 Every boiler, pressure vessel and pressure piping system in use at a work place shall be operated, maintained and repaired only by a qualified person.

5.7 All repairs and welding of boilers, pressure vessels and pressure piping systems shall be carried out in accordance with the standards referred to in clauses 6.1, 7.1 and 8.1 of Part I of the Boiler Code.

5.8 No person shall alter, interfere with or render inoperative any fitting attached to a boiler or pressure vessel except for the purpose of adjusting or testing the fitting.

• 5.9 (1) The factor of safety of a high pressure lap-seam riveted boiler, shall be increased by at least 0.1 each year after 20 years of use.

• (2) If the boiler is relocated at any time, it shall not be operated at a pressure that is more than one atmosphere of pressure.

Inspections

• 5.10 (1) No person shall use a boiler, pressure vessel or pressure piping system unless it has been inspected by an inspector in accordance with subsection (2) and it has been certified by the inspector as safe for its intended use as stated in the declaration referred to in subparagraph 5.18(2)(b)(v).

• (2) The inspector shall

  • (a) inspect every boiler, pressure vessel and pressure piping system

    • (i) after it is installed and before it is used for the first time,

    • (ii) after any welding, alteration or repair is carried out on it, and

    • (iii) in accordance with section 5.11, 5.12 or 5.16; and

  • (b) make a record of each inspection in accordance with section 5.18.

• (3) A person who operates, repairs or maintains a boiler, pressure vessel or pressure piping system or any part of it may not inspect the boiler, pressure vessel or pressure piping system for the purposes of subsection (2).

• 5.11 (1) Every high pressure boiler and every low pressure steam boiler in use at a work place shall be inspected

  • (a) externally, at least once each year; and

  • (b) internally, at least once every two years.

• (2) Every low pressure hot water boiler and every unfired boiler in use at a work place shall be inspected

  • (a) externally, at least once every two years; and

  • (b) internally, at least once every four years.

• (3) Every low pressure organic fluid boiler in use at a work place shall be inspected

  • (a) externally, at least once every two years; and

  • (b) internally, at least once every three years.

• (4) Every waste heat boiler in use at a work place shall be inspected

  • (a) externally, at least once every year; and

  • (b) internally,

    • (i) at least once every two years, or

    • (ii) where ultrasonic thickness measurements are performed annually by an NDT technician, at least once every three years.

• (5) Pressure vessels, other than buried pressure vessels, that have a corrosion rate exceeding 0.1 mm of metal loss per year shall be inspected

  • (a) externally, at least once every year; and

  • (b) internally,

    • (i) at least once every two years, or

    • (ii) if ultrasonic thickness measurements are performed annually by an NDT technician on representative sections of the pressure vessel, at least once every three years.

• (6) Pressure vessels, other than buried pressure vessels, that have a corrosion not exceeding 0.1 mm of metal loss per year shall be inspected

  • (a) externally, at least once every year; and

  • (b) internally,

    • (i) at least once every four years, or

    • (ii) if ultrasonic thickness measurements are performed annually by an NDT technician on representative sections of the pressure vessel, at least once every six years.

• (7) Air receivers shall be inspected

  • (a) externally, at least once every year; and

  • (b) internally, at least once every five years.

• (8) If the known corrosion rate of a pressure vessel is zero, internal inspection is not necessary provided that complete external inspections, including nondestructive thickness measurements performed by an NDT technician, are made at least once every two years on the pressure vessel and the following conditions are met:

  • (a) the non-corrosive nature of the service conditions, including the effect of trace components, has been established by at least five continuous years of comparable service experience with the fluid being handled;

  • (b) the periodic external inspection indicates that the condition of the pressure vessel does not warrant any further investigation;

  • (c) the operating temperature and pressure of the pressure vessel does not exceed the lower limits for the creep rupture range of the vessel metal; and

  • (d) the pressure vessel is protected against inadvertent contamination, and there is no evidence of contamination.

• (9) If a pressure vessel is used to store anhydrous ammonia, the internal inspection frequency referred to in paragraph (5)(b) may be replaced by an internal inspection conducted at least once every five years if, at the same time, a hydrostatic test at a pressure equal to one and one-half times the maximum allowable working pressure is conducted.