Oil and Gas Occupational Safety and Health Regulations (SOR/87-612)

Safety Nets

• 4.14 (1) Where there is a hazard that tools, equipment or materials may 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

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

4.16 The working surface of a temporary structure used by an employee shall, where practicable, be kept free of grease, oil or other slippery substance and of any material or object that may cause an employee to slip or trip.

PART VElevating Devices

Standards

• 5.1 (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), so far as is reasonably practicable; 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 CAN/CSA — — B44-M90, Safety Code for Elevators, the English version of which is dated May 1990 and the French version of which is dated December 1990, other than clause 9.1.4;

  • (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.

Personnel Transfer Baskets

• 5.2 (1) No basket shall be used to transfer freight except in an emergency.

• (2) Every transfer of a person by a basket shall be made only when visibility and environmental conditions are such that the transfer can be made safely.

• (3) Where a person is transferred by a basket to or from a place on a ship or to or from a place on a drilling unit or an offshore production facility,

  • (a) persons at both places shall be in direct radio contact; and

  • (b) the person to be transferred shall

    • (i) be instructed in the safety procedures to be followed by him, and

    • (ii) shall use a life jacket or a personal flotation device.

• (4) Where a person is transferred by a basket to or from a drilling unit or an offshore production facility, the drilling unit or production facility shall be equipped with at least two buoyant baskets.

• (5) Every basket shall be in serviceable condition and all ropes, wires or other vital parts of a basket that show signs of significant wear shall be replaced before the basket is used.

• (6) The number of persons transferred in a basket shall not exceed the number of persons the basket was designed to carry safely.

• (7) The raising or lowering of a basket shall, as far as is practicable, be carried out over water.

Use and Operation

5.3 No elevating device shall be used or operated

• (a) with a load in excess of the load that it was designed and installed to move safely; or

• (b) where the elevating device is installed on a floating drilling unit or a floating production facility, when the roll of the drilling unit or the production facility exceeds the maximum roll recommended by the manufacturer for the safe operation of the elevating device.

• 5.4 (1) Subject to subsection (3), no elevating device shall be used or placed in service while any safety device attached thereto 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

5.5 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 or the safety device attached thereto is placed in service;

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

• (c) once every 12 months.

• 5.6 (1) A record of each inspection and test made in accordance with section 5.5 shall

  • (a) be signed by the qualified 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 qualified 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 kept by the employer for five years after the date on which it is signed.

Repair and Maintenance

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

PART VIBoilers and Pressure Vessels

Interpretation

6.1 In this Part,

inspector

inspector means a qualified person recognized under the laws of Canada or of a province as qualified to inspect boilers, pressure vessels or piping systems; (inspecteur)

maximum allowable working pressure

maximum allowable working pressure means the maximum allowable working pressure set out in the record referred to in section 6.12; (pression de fonctionnement maximale autorisée)

maximum temperature

maximum temperature means the maximum temperature set out in the record referred to in section 6.12; (température maximale)

piping system

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 canalisation)

Application

6.2 This Part does not apply to

• (a) a heating boiler that has a 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 100 kPa or less;

• (d) a pressure vessel that has an internal diameter of 150 mm or less;

• (e) a pressure vessel that has an internal diameter of 600 mm or less and that is used for the storage of hot water;

• (f) a pressure vessel that has an internal diameter of 600 mm or less and that is connected to a water-pumping system containing air that is compressed to serve as a cushion; or

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

Construction, Testing and Installation

6.3 Every boiler, pressure vessel and piping system used in a work place shall be constructed, tested and installed by a qualified person.

Use, Operation, Repair, Alteration and Maintenance

• 6.4 (1) No person shall use a boiler, pressure vessel or piping system unless it has been inspected by an inspector in accordance with subsection (2).

• (2) Every boiler, pressure vessel and piping system shall be inspected in accordance with sections 6.8 to 6.10

  • (a) after installation; and

  • (b) after any welding, alteration or repair is carried out on it.

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

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

Buried Pressure Vessels

6.7 Notice of a proposed backfilling over a buried pressure vessel shall be given to the Head of Compliance and Enforcement before the backfilling is begun.

Inspections

• 6.8 (1) Subject to section 6.9, every boiler, pressure vessel and piping system in use in a work place shall be inspected

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

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

• (2) Paragraph (1)(a) does not apply to a pressure vessel that is buried.

• 6.9 (1) Where a pressure vessel is used to store anhydrous ammonia, a hydrostatic test at a pressure equal to one and one-half times the maximum allowable working pressure shall be conducted at least once every five years.

• (2) The integrity of a pressure vessel that is a part of a motion compensator system or blowout preventer shall be verified at least once every five years by

  • (a) where practicable, an internal inspection; or

  • (b) where an internal inspection is not practicable, by a hydrostatic test or other non-destructive test method.

• 6.10 (1) Where more than five years have elapsed since the date of the last test and inspection of a Halon container, the container shall not be recharged without a test of container strength and a complete visual inspection being carried out.

• (2) A Halon container that has been continuously in service without being discharged may be retained in service for a maximum of 20 years after the date of the last test and inspection, at which time it shall be emptied, subjected to a test of container strength and a complete visual inspection and re-marked before being placed back in service.

• (3) Where a Halon container has been subjected to unusual corrosion, shock or vibration, a complete visual inspection and a test of container strength shall be carried out.

6.11 In addition to the requirements of sections 6.8 to 6.10, every boiler, pressure vessel and piping system in use at a work place shall be inspected by a qualified person as frequently as is necessary to ensure that the boiler, pressure vessel or piping system is safe for its intended use.

Records

• 6.12 (1) A record of each inspection carried out under sections 6.4 and 6.8 to 6.11 shall be completed by the inspector or qualified person who carried out the inspection.

• (2) Every record referred to in subsection (1)

  • (a) shall be signed by the inspector or qualified person who carried out the inspection; and

  • (b) shall include

    • (i) the date of the inspection,

    • (ii) the identification and location of the boiler, pressure vessel or piping system that was inspected,

    • (iii) the maximum allowable working pressure and the maximum temperature at which the boiler or pressure vessel may be operated,

    • (iv) a declaration as to whether the boiler, pressure vessel or piping system meets the standards prescribed by this Part,

    • (v) a declaration as to whether, in the opinion of the inspector or qualified person who carried out the inspection, the boiler, pressure vessel or piping system is safe for its intended use,

    • (vi) where appropriate in the opinion of the inspector or qualified person who carried out the inspection, recommendations regarding the need for more frequent inspections or tests than are required by section 6.8, 6.9 or 6.10, and

    • (vii) any other observation that the inspector or qualified person who carried out considers relevant to the safety of employees.

• (3) The employer shall keep every record referred to in subsection (1) for one year after the date that the next inspection is required by this Part.

PART VIILevels of Lighting

Application

7.1 This Part does not apply to the bridge of a drilling unit or floating production facility.

General

• 7.2 (1) The levels of lighting prescribed in this Part shall, where reasonably practicable, be provided by a lighting system installed by the employer.

• (2) Where it is not reasonably practicable to comply with subsection (1), the employer shall provide portable lighting that gives the prescribed levels of lighting.

Measurement of Average Levels of Lighting

7.3 For the purposes of this Part, the average level of lighting at a work position or in an area shall be determined by making four or more measurements at different places at the work position or in the area

• (a) where work is performed at a level higher than the floor, at the level at which the work is performed, and

• (b) in any other case, 1 m above the floor,

and dividing the aggregate of the results of the measurements by the number of the measurements.

Minimum Average Levels of Lighting

7.4 The average level of lighting at a work position or in an area referred to in Column I of an item of the Schedule to this Part shall be not less than the average level set out in Column II of that item.

Emergency Lighting Systems

• 7.5 (1) Where a failure in the lighting system in an area through which an employee passes in carrying out emergency procedures referred to in subsection 18.9(1) will cause the level of lighting to be reduced to less than 3 dalx, an emergency lighting system shall be installed in the area.

• (2) The emergency lighting system referred to in subsection (1) shall

  • (a) operate automatically in the event of a failure of the lighting system; and

  • (b) provide an average level of lighting of 3 dalx.