Occupational Health and Safety Code

1

In this Code,

“abate” means to encapsulate, enclose or remove asbestos containing material;

“acceptance” means an acceptance issued under section 20 of the Act;

“Act” means the Occupational Health and Safety Act, SA 2020 cO-2.2;

“actively transmitting” with respect to radiofrequency transmitters includes being set to “on” or “standby” mode;

“actuated fastening tool” means a tool that uses a pneumatic, hydraulic, explosive or electric source of energy to bring about its action;

"advanced care paramedic" means an advanced care paramedic registered under the Paramedics Profession Regulation (AR 151 /2016);

“advanced first aider” means an emergency medical responder, primary care paramedic or a person who holds a certificate in advanced first aid from an approved training agency;

“aerial device” means a telescoping or articulating unit used for positioning a personnel basket, bucket, platform or other device at an elevated work location;

“all‑terrain vehicle” means a wheeled or tracked motor vehicle designed primarily for travel on unprepared surfaces, such as open country and marshland, but does not include a snow vehicle or farming, ranching or construction machinery;

“anchor” in Parts 9 and 41 means an engineered component for coupling a fall arrest or travel restraint system to an anchorage;

“anchorage” in Part 41 means a structure, or part of a structure, that is capable of safely withstanding any potential forces applied by a fall protection system;

“ANSI” means the American National Standards Institute;

“API” means the American Petroleum Institute;

“approved by a Director” means an approval issued under section 22 of the Act;

“approved to” means that the product bears the approval or certification mark of a nationally accredited third party testing organization, certifying that the product complies with the referenced standard;

“approved training agency” means a person or organization approved by a Director of Medical Services or a Director under section 177 to provide training in first aid;

“asbestos” includes all forms of asbestos;

“asbestos waste” means material that is discarded because there is a reasonable chance that asbestos might be released from it and become airborne, including protective clothing that is contaminated with asbestos;

“ASME” means the American Society of Mechanical Engineers;

“ASSE” means the American Society of Safety Engineers;

“ASTM” means the American Society for Testing and Materials;

“audiometer” means a device meeting the specifications of an audiometer described in ANSI/ASA S3.6-2018, Specification for Audiometers;

“audiometric technician” means a person

(a) who has

(i) successfully completed a training course in audiometric testing approved by a Director of Medical Services or a Director, or

(ii) been approved by a Director of Medical Services or a Director as having successfully completed the equivalent of a training course referred to in subclause (i),

and

(b) who has passed a requalification examination when requested to do so by a Director of Medical Services or Director;

“authorized radiation health registration agency” means a person designated under section 58 of the Act as an authorized radiation health registration agency;

“authorized radiation protection inspection agency” means a person designated under section 58 of the Act as an authorized radiation protection inspection agency;

“AWG” means, with respect to electrical conductors, American Wire Gauge;

“basic first aider” means a person who holds a certificate in basic first aid from an approved training agency;

“biohazardous material” means a pathogenic organism, including a bloodborne pathogen, that, because of its known or reasonably believed ability to cause disease in humans, would be classified as Risk Group 2, 3 or 4 as defined in the Human Pathogens and Toxins Act (Canada), or any material contaminated with such an organism;

“blast hole” means a hole loaded with an explosive;

“blaster” means a worker who holds a blaster's certificate issued under section 468.1 or a blaster's permit issued under this Code or deemed to have been issued under the Act by virtue of section 69(2) of the Act;

“blasting area” means the location at which explosives are being prepared, loaded, detonated or destroyed that extends at least 50 metres in all directions from that location;

“blasting circuit” means a circuit consisting of blasting wire used to initiate one or more electric detonators;

“blasting machine” means equipment used to initiate detonation;

“blasting mat” means a heavy mat made of woven rope, steel wire, chain or other similar interconnected materials, placed over explosives to prevent earth, rock and debris from being thrown in the air by the detonated explosive;

“boatswain’s chair” means a seat that is suspended from ropes from which one person works on the side of a building;

“body belt” means a body support consisting of a strap with a means for securing it about the waist and attaching it to other components;

“boom” means the part of a structure that is attached to a crane or lifting device superstructure and used to support the upper end of the hoisting tackle;

“boom truck” means a truck that is equipped with a hydraulically driven structure or device that

(a) is mounted on a turret that is secured to a truck,

(b) is supported to provide stability, and

(c) is equipped with a boom that

(i) is telescoping or articulating, and

(ii) can swing, hoist or raise and lower its load;

“bootleg” means that portion of a blast hole that

(a) is not destroyed after an explosive is detonated in it, and

(b) may or may not contain explosives;

“bore hole” means a drilled hole that does not contain explosives;

“BSI” means the British Standards Institute;

“building shaft” means an enclosed vertical opening in a building or structure extending to 2 or more floors or levels, including an elevator, a ventilation shaft, a stairwell or a service shaft;

“buried facility” means anything buried or constructed below ground level respecting electricity, communications, water, sewage, oil, gas or other substances including, but not limited to, the pipes, conduits, ducts, cables, wires, valves, manholes, catch basins and attachments to them;

“Canadian Electrical Code” means CSA Standard C22.1‑06, Canadian Electrical Code, Part 1, Safety Standard for Electrical Installations;

“cantilever hoist” means a hoist in which the car travels on rails that may be an integral part of a vertical mast and on a vertical plane out board from the mast;

“carabiner” means a connecting component that

(a) generally consists of a trapezoidal or oval body with a self locking gate that requires at least 2 consecutive, deliberate actions to open to permit the body to receive an object and that, when released, automatically closes and locks to prevent unintentional opening, and

(b) has an ultimate tensile strength of at least 22.2 kilonewtons;

“cathead” means a clutched spool connected to a drawworks power system used to create tension on chains, cables and ropes;

“CEN” means the European Committee for Standardization;

“certified by a professional engineer” means stamped and signed by a professional engineer as described in section 14;

“CGSB” means the Canadian General Standards Board;

“chimney hoist” means a hoist used to lift workers, materials or equipment during the construction of a chimney;

“climbable structure” means an engineered or architectural work where the primary method of accessing the structure is by climbing the structure with the principle means of support being the climber’s hands and feet;

“close work site” means a work site that is not more than 20 minutes travel time from a health care facility under normal travel conditions using available means of transportation;

“coal dust” means dust that

(i) results from the mining, transporting or processing of coal,

(ii) is of a pure or mixed carboniferous, mineralogical composition, and

(iii) contains 10 percent or less of free silica calculated by weight;

“combustible dust” means a dust that can create an explosive atmosphere when it is suspended in air in ignitable concentrations;

“combustible liquid” means a liquid that has a flash point at or above 37.8ºC, as determined by using the methods described in the Alberta Fire Code (1997);

“concrete pump truck” in Part 19 means powered mobile equipment that is comprised of a concrete pump, a distribution boom or mast, delivery pipes and the equipment on which they are mounted;

“confined space” means a restricted space which may become hazardous to a worker entering it because of

(a) an atmosphere that is or may be injurious by reason of oxygen deficiency or enrichment, flammability, explosivity or toxicity,

(b) a condition or changing set of circumstances within the space that presents a potential for injury or illness, or

(c) the potential or inherent characteristics of an activity which can produce adverse or harmful consequences within the space;

“container” in Part 33 means a fully enclosed storage receptacle made of a materials that will protect explosives from damage or being detonated;

“contaminant” means a chemical, biological or radiological material in a concentration that will likely endanger the health and safety of a worker if it is inhaled, ingested or absorbed;

“contaminated” means affected by the presence of a harmful substance on workers or at the work site in a quantity sufficient to pose a risk to health;

“contaminated environment” means a work site that contains or may contain a contaminant;

“control system isolating device” means a device that physically prevents activation of a system used for remotely controlling the operation of equipment;

“control zone” means the area within 2 metres of an unguarded edge of a level, elevated work surface that has a slope of no more than 4 degrees;

“controlled blasting” means a technique of blasting which is used to reduce the amount of over break, fractures, ground vibrations and other unintended damage;

“conveyor” means horizontal, inclined or vertical equipment for moving or transporting bulk material, packages or any other thing in a path or direction predetermined by the design of the equipment;

“cow’s tail” in Part 41 means a short strap, lanyard or sling connected to the main attachment point of a harness;

“CPSC” means the Consumer Product Safety Commission;

“crane” means equipment that is designed to lift loads, lower loads and move loads horizontally when they are lifted;

“CSA” means the Canadian Standards Association;

“day box” means a box made of non-sparking material, lined with non-conductive material, that is capable of being locked, is weatherproof and is used only for temporary storage of explosives intended for a specific blasting activity;

“3 decibel exchange rate” means that when the sound energy doubles, the decibel level increases by 3;

“dBA” means a measure of sound level in decibels using a reference sound pressure of 20 micropascals when measured on the A weighting network of a sound level meter;

“demolition” means the tearing down, destruction, breaking up or razing of the whole or part of a building or structure;

“designated radiation equipment” means the following equipment unless it is in transit, in storage or incapable of being energized:

(a) diagnostic or therapeutic x‑ray equipment;

(b) particle accelerators not governed by the Nuclear Safety and Control Act (Canada) and the regulations under that Act;

(c) baggage inspection x‑ray equipment;

(d) security x‑ray equipment;

(e) cabinet x‑ray equipment;

(f) analytical x‑ray equipment;

(g) industrial x‑ray equipment;

(h) irradiation x‑ray equipment;

(i) class 3b or 4 lasers that are not enclosed within a laser system with a lower classification, as described in ANSI Standard Z136.1-2014, American National Standard for the Safe Use of Lasers, published by the American National Standards Institute;

“designated signaller” means a person designated to give signals in accordance with section 191;

“detonating cord” means a cord containing explosives of sufficient strength to detonate other explosives;

“detonator” means any equipment used to detonate explosives but does not include a blasting machine;

“direct supervision” means that a competent worker

(a) is personally and visually supervising the worker who is not competent, and

(b) is able to communicate readily and clearly with the worker who is not competent;

“discard” means solid or liquid material that is removed or rejected during mining or processing operations because it has no current use, but that may be of future use;

“distant work site” means a work site that is more than 20 minutes but less than 40 minutes travel time from a health care facility, under normal travel conditions using available means of transportation;

“drill stem test” means a procedure for isolating and testing the pressure, permeability and productive capacity of a geological formation during the drilling of a well by permitting the flow of formation fluids through the drill pipe;

“effective dose” means the sum for all irradiated tissues and organs, of the equivalent dose, in millisieverts, for each tissue or organ multiplied by the appropriate tissue weighting factor, as determined in accordance with the 2007 Recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection. ICRP Publication 103. Ann. ICRP 2007; 37 (2-4);

“electric detonator” means a shell containing a charge of detonating compound designed to be fired by an electric current;

“electric utility” has the meaning assigned to it by the Electric Utilities Act;

“electrician” means a person who holds a trade certificate, as defined in the Skilled Trades and Apprenticeship Education Act, in the designated trade of electrician;

“electromagnetic radiation” includes radiation used or found in association with

(a) broadcasting,

(b) mobile communications systems,

(c) remote control signal stations,

(d) industrial radiofrequency heaters,

(e) equipment used for geophysical surveys,

(f) radar,

(g) overhead power lines, and

(h) any other source of electromagnetic radiation;

“emergency medical responder” means an emergency medical responder registered under the Paramedics Profession Regulation (AR 151/2016);

“emergency response plan” means the emergency response plan required under Part 7;

“equivalent dose” means the amount of energy of ionizing radiation, in millisieverts, absorbed in a unit of mass of irradiated tissue or organ multiplied by the appropriate radiation weighting factor, as determined in accordance with the 2007 Recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection. ICRP Publication 103. Ann. ICRP 2007; 37 (2-4);

“excavation” in Part 32 means a dug out area of ground but does not include a tunnel, underground shaft or pit;

“excess noise” means noise that exceeds the limits specified in section 218;

“explosive” means a chemical compound or mixture that by fire, friction, impact, percussion or detonation may cause a sudden release of gases at a pressure capable of producing destructive effects to adjacent objects or of killing or injuring a person;

“explosive atmosphere” means an atmosphere that

(a) contains a substance in a mixture with air, under atmospheric conditions and at a concentration between the substance’s lower explosive limit and upper explosive limit, and

(b) is capable of producing destructive effects to adjacent objects or of killing or injuring a person;

“exposed worker” means a worker who may reasonably be expected to work in a restricted area at least 30 work days in a 12‑month period;

“fall arresting device” means a part of a worker’s personal protective equipment that stops the worker’s fall and does not allow the worker to fall farther;

“fall protection system” means

(a) a personal fall arrest system,

(b) a travel restraint system,

(c) fabric or netting panels intended for leading edge protection,

(d) a safety net,

(e) a control zone, or

(f) use of procedures in place of fall protection equipment;

“fall restrict equipment” means a component of a fall restrict system that, when combined with other subcomponents and elements, allows the climber of a wood pole to remain at the climber’s work position with both hands free and that performs a limited fall arrest function when the climber loses contact between the climber’s spurs and the pole;

“fall restrict system” means a combination of a work positioning system and fall restrict equipment;

“fibre” means a particulate material with

(a) a diameter equal to or less than 3 micrometres,

(b) a length equal to or greater than 5 micrometres, and

(c) a length to diameter ratio equal to or greater than 3 to 1;

“first aid” means emergency care provided to an ill or injured worker at a work site;

“first aider” means a basic first aider, intermediate first aider, advanced first aider, emergency medical responder, advanced care paramedic or primary care paramedic designated by a prime contractor or an employer to provide first aid to workers at a work site;

“fixed ladder” means a ladder that is permanently fixed to a supporting structure in a vertical position or at an angle of not more than 15 degrees from vertical and that does not lean back;

“flammable liquid” means a liquid with

(a) a flash point below 37.8°C, and

(b) a vapour pressure of not more than 275.8 kilopascals (absolute), as determined by ASTM Standard D323‑06, Standard Test Method for Vapour Pressure of Petroleum Products (Reid Method);

“flammable substance” means

(a) a flammable gas or liquid,

(b) the vapour of a flammable or combustible liquid,

(c) dust that can create an explosive atmosphere when suspended in air in ignitable concentrations, or

(d) ignitable fibres;

“flash point” means the minimum temperature at which a liquid in a container gives off vapour in sufficient concentration to form an ignitable mixture with air near the surface of the liquid, as determined by using the methods described in the Alberta Fire Code (1997);

“fly form deck panel” means a temporary supporting structure used as a modular falsework that is intended to be, and capable of being, moved from floor to floor and reused during a construction project;

“free fall distance” means the vertical distance between the point from which a worker falls to the point at which deceleration begins because of the action of a personal fall arrest system;

“full body harness” means a body support consisting of connected straps designed to distribute force over at least the thighs, shoulders and pelvis, to which a lanyard or lifeline or connecting component can be attached;

“gob” means an area of a mine from which coal has been extracted and the roof allowed to cave in;

“grinder accessory” means an abrasive wheel, cutting disc, wire wheel, buffing or polishing disc or other similar product;

“GVW” means the manufacturer’s rated gross vehicle weight;

“hand expose zone” means the strip of land

(a) 1 metre wide on each side of the locate marks for a buried facility other than a high pressure pipeline, or

(b) 5 metres wide on each side of the locate marks for a high pressure pipeline;

“hand tool” means hand‑held equipment that depends on the energy of the worker for its direct effect and does not have a pneumatic, hydraulic, electrical or chemical energy source for its operation;

“handling” with respect to explosives includes preparing, loading, firing, burning or destroying explosives or detonators;

“hazard assessment” means an assessment made in accordance with section 7 or 21;

“hazardous energy” means electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical, nuclear, thermal, gravitational or any other form of energy that could cause injury due to the unintended motion, energizing, start up or release of such stored or residual energy in machinery, equipment, powered mobile equipment, piping or pipelines;

“hazardous location” in Part 10 means a place where fire or explosion hazards may exist due to flammable gases or vapours, flammable or combustible liquids, combustible dust or ignitable fibres or flyings, as described in the Canadian Electrical Code;

“health care facility” means a hospital, medical clinic or physician’s office that can dispense emergency medical treatment if a worker becomes ill or injured  at a work site;

“hearing protection device” means personal protective equipment worn to protect the wearer from damage to hearing due to exposure to noise;

“heavy duty scaffold” means a scaffold that

(a) is designed to support the equivalent of an evenly distributed load of more than 122 kilograms per square metre but not more than 367 kilograms per square metre, and

(b) has planks with a span of not more than 2.3 metres;

“high hazard work” means work described in Schedule 2, Table 3;

“high pressure pipeline” means a pipeline operating at a pressure of 700 kilopascals or greater;

“high visibility safety apparel” means personal protective equipment that is occupational apparel capable of signalling the user’s presence visually and intended to provide the user with conspicuity in hazardous situations under any light conditions and under illumination by vehicle headlights;

“hoist” means equipment that is designed to lift and lower loads;

“horizontal lifeline system” means a system composed of a synthetic or wire rope, secured horizontally between 2 or more anchor points, to which a worker attaches a personal fall arrest system or travel restraint system;

“hot tap” means a process of penetrating through the pressure containing barrier of a pipeline, line, piping system, tank, vessel, pump casing, compressor casing or similar facility that has not been totally isolated, depressurized, purged and cleaned;

“hot work” means work in which a flame is used or sparks or other sources of ignition may be produced, including

(a) cutting, welding, burning, air gouging, riveting, drilling, grinding and chipping,

(b) using electrical equipment not classified for use in a hazardous location, and

(c) introducing a combustion engine to a work process;

“hours of darkness” means the period from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise, or any time when, because of insufficient light or unfavourable atmospheric conditions, persons or vehicles cannot be seen at a distance of 150 metres;

“IEC” means the International Electrotechnical Commission;

“illness or injury” in Part 11 means a sudden occurrence of an illness or injury that results in the need for first aid;

“immediately dangerous to life or health” means circumstances in which the atmosphere is deficient in oxygen or the concentration of a harmful substance in the atmosphere

(a) is an immediate threat to life,

(b) may affect health irreversibly,

(c) may have future adverse effects on health, or

(d) may interfere with a worker’s ability to escape from a dangerous atmosphere;

“incombustible dust” means a pulverized inert mine material of light colour,

(a) 100 percent of which passes through a 20 mesh sieve,

(b) not less than 70 percent by weight of which passes, when dry, through a 200 mesh sieve, and

(c) that does not contain more than 5 percent combustible matter or 4 percent free and combined silica;

“industrial power producer” in Part 40 means an employer authorized in Alberta to generate electrical energy as an independent power producer or solely for its own use in manufacturing or in the handling of material;

“industrial rope access work” in Part 41 means work activities at height which incorporate a working line, safety line and full body harness in combination with other devices that allow a worker to ascend, descend and traverse to and from a work area under the worker’s own control;

“inerting” means to intentionally flood the atmosphere inside a confined space with an inert gas to eliminate the hazard of igniting flammable vapours;

“intermediate first aider” means a first aider who holds a certificate in intermediate first aid from an approved training agency;

“ionizing radiation” means electromagnetic energy, atomic particles or nuclear particles that are capable of ionizing atoms;

“ionizing radiation equipment” means

(a) diagnostic or therapeutic x-ray equipment,

(b) particle accelerators,

(c) industrial x‑ray equipment,

(d) irradiation x‑ray equipment, or

(e) any other ionizing radiation equipment for which the registration certificate requires monitoring of the personal exposure of workers who use or are directly involved in the use of ionizing radiation equipment or an ionizing radiation source;

“ISO” means the International Organization for Standardization;

“isolated” means to have separated, disconnected, de‑energized or depressurized;

“isolated work site” means a work site that is 40 minutes or more travel time from the work site to a health care facility under normal travel conditions using available means of transportation;

“jib” means an extension to a boom that is attached to the boom tip to provide additional boom length;

“L_ex” means the level of a worker’s total exposure to noise in dBA, averaged over the entire workday and adjusted to an equivalent 8‑hour exposure measured in accordance with section 219 and based on a 3 decibel exchange rate;

“ladderjack scaffold” means a scaffold erected by attaching a bracket to a ladder to support the scaffold planks;

“lanyard” means a flexible line of webbing or synthetic or wire rope that is used to secure a full body harness or safety belt to a lifeline or anchor point;

“laser” means any device that can be made to produce or amplify radiation in the wavelength range from 180 nanometres to 1 millimetre primarily by the process of controlled stimulated emission;

“lead” includes inorganic and organic compounds of lead;

“lead wire” means an electric wire connecting a power source or blasting machine to a blasting circuit;

“leading edge” means the edge of a floor, roof or formwork for a floor or other walking/working surface that changes location as additional floor, roof, decking or formwork sections are placed, formed or constructed;

“leg wire” means an electric wire attached to a detonator;

“life jacket” means personal protective equipment capable of supporting a person with the head above water in a face‑up position without the direct effort of the person wearing the equipment;

“lifeline” means a synthetic or wire rope, rigged from one or more anchor points, to which a worker’s lanyard or other part of a personal fall arrest system is attached;

“light duty scaffold” means a scaffold that

(a) is designed to support the equivalent of an evenly distributed load of not more than 122 kilograms per square metre, and

(b) has planks with a span of not more than 3 metres;

“low hazard work” means work described in Schedule 2, Table 1;

“lower explosive limit” means the lower value of the range of concentrations of a substance, in a mixture with air, at which the substance may ignite;

“lumber” means wood that is spruce pine fir (S‑P‑F) or better, of Number 2 grade or better and, if referred to by dimensions, meets the requirements of CSA Standard CAN/CSA O141‑05, Softwood Lumber, or the requirements of the NLGA Standard, Standard Grading Rules for Canadian Lumber (2003);

“machinery” means a combination of mechanical parts that transmits from one part to another, or otherwise modifies, force, motion or energy that comes from hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical or electrical reactions or from other sources, and includes vehicles;

“magazine” means a building, storehouse, structure or place in which an explosive is stored, but does not include

(a) a vehicle in which an explosive is kept for the purpose of transporting the explosive,

(b) a day box, or

(c) a container;

“manufacturer’s rated capacity” means the maximum capacity, speed, load, depth of operation or working pressure, as the case may be, recommended by the specifications of the manufacturer of the equipment for the operation of the equipment under the circumstances prevailing at the time it is operated;

“material hoist” means a hoist that is not designed to lift people;

“medical sharp” in Part 35 means a needle device, scalpel, lancet or any other medical device that can reasonably be expected to penetrate the skin or other part of the body;

“medium hazard work” means work described in Schedule 2, Table 2;

“millisievert” (“mSv”) means a derived unit of effective dose and equivalent dose for ionizing radiation;

“mine” means a working, other than a drill hole made while exploring for a mineral, from which coal, precious or semi-precious minerals, sand, gravel, industrial minerals or oil sands is being extracted, and includes a quarry and a pit;

“mine level” in Part 36 means a horizontal excavation in the ground or in strata of an underground mine that is usable

(a) for drainage or ventilation, or

(b) as an entrance or exit for workers or mine materials to or from a mine or part of a mine;

“mine material” means material that may be taken into or out of a mine, including naturally occurring materials;

“mine plan” means a map, including a profile or section, of a mine or part of a mine, certified as correct by a surveyor;

“mine shaft” means an excavation at an angle of 45 degrees or greater from the horizontal that is usable

(a) for drainage or ventilation, or

(b) as an entrance or exit for workers or mine materials to or from a mine or part of a mine;

“mine site” means a location at which a facility for extracting a mineral by underground, strip, pit or quarry operations exists or is to be developed, and includes

(i) a mineral processing plant, storage facility or discard disposal facility that exists or is to be developed in connection with a mine, and

(ii) all connected access roads;

“mine tunnel” in Part 36 means an excavation at an angle of less than 45 degrees from the horizontal, including inclines and declines, that is usable

(a) for drainage or ventilation, or

(b) as an entrance or exit for workers or mine materials to or from a mine or part of a mine;

“mine wall” means the exposed face of an excavation in a surface mine from ground level to the working level;

“mining certificate” means a certificate issued under Part 36;

“misfire” means an explosive or part of an explosive that did not explode when detonation was attempted;

“mobile crane” means a crane, other than a boom truck, that

(a) incorporates a power‑driven drum and cable or rope to lift, lower or move loads,

(b) is equipped with a lattice or telescoping boom capable of moving in the vertical plane, and

(c) is mounted on a base or chassis, either crawler or wheel mounted, to provide mobility;

“musculoskeletal injury” means an injury to a worker of the muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, nerves, blood vessels or related soft tissues that are caused or aggravated by work, including overexertion injuries and overuse injuries;

“National Dose Registry” means the centralized record-keeping system containing the dose information of workers who use or are directly involved in the use of ionizing radiation equipment or an ionizing radiation source in Canada that is maintained by Health Canada;

“NFPA” means the National Fire Protection Association;

“NIOSH” means the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health;

“NLGA” means the National Lumber Grades Authority;

“noise” means sound energy at a work site;

“non‑industrial rope access work” in Part 41 means work activities performed within a recreational or sport context that incorporate a working line and a sit harness or full body harness in combination with other devices during

(a) mountaineering, caving and canyoning activities requiring the use of rope access techniques, or

(b) climbing on artificial structures designed and built for the purpose of sport climbing;

“non-ionizing radiation” means electromagnetic energy that is not capable of ionizing atoms, but that may cause photochemical, heating or other effects;

“nurse” means a registered nurse who is a member of the College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta established under the Health Professions Act;

“occupational exposure limit” or “OEL” with respect to a substance, means the occupational exposure limit established in Schedule 1, Table 2 for that substance;

“occupational rope access” in Part 41 includes both industrial and non‑industrial rope access work;

“operate” with respect to machinery or equipment includes using or handling the machinery or equipment;

“OSHA” means the Occupational Safety and Health Administration;

“outlet” in Part 36 means a shaft, slope, incline, decline, adit, tunnel, level or other means of entry to or exit from an underground mine;

“outrigger scaffold” means a supported scaffold that consists of a platform resting on outrigger beams (thrustouts) projecting beyond the wall or face of the building or structure, with inboard ends secured inside the building or structure;

“parenteral contact” means piercing mucous membranes or the skin;

“particulate not otherwise regulated” means insoluble particulate composed of substances that do not have an occupational exposure limit;

“perforating” means the use of explosives to perforate well casing to allow the flow of oil or gas into the wellbore;

“permanent” when referring to a structure, process or action means that it is intended to last indefinitely;

“permanent suspension powered work platform” means a suspension powered work platform that is a permanent part of a building or structure;

“permitted explosive” means an explosive that is listed pursuant to section 41 of the Explosives Regulations, 2013 (SOR/2013-211) made under the Explosives Act (Canada);

“personal fall arrest system” means personal protective equipment that will stop a worker’s fall before the worker hits a surface below the worker;

“personal flotation device” means personal protective equipment capable of supporting a person with the head above water, without the direct effort of the person wearing the equipment;

“pig” means a device inserted into piping or a pipeline to perform maintenance, cleaning, testing or other functions within the piping or pipeline without stopping the flow of substance within the piping or pipeline;

“pigcatcher” means a device designed to safely receive a pig from piping or a pipeline;

“pigging” means the process of inserting a pig into piping or a pipeline under pressure to perform maintence, cleaning, testing or other functions;

“PIP” means Process Industry Practices;

“pipeline” has the meaning assigned to it by the Pipeline Act;

“pit” means in Parts 32 and 36 means an operation on or excavation from the surface of land, including by stripping off the overburden, for the purposes of removing, opening up or proving sand, gravel, clay or marl, and includes any associated infrastructure;

“portable ladder” means any ladder that is not a fixed ladder;

“portable power cables” in Part 36 means portable trailing cables as specified in the applicable sections of CSA Standard CAN/CSA M421‑00 (R2007), Use of Electricity in Mines;

“portal” means a structure at the entrance to an underground mine, including any at the surface and any for a distance underground of 30 metres,

(a) that is used to support the ground and protect workers, or

(b) where outlets, other than vertical shafts, reach the surface;

“powered mobile equipment” means a self‑propelled machine or combination of machines, including a prime mover or a motor vehicle, designed to manipulate or move material or to provide a powered aerial device for workers;

“primary care paramedic” means a primary care paramedic registered under the Paramedics Profession Regulation (AR 151/2016);

“prime” with respect to explosives means to attach a safety fuse assembly or detonator;

“processing plant” in section 532 means a facility where coal, minerals or other products of a mine are cleaned, sized or prepared for sale or use;

“professional engineer” means a professional engineer under the Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act;

“protective headwear” means personal protective equipment that protects the head;

“pulmonary function technician” means a person who

(a) has passed, or has been approved by a Director of Medical Services as having done the equivalent of passing, a pulmonary function technician course approved by a Director of Medical Services, and

(b) if so required by a Director of Medical Services, has passed a requalification examination approved by such a Director;

“purge” means to remove a substance by displacing it with another substance;

“quarry” means any opening in, excavation in or working of the surface of land or subsurface for the purposes of working, recovering, opening up or proving

(a) any mineral other than coal, a coal-bearing substance, oil sands or an oil sands bearing substance, or

(b) ammonite shell,

and includes any associated infrastructure;

“radiation” means ionizing or non‑ionizing radiation;

“radiation equipment” means equipment or machinery associated with the use or operation of a radiation source, and includes the radiation source itself and any structure used to support or shield the equipment, machinery or radiation source;

“radiation facility” means any premises or part of premises in which radiation equipment or a radiation source is installed;

“radiation source” means a device or substance that emits radiation;

“radiofrequency transmitters” means transmitters that include radio towers, television towers, portable two‑way radio base stations and repeaters, portable two‑way radios and cellular telephones;

“registration certificate” means a certificate issued by an authorized radiation health registration agency or by a Director authorizing the operation of designated radiation equipment;

“remote monitoring station” means equipment that is electronically connected to a confined space for the purposes of monitoring the health and safety of and communicating with workers inside a confined space;

“respirable particulate” means airborne particulate collected and analyzed using NIOSH Method 0600, Particulates Not Otherwise Regulated, Respirable;

“respiratory protective equipment” means personal protective equipment intended to protect the wearer from oxygen-deficient atmospheres or inhaling airborne harmful substances and includes self-contained breathing apparatus;

“restricted area” means an area of a work site where there is a reasonable chance that the airborne concentration of asbestos, silica, coal dust or lead exceeds or may exceed the occupational exposure limit for one or more of the substances;

“restricted space” means an enclosed or partially enclosed space not designed or intended for continuous human occupancy that has a restricted, limited or impeded means of entry or exit because of its construction;

“rotary table” means the part of a drilling rig designed to apply torque to the drill string;

“rural electrification association” in Parts 17 and 40 means an association under the Rural Utilities Act whose purpose is to supply electricity to its members;

“SAE” means the Society of Automotive Engineers;

“safe patient/client/resident handling” in Part 14 means lifting, transferring or repositioning by the use of engineering controls, lifting and transfer aids or assistive devices, by lift teams or other trained staff rather than by sole use of worker body strength;

“safeguard” means a guard, shield, guardrail, fence, gate, barrier, toe board, protective enclosure, safety net, handrail or other device designed to protect workers operating equipment or machinery, but does not include personal protective equipment;

“safety engineered medical sharp” in Part 35 means a medical sharp that is designed to, or has a built in safety feature or mechanism that will, eliminate or minimize the risk of accidental parenteral contact while or after the sharp is used;

“safety fuse” means a train of black powder that

(a) is tightly wrapped and enclosed in a series of textiles and waterproof materials,

(b) can be connected to a detonator, and

(c) burns internally at a continuous and uniform rate when ignited;

“safety fuse assembly” means a safety fuse to which a detonator is attached;

“scaffold” means a temporary work platform and its supporting structure used for supporting workers, materials or both, but does not include suspended cages, permanent suspension powered work platforms, boatswain’s chairs, elevating platforms, aerial devices, fork‑mounted work platforms, temporary supporting structures and fly form deck panels;

“secondary blasting” means the use of explosives to reduce the size of material that remains after an explosive is detonated;

“secure” in Part 15 means ensuring that an energy isolating device cannot be released or activated;

“seismic blasting” means a blasting activity used to collect geophysical data for the purposes of imaging the subsurface;

“sharps” means needles, knives, scalpels, blades, scissors and other items that can cut or puncture a person, which may also be contaminated with a biohazardous material;

“shock absorber” means a device intended to reduce the force on a worker when a personal fall arrest system is operating;

“shunt” means the act of connecting a piece of conductive material to the end of a leg wire of an electric detonator to prevent unintended detonation;

“significant threshold shift” means a change in hearing threshold relative to a reference audiometric test that indicates

(a) an average shift of equal to or greater than 10 dB in either ear, or 30 dB or more in both ears combined, at 2000, 3000 and 4000 Hz, or

(b) a shift of equal to or greater than 15 dB in either ear at 3000 or 4000 Hz;

“silica” means crystalline silicon dioxide, including quartz and cristobalite;

“small utility vehicle” in Part 18 means a small vehicle designated for off‑road use, equipped with a bench type seat and a steering wheel and designed to transport more than one person;

“snow vehicle” means a motor vehicle designated or intended to be driven exclusively or chiefly on snow or ice;

“snubbing” means the act of moving tubulars into or out of a well bore when pressure is contained in the well;

“snubbing unit” means equipment used for snubbing;

“specifications”, other than manufacturer specifications, includes the written instructions, procedures, drawings or other documents of a professional engineer or other person designated in the regulations under the Act;

“split” in Part 36 means a separate fresh air ventilation circuit in which the intake air comes directly from the main intake airway and the return air goes directly to the main return airway;

“spoil pile” means waste material excavated from an excavation, tunnel or underground shaft;

“stemming” means the act of placing a non-combustible material in the portion between the top of the explosive column and the collar of a blast hole;

“surface mine” means a mine worked by strip mining, pit mining or other surface method, including auger mining;

“surveyor” means a worker who holds a certificate of registration and an annual certificate to engage in the practice of surveying under the Land Surveyors Act;

“suspended scaffold” means a work platform suspended from above by wires or ropes;

“swabbing unit” means equipment used for well swabbing;

“swing drop distance” means, in a fall‑arresting action, the vertical drop from the onset of the swinging motion to the point of initial contact with a structure;

“temporary” with respect to a structure, process or action means that it is not intended to last indefinitely;

“temporary protective structure” means a structure or device designed to provide protection to workers, in an excavation, tunnel or underground shaft, from cave ins, collapses or sliding or rolling materials and includes shoring, bracing, piles, planking or cages;

“temporary supporting structures” means falsework, forms, fly form deck panels, shoring, braces or cables that are used to support a structure temporarily or to stabilize materials or earthworks until they are self‑supporting or their instability is otherwise overcome and includes a thrustout materials landing platform;

“tending worker” means a worker designated by an employer under section 56(1);

“total fall distance” means the vertical distance from the point at which a worker falls to the point where the fall stops after all personal fall arrest system components have extended;

“total particulate” means airborne particulate collected and analyzed using NIOSH Method 0500, Particulates Not Otherwise Regulated, Total;

“tower crane” means a crane that

(a) is designed to incorporate a power‑driven drum and cable, a rope and a vertical mast or a tower and jib,

(b) is of the travelling, fixed or climbing type, and

(c) is not used to lift people;

“tower hoist” means a hoist

(a) with a tower that is an integral part of it or supports it,

(b) that travels between fixed guides, and

(c) that is not used to lift people;

“travel restraint system” means a type of fall protection system, including guardrails or similar barriers, that prevents a worker from travelling to the edge of a structure or to a work position from which the worker could fall;

“trench” means a long, narrow dug out area of ground that is deeper than its width at the bottom;

“tunnel” in Part 36 means an underground passage with an incline of less than 45 degrees from the horizontal;

“UIAA” means the Union Internationale des Associations d’Alpinisme;

“ULC” means the Underwriters Laboratories of Canada;

“underground mine” means a mine other than a surface mine;

“underground mine foreman” means a person who holds an underground mine foreman's certificate issued under section 749.4 or an underground coal mine foreman's certificate issued under this Code or deemed to have been issued under the Act by virtue of section 69(2) of the Act;

“underground mine manager” means a person who holds an underground mine manager's certificate issued under section 749.4 or an underground coal mine manager's certificate issued under this Code or deemed to have been issued under the Act by virtue of section 69(2) of the Act;

“underground shaft” means an underground passage with an incline of 45 degrees or more from the horizontal, including a drilled or bored pile or caisson, that is used primarily for the transportation of workers or materials;

“underground shaft hoist” means a hoist used in an underground shaft to gain entry to and exit from a tunnel or underground space and includes a device for conveying mine material;

“utility employee” in Part 40 means a worker engaged in the work of an electric utility, industrial power producer or rural electrification association;

“vehicle” means a device in, on or by which a person or thing may be transported or drawn and includes a combination of vehicles;

“ventilation stopping” in Part 36 means a structure that directs air flow or separates intake and return air systems;

“welding or allied process” in Part 10 means any specific type of electric or oxy fuel gas welding or cutting process, including those processes referred to in Appendix A of CSA Standard W117.2‑06, Safety in Welding, Cutting and Allied Processes;

“well servicing” means maintenance work performed on an oil, gas or geothermal energy well to bring the well into initial production, after completion of initial production, during extraction activities, during decommissioning of the well and during any ancillary activities associated with these operations;

“well stimulation” means an activity performed to restore or enhance the productivity of a well;

“well swabbing” means a process to remove fluids from an oil or gas well to increase well productivity;

“work area” means a place at a work site where a worker is, or may be, during work or during a work break;

“work positioning system” means a system of personal protective equipment components attached to a vertical safety line and includes a full body harness, descent controllers and positioning lanyards used to support or suspend a worker in tension at a work position;

“working face” means the surface from which mineable material, overburden or waste material is being removed;

“workings” means the area where excavation is occurring in a mine;

“x‑ray equipment” means a device or class of devices that is capable of producing x‑rays artificially.

1.1(1)

Subject to subsection (2) and except as expressly provided for in this Code, this Code does not apply to the following farming and ranching operations:

(a) the production of crops, including fruits and vegetables, through the cultivation of land;

(b) the raising and maintenance of animals or birds;

(c) the keeping of bees.

1.1(2)

For greater certainty, the following are not farming and ranching operations:

(a) the processing of food or other products from the operations referred to in subsection (1);

(b) the operation of greenhouses, mushroom farms, nurseries or sod farms;

(c) landscaping;

(d) the raising or boarding of pets.

1.1(3)

The farming and ranching operations referred to in subsection (1) are specified for the purpose of section 1(cc)(i) and (tt)(ii) of the Act, but for greater certainty, the operations referred to in subsection (2) are not farming and ranching operations for the purpose of section 1(cc)(i) and (tt)(ii) of the Act.

1.1(4)

Subject to subsection (5), Part 13 applies to farming and ranching operations.

1.1(5)

Section 201 applies only to the training of co‑chairs of joint health and safety committees and health and safety representatives of farming and ranching operations.

1.2(1)

In this section,

(a) “domestic work” means the normal household work, tasks or chores that are the type routinely performed by members of a household;

(b) “domestic worker” means a person employed to perform domestic work within a private dwelling by or on behalf of an occupant or owner who lives in the private dwelling.

1.2(2)

Subject to subsection (3), this Code does not apply to domestic workers.

1.2(3)

Sections 3.2, 12(a) and (b), 15.1, 21(1)(b), 21(2)(a), (c) and (d), and section 21(3) apply to domestic workers.

2.2

If a requirement of this Code imposes a duty on an employer with respect to the development or preparation of a plan, the employer must ensure that the plan is developed or prepared by a designated person who is competent in the principles and practices of the work described in the plan.

3

Repealed

3.1

If a standard referenced in this Code applies to equipment manufactured or installed or personal protective equipment manufactured on or after a specified effective date, an employer must ensure that equipment manufactured or installed or personal protective equipment manufactured prior to that date was approved to or, as applicable, met the requirements of the edition of the referenced standard that was in effect at the time the equipment was manufactured or installed or the personal protective equipment was manufactured.

3.2

If a worker is required under the Act, the regulations or this Code to use or wear specific equipment or personal protective equipment, the employer and supervisor must ensure that the worker uses or wears the equipment or personal protective equipment at the work site.

3.3

If this Code imposes a duty on a worker, the worker’s employer must ensure that the worker performs that duty.

6

This Code comes into force on the coming into force of section 61 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, SA 2020 cO-2.2.