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Liquefied Petroleum Gases Bulk Storage Regulations (C.R.C., c. 1152)

Regulations are current to 2024-03-06 and last amended on 2015-06-18. Previous Versions

Liquefied Petroleum Gases Bulk Storage Regulations

C.R.C., c. 1152

RAILWAY SAFETY ACT

Regulations Respecting the Design, Location, Construction, Operation and Maintenance of Stationary Bulk Storage Facilities for Liquefied Petroleum Gases

Short Title

 These Regulations may be cited as the Liquefied Petroleum Gases Bulk Storage Regulations.

Interpretation

 In these Regulations,

design pressure

design pressure is synonymous with the term maximum allowable working pressure as used in the A.S.M.E. Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code for Unfired Pressure Vessels; (pression nominale)

filling density

filling density means the percentage figure obtained when the maximum weight of liquefied petroleum gas that may be in the container is divided by the water weight capacity of the tank and the result is multiplied by 100; all capacities shall be measured at a liquid temperature of 60°F; (densité de remplissage)

liquefied petroleum gases

liquefied petroleum gases are gases derived from petroleum or natural gas; they are in the gaseous state at normal atmospheric temperature and pressure, but may be maintained in a liquid state by the application of moderate pressure; the following gases are those most commonly handled as liquefied petroleum gases: propane, normal butane, propylene, isobutane, butylenes; (gaz de pétrole liquéfiés)

main track

main track means a track extending through yards and between stations upon which trains are operated by timetable or train order, or both, or the use of which is governed by block signals or other method of control; (voie principale)

owning or operating company

owning or operating company means the person or company owning or operating the installation, erected with leave of the Commission granted upon application made therefor by the railway company concerned, on behalf of such person or company; (compagnie propriétaire or exploitante)

private track

private track means a track outside of carrier’s right-of-way, yard and terminals, and of which the carrier does not own either the rails, ties, roadbed or right-of-way; or a track or portion of a track which is devoted to the purpose of its user, either by lease or written agreement, in which case the lease or written agreement is considered as equivalent to ownership; (voie particulière)

shall

shall is used to indicate mandatory provisions; (le futur)

should

should is used to indicate recommendatory [provisions]; (le conditionnel)

Switch heater facility

Switch heater facility means an installation comprising a liquefied petroleum gas heating appliance and attendant fuel storage and distribution systems, the purpose of which is to prevent the failure of a railway track switch due to snow or ice.

team track

team track means a track on railway property which is used for loading and unloading purposes by more than one company or person. (voie de desserte industrielle)

  • SOR/79-201, s. 1

Application

 These Regulations apply to the stationary bulk storage facilities for liquefied petroleum gases on the right-of-way owned or leased by any railway company subject to the jurisdiction of the Commission.

  •  (1) These Regulations apply to new installations and additions or changes to existing installations.

  • (2) Notwithstanding subsection (1), installations previously approved by an order of the Commission shall be operated in accordance with these Regulations and, if ordered by the Commission, shall also be made to conform to those parts of these Regulations pertaining to location, construction and design.

PART IStorage Installations

Application of Part

 This Part does not apply with respect to installations with a total storage capacity not exceeding 2,000 Imperial gallons of water measured at 60°F, if such installations otherwise comply with all other applicable requirements of these Regulations.

Application for Leave

 No person shall begin the construction of storage facilities for liquefied petroleum gases without leave of the Commission granted upon an application made therefor through the railway company concerned.

 The application shall be submitted to the Secretary of the Commission together with four copies of all drawings, including plans and profiles, which shall comply with the requirements of sections 8 to 13.

 The plan shall be drawn to a scale of not less than 50 feet to one inch and the profile to a scale of not less than 20 feet to one inch.

 All drawings shall be dated and bear an identification number and the name of the applicant.

 The plan shall show the distances between

  • (a) the loading or unloading rack or point and

    • (i) the gauge side of the nearest rail of the loading or unloading track,

    • (ii) schools, stations, residential areas, hospitals and other similar places of public assembly within 250 feet of the said loading or unloading rack or point,

    • (iii) all engine houses, railway shops, grain elevators and other similar buildings within 150 feet of the said loading or unloading rack or point;

  • (b) the centre line of the loading or unloading track and

    • (i) the gauge side of the nearest rail of main track, and

    • (ii) the gauge side of the nearest rail of the nearest adjacent track not serving the installation;

  • (c) the storage tanks and

    • (i) other storage tanks, pumphouses, warehouses, loading and unloading racks, and other structures on the site,

    • (ii) the line of adjoining property,

    • (iii) the gauge side of the nearest rail of the closest track,

    • (iv) the gauge side of the nearest rail of the main track,

    • (v) stations, schools, residential areas, hospitals or other similar places of public assembly within 450 feet of the said storage tanks, and

    • (vi) all engine houses, railway shops, grain elevators or other similar buildings within 250 feet of the said storage tanks.

  •  (1) The profile shall show the elevation of the installation in relation to the loading and unloading track and any main track within 200 feet of the nearest tank on the said installation.

  • (2) A second profile is required where it is necessary

    • (a) to show the direction of drainage from the site; or

    • (b) to give a clear picture of major features of the installation.

 The drawing shall show the location of the railway right-of-way, property fences, dykes, pipelines under roadways or railways, sewers, ditches, watercourses, highways and other similar structures that are on the installation site.

 The notes or legend on the drawing shall include the following information:

  • (a) evidence that the Provincial Fire Marshal or other authority having jurisdiction in the surrounding area has no objection to the proposed installation. This evidence may take the form of a plan signature by the authority concerned, or of a letter addressed to the owning or operating company by such authority;

  • (b) a statement that the storage tank and vapourizer design shall be approved by the Pressure Vessel Inspection Branch of the provincial government concerned prior to fabrication of the tanks;

  • (c) size, contents and water capacity in Imperial gallons of all storage tanks;

  • (d) type and construction of pumphouse, warehouse, compressor house, bottling house, vapourizer house and any other building on the site;

  • (e) type of motive power to be used for pumps or compressors;

  • (f) the type of heating to be used for vapourizer; and

  • (g) whether the track or tracks serving the installation are team tracks or private tracks.

 Where the Commission has, pursuant to section 6, granted leave for the construction of a storage facility for liquefied petroleum gases, a copy of each of the drawings referred to in section 7 shall be kept by the railway company for the life of the storage facility and retained for at least two years thereafter.

  • SOR/85-471, s. 1

PART IIDistances

  •  (1) The distances prescribed in this section shall be measured from the gauge side of the nearest rail of the nearest adjacent track not serving the installation or the main track, as the case may be, to the centre line of the unloading or loading track.

  • (2) Loading or unloading tracks, at the loading or unloading site, shall be at least 50 feet from the main track.

  • (3) Loading or unloading tracks shall be not less than 20 feet from the nearest adjacent track not serving the installation. If the nearest adjacent track is a main track, the distance shall be 50 feet.

  •  (1) That portion of overhead loading or unloading structures or equipment over four feet above the top of rail shall be at least six feet from the gauge side of the nearest rail of the loading or unloading track. That portion of the structure four feet or less in height above the top of rail shall be at least three feet 7 3/4 inches from the gauge side of the nearest rail of the loading or unloading track, except for non-standard gauge track in the Province of Newfoundland, where this clearance distance shall be at least three feet 10 inches. When the loading or unloading track is curved, the clearance distance shall be increased by one inch per degree of track curvature.

  • (2) Loading or unloading terminals or structures of an over-all height that is less than four feet above the top of rail shall be located not less than six feet from the gauge side of the nearest rail of the loading or unloading track.

  •  (1) The distances prescribed in this section shall be measured from the centre line of the loading and unloading rack or point to the nearest point of the building or property line, as the case may be.

  • (2) The loading or unloading racks or points shall be at least 200 feet from any station, office building or other similar place of public assembly on railway property.

  • (3) It is recommended that the distance of a loading or unloading rack from schools, hospitals, theatres, residential areas or other similar places of public assembly be not less than 200 feet.

  • (4) Except as provided in subsection (5), the distance of loading or unloading racks or points from engine houses, railway shops, grain elevators or other similar buildings shall be not less than 100 feet.

  • (5) The distance between a loading or unloading rack or point and any storage tank or building on the installation used exclusively by the owning or operating company shall be not less than 10 feet.

  •  (1) In no case shall a liquefied petroleum gas storage tank be located less than 20 feet from the gauge side of the nearest rail of any track, measured from the nearest point on the tank shell.

  • (2) The following minimum distances from the gauge side of the nearest rail of the main track to the nearest point on the tank shall be observed:

    Water Capacity (Imperial Gallons) at 60°F, Single TankMinimum Distance (Feet)
    0 to  2,00020
    2,001 to 10,00075
    10,001 to 25,000100
  • (3) It is recommended that the distance of a storage tank from the right-of-way of a provincial highway be not less than half the distance prescribed in subsection (2).

  •  (1) The distances prescribed in this section shall be measured from the nearest point on the tank shell to the nearest point of the building, property line, etc.

  • (2) A storage tank with a water capacity exceeding 2,000 Imperial gallons shall be not less than 50 feet from any location on another property which may be built upon.

  • (3) For a tank with a water capacity of 2,000 Imperial gallons or less, the distance from any location on another property which may be built upon shall be not less than that prescribed in the current edition of National Fire Protection Association Pamphlet No. 58.

  • (4) A storage tank with a water capacity exceeding 2,000 Imperial gallons shall be at least 400 feet from any station, office building, or other similar places of public assembly on railway property.

  • (5) It is recommended that the distance of a storage tank with a water capacity exceeding 2,000 Imperial gallons from schools, hospitals, theatres, residential areas or other similar places of public assembly be not less than 400 feet.

  • (6) For a tank with a water capacity of 2,000 Imperial gallons or less, the distance from any of the buildings mentioned in subsections (4) and (5) shall be not less than that prescribed in the current edition of National Fire Protection Association Pamphlet No. 58.

  • (7) Except as provided in subsection (9), a storage tank with a water capacity exceeding 2,000 Imperial gallons shall not be less than 200 feet from engine houses, railway shops, grain elevators or other similar buildings.

  • (8) For a tank with a water capacity of 2,000 Imperial gallons or less, the distance from any of the buildings mentioned in subsection (7) shall not be less than that prescribed in the current edition of National Fire Protection Association Pamphlet No. 58.

  • (9) Except as provided in subsection (11), the distance of a storage tank with a water capacity exceeding 100 Imperial gallons from any building on the installation site that is used exclusively by the company owning or operating the installation shall not be less than 10 feet.

  • (10) A tank with a water capacity of 100 Imperial gallons or less shall not be less than 5 feet horizontally from a building opening located at the same level as the tank vent or below it.

  • (11) When the construction or occupancy of a building is of such a nature as to constitute a hazard to the storage area, the distance between such a building and the closest tank with a water capacity exceeding 100 Imperial gallons shall not be less than 50 feet.

  • (12) The distance of any storage tank from the fence surrounding the installation shall not be less than 5 feet.

  • (13) The clear distance between two storage tanks with an individual water capacity exceeding 2,000 Imperial gallons shall not be less than 5 feet.

  • (14) The clear distance between a tank containing liquefied petroleum gas and a tank containing a flammable liquid shall not be less than 20 feet, except that liquefied petroleum gas installations with a storage capacity exceeding 150,000 Imperial gallons of water measured at 60°F shall be located not less than 100 feet from the above ground storage of flammable liquids.

  • (15) A liquefied petroleum gas storage tank shall not be located within a diked area containing a flammable liquid storage tank.  The distance between a tank measured from the nearest point on the tank shell and the centre line of a dike shall not be less than 10 feet.

  • (16) The distance between any tank of one group and any tank of another group, as defined in section 22, shall not be less than 25 feet.

  •  (1) Pumphouses or compressor houses and outdoor pumps or compressors driven by internal combustion engines shall be located not less than 10 feet from any storage tank, loading or unloading point or building.

  • (2) Subsection (1) does not apply to outdoor pumps or compressors driven by explosion proof motors marked or labelled Class I, Division I, Group D and wired in accordance with the Canadian Electrical Code for Class I, Division I, Group D locations.

  • (3) The distance of pumphouses or compressor houses and outdoor pumps or compressors from a source of ignition or any location on another property which may be built upon shall not be less than 25 feet.

 Where the distances prescribed in this Part cannot be obtained, lesser distances may be approved by the Commission if suitable fire barrier walls and fire controlling systems are employed.

 

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