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

• 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.