Directive: Individuals responsible for operating and maintaining low pressure thermal fluid plants
Directive
Directive: Individuals responsible for operating and maintaining low pressure thermal fluid plants
June 8, 2010
Reference Number:
D-B6 100604 2
This Directive is being issued by a provincial safety manager pursuant to section 30 of the Safety Standards Act.
General details
This Directive is being issued to owners of low pressure thermal fluid plants that have registered an automatic control system and are exempt from certification requirements to operate in accordance with section 6 (l) of the Power Engineers, Boiler, Pressure Vessel and Refrigeration Safety Regulation (the “Regulation”). This directive provides owners of those plants with the interpretation and application of section 79 of the Regulation.
Specific details
Section 79 of the Regulation requires the owner of a low pressure thermal fluid plant, which has been registered with an automated control system and exempted from certified operator requirements under section 6 (l), to designate individuals to be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the plant in a safe working condition.
It is hereby directed that owners of low pressure thermal fluid plants referred to in section 79 of the Regulation must:
- Only designate competent persons who have acquired through training, qualification or experience, or a combination of these, the knowledge and skills enabling them to operate and maintain the plant in a safe working condition.
- Ensure that the designated individuals are either sufficiently experienced to do the work safely or are directly supervised by an experienced person.
- Ensure that adequate training is provided to designated individuals in the safe operation of the low pressure thermal fluid plant and its control system, including verification that all the control and alarm systems are functioning correctly.
- Ensure that designated individuals are trained to respond to alarms, and to take appropriate action which, at a minimum, is to ensure that the plant shuts down safely.
- Ensure that designated individuals are qualified or trained to carry out the control system testing that is prescribed in the registration of the control system design in order to verify that the control system is correctly maintained and continues to operate as designed.
It is further directed that, before the plant may be operated as an exempted plant under section 6 (l), the owner of a low pressure thermal fluid plant referred to in section 79 of the Regulation must notify the Provincial Safety Manager, in writing, of the person who is responsible for the safe operation and maintenance of the plant in accordance with section 74
(1) (d) of the Regulation, including ensuring that the plant operation is adequately supervised by appropriately trained or qualified persons working in it. The names, qualifications and training which make them competent to safely operate and maintain the plant must be documented and maintained by the owner in accordance with section 72 of the Regulation. The owner must further notify the Provincial Safety Manager, in writing, of any changes to the information provided under this paragraph.
If, in the opinion of a provincial safety manager, the qualifications and training of the designated individuals is subsequently found to be inadequate in any detail, the training must be revised and those revisions must be approved by a provincial safety manager.
Gord Stevens
Acting Provincial Safety Manager, Boiler Technology
References:
S.B.C. 2003, c. 39 Safety Standards Act
B.C. Reg. 104/2004 Power Engineers, Boiler, Pressure Vessel & Refrigeration Safety Regulation
Relevant legislation
Power Engineers, Boiler, Pressure Vessel & Refrigeration Safety Regulation
Exemption from certification requirement to operate certain equipment
6 An individual is not required to hold a certificate of qualification to operate any of the following:
(l) a low pressure thermal fluid plant with a boiler capacity greater than 150 m2 if the plant is equipped with an automated control system that
- monitors performance of the plant, including all systems related to automated operation, and automatically alters the operation of the plant to ensure it is operating safely, including during start up and shut down operations,
- is designed so that any failure of the automated control system will cause the plant to go to a predetermined safe state, and
- has been registered by a provincial safety manager in accordance with section 84.1.
Owners and licensed contractors to maintain records
72 The owner of a plant or a licensed contractor must maintain or cause to be maintained, for a period of at least 7 years, any documentation required by a provincial safety manager.
Owner responsible for safety in a plant
74 (1) The owner of a plant must ensure that there is compliance with all of the following:
- floors, pits and sumps in the plant have adequate drainage;
- the plant or equipment in the plant prevents oil or other liquids harmful to a boiler from being introduced into boiler feedwater;
- there is adequate drainage to prevent accumulation of condensate in any piping;
- if the plant has an automated control system described in section 6 (l) (i) and (ii), functional testing and maintenance programs for the system are carried out.
Duties of owners of certain plants
79 The owner of a pressure vessel plant or a plant described in section 6 (l) must designate individuals employed by the owner to be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the plant in a safe working condition.