Technical Safety Act affects crane operators, power engineers and oil burner technicians
The government of Nova Scotia has announced a new Technical Safety Act to consolidate various regulations into one piece of legislation.
The act will affect businesses and trades people who work with boilers, pressure vessels and fuel burning appliances. Regulations related to power engineers, crane operators and oil burner technicians are also included in these changes.
In the past, these regulations were administered through several individual acts. The new Technical Safety Act has been revised to reflect current industry practices.
"The Technical Safety Act provides a modern, flexible and streamlined framework that will help make it easier to do business in the province while reinforcing the protections in place for the public," said Marilyn More, Minister of Labour and Advanced Education.
The Technical Safety Act was passed in 2008. During the development of the framework and associated regulations, stakeholders were consulted on the sections of the legislation that applied to them. This included groups representing owners, contractors, manufacturers, various trades and industry associations such as the Construction Association of Nova Scotia.
"These changes will support innovation by allowing new technology to be evaluated and incorporated into our buildings, systems and processes more quickly," said Carol MacCulloch, president of the Construction Association of Nova Scotia.
Now that the framework is complete, the regulations are being phased in.
The new act, when fully implemented, will replace the Amusements Devices Safety Act, Crane Operators and Power Engineers Act, Electrical Installation and Inspection Act, Elevators and Lifts Act and Steam Boiler and Pressure Vessel Act.
The act, and the regulations for this phase, comes into effect April 1, 2011.
