Alert First Aid

PEI Legislation

Prince Edward Island Lockout

This material has been extracted from the Acts and Regulations of the Province to help students understand the subject. It is not an official source of information and must not be used for any other purpose.

The following material is © Government of Prince Edward Island

Cap. O-1.01 Occupational Health and Safety Act


PART 30
MECHANICAL SAFETY

30.1 In this regulation
(a) “safeguard” means a guard shield, guardrail, fence, gate, barrier,
wire mesh or other protective enclosure, safety net, handrail or other
similar equipment designed to protect the safety of employees, but
does not include personal protective equipment;
(b) “push block” means a block of wood long enough to protect
employees from the danger area and provided with a handle similar
to that of a hand plane and having a shoulder at the rear;
(c) “push stick” means a narrow strip of wood or other soft material
with a notch cut into one end. (EC180/87)
30.2 The employer shall ensure that all moving parts of machinery,
equipment and tools shall be effectively safeguarded unless
(a) they are so constructed or located as to prevent a person or object
from coming in contact with them; or
(b) the guarding would unreasonably interfere with the operation of
the machinery, equipment or tool. (EC180/87)
30.3 (1) The employer shall ensure that machinery is erected, installed,
assembled, started, operated, used, handled, stored, stopped, serviced,
tested, adjusted, maintained, repaired and dismantled in accordance with
the manufacturer’s specifications.
(2) The employer shall ensure that the manufacturer’s rated capacity or
other limitations on the operation of the machinery or any part of it, as
set out in the manufacturer’s specifications or in any relevant
specifications certified by an engineer are not exceeded and are clearly
marked on the machinery in a location clearly visible to the operator.
(3) An operator of machinery shall not exceed the limitations described
in subsection (2).
(4) The employer shall ensure that machinery is regularly inspected for
defects and machinery which could cause injury to employees is
removed from service until repaired. (EC180/87)
30.4 (1) The employer shall ensure that operational controls on
machinery are
(a) located and protected in such a manner as to prevent
unintentional activation;
(b) suitably identified so as to indicate the nature of each control
mechanism.
(2) Where a pedal is used to operate a clutch or belt shifter, the
employer shall ensure that it is so guarded that it cannot be struck
accidentally so as to activate the machine.
(3) The employer shall ensure that each pair of active and idler pulleys
is equipped with a permanent belt shifter provided with a mechanical
means of preventing the belt from creeping from the idler to the active
pulley.
(4) The employer shall ensure that
(a) where moving machine parts may endanger employees when the
machine is started and there is not a clear view of the machine or
push stick parts from the control panel or operator’s station, an alarm system is
installed; and
(b) the alarm system gives an effective warning before start up of the
machine so that employees are made aware of the imminent start-up.
(5) Before starting machinery, an employee shall ensure that neither he
nor any other employee is endangered by its starting.
(6) While operating machinery, an employee shall ensure that neither
he nor any other employee is endangered by its operation. (EC180/87)
30.5 (1) The employer shall ensure that the operator of any machine has
unimpeded access in the immediate area of the employees work area to
the means of stopping that machine.
(2) The employer shall ensure that every power driven machine not
driven by an individual motor or prime mover is equipped with a clutch,
idler pulley or other means of quickly disengaging the power sources.
(EC180/87)
30.6 (1) The employer shall ensure that in addition to the normal control
start and stop switch, all electrically driven machinery and equipment has
installed in the power supply circuit a disconnecting means which is
(a) of a lockable type;
(b) in a location familiar to all; and
(c) properly identified.
(2) The employer shall provide a safety lock and key for use on
disconnecting means described in subsection (1) to all machinery and
equipment operators and all maintenance personnel.
(3) The employer shall ensure that an employee has been adequately
trained in lockout procedures for the particular situation.
(4) The employer shall ensure that machinery is not lubricated,
cleaned, serviced or repaired while in motion unless a means is available
which does not expose the employee to risk of injury. (EC180/87)
30.7 (1) Where machinery or equipment is shut down for cleaning,
maintenance or repairs, the employer shall ensure that no employee
carries out work on the machinery or equipment until that employee has
(a) locked out the source of energy using the safety lock and key that
the employer must provide under section 30.6; and
(b) put the machine in a zero energy state by ensuring that all
(i) power sources,
(ii) pressurized fluids and air,
(iii) potential mechanical energy,
(iv) accumulators and air surge tanks,
(v) kinetic energy of machine members,
(vi) loose or freely movable machine members, and
(vii) material or workpieces supported, retained or controlled by
the machine which can move or cause movement, are
(A) locked out,
(B) vented to the atmosphere,
(C) reduced to atmospheric pressure, or
(D) otherwise acted upon to render the machinery incapable of
spontaneous or unexpected action;
(c) put on the control device of the machinery a tag which does not
conduct electricity and which contains
(i) words directing persons not to start or operate the machinery,
(ii) the employee’s printed name and signature, and
(iii) the date when the tag was put on the machinery.
(2) No employee shall carry out work on machinery or equipment shut
down for cleaning, maintenance or repairs until he has complied with
subsection (1) and has double checked to ensure that the machinery is
inoperative.
(3) No person shall remove a lock-out device or tag except
(a) the employee who installed it; or
(b) in an emergency or where attempts made to contact the employee
indicate he is not available, a competent employee designated by the
employer, who has first ensured that no person will be endangered
by the removal.
(4) On completion of servicing or repairs, the employee shall, before
the operation of the machine is resumed, ensure that putting the
machinery in motion will not endanger any person. (EC180/87)
30.8 (1) The employer shall ensure that sufficient space is provided
around individual machines or process units in order to ensure the safety
of employees while operations, adjustments or repairs are being carried
out.
(2) Where an employee or the employee’s clothing might come into
contact with moving parts of machinery, the employee shall
(a) wear close fitting clothing;
(b) confine head or facial hair; and
(c) avoid wearing dangling neckwear, jewellery, rings or similar
items. *
* The wearing of medic-alert bracelets is permitted when such bracelets
are used with transparent rubber bands that fit snugly over the bracelets.
(EC180/87)

30.9 (1) Subject to this section, an employer shall provide effective
safeguards where an employee may come into contact with moving belts,
rollers, gears, drive-shafts, keyways, pulleys, sprockets, chains, ropes,
spindles, drums, counterweights, flywheels or couplings on machinery,
pinchpoints and cutting edges.
(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to machinery that is equipped with
an effective device which stops the machinery automatically when an
employee comes into contact with the parts of it mentioned in subsection
(1) or prevents an employee from coming in contact with parts
mentioned in subsection (1).
(3) Where there is a possibility of machine failure that may result in an
injury to an employee from flying objects, the employer shall install
safeguards strong enough to contain or deflect the broken parts or
particles of the machinery and flying particles of any product.
(4) The employer and employee shall not alter the design where
machines are designed with guards that interlock with the machinery
control so as to prevent operation of the machine unless the guard is in
its proper place.
(5) Where it has been determined that an effective safeguard cannot be
provided, the employer shall ensure that an alternative mechanism,
system or change in work procedure, approved by an officer, is put into
place to protect employees from being exposed to the hazards associated
with the lack of the safeguard. (EC180/87)
30.10 (1) A person shall not remove or render ineffective a safeguard,
other than a removable guardrail or gate, that is required by these
regulations unless the removal or rendering ineffective is necessary to
enable the effecting of maintenance or adjustments.
(2) Where a person has removed or rendered ineffective a safeguard,
he shall ensure that
(a) the safeguard is replaced before he leaves the unguarded area;
and
(b) the safeguard will function properly.
(3) Where a safeguard for machinery has been removed or rendered
ineffective and the machinery cannot be directly controlled by the
employee, the employee who removes or renders ineffective the
safeguard shall lock-out and tag the machine according to section 30.7.
(EC180/87)
 

Alert First-Aid Inc is now serving: 

Bonshaw | Charlottetown | Georgetown | Summerside | Tignish