Quebec – Québec
Confined Space - Espaces clos
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 is © Gouvernement du Québec, 2009
c. S-2.1, r.19.01
Regulation Respecting Occupational Health and Safety
An Act respecting occupational health and safety
R.S.Q., c. S-2.1, s. 223. 1st par. subpar. (1), (3), (4), (7) to (16), (18) to (21.1), (41) and (42), 2nd par. and 3rd par
- Definitions: In this regulation, the following words and expressions mean:
“enclosed area”: any area that is completely or partially enclosed, especially a reservoir, a silo, a vat, a hopper, a chamber, a vault, a tank, a sewer including a ditch and a temporary manure storage ditch, a pipe, a chimney, an access shaft, a truck or freight car tank, which has the following inherent conditions:
(1) which is not designed for human occupation, nor intended to be, but may occasionally be occupied for the performance of work;
(2) access to which can only be had by a restricted entrance/exit;
(3) which can represent a risk for the health and safety of anyone who enters, owing to any one of the following factors:
(a) its design, construction or location, except for the entrance/exit provided for in subsection (2);
(b) its atmosphere or insufficiency of natural or mechanical ventilation;
(c) the materials or substances that it contains;
(d) or other related hazards;
DIVISION XXVI
WORKING IN AN ENCLOSED AREA
297. Definitions: For the purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply :
«qualified person»: a person who, by reason of his knowledge, his training or his experience, is able to identify, assess and control the dangers relating to an enclosed area ;
«hot work»: any work that requires the use of a flame or that can produce an ignition source.
O.C. 885-2001, s. 297.
298. Qualified workers: Only those workers who have the knowledge, training or experience required to do work in an enclosed area are qualified to perform work there.
O.C. 885-2001, s. 298.
299. Entry prohibited: Entry to an enclosed area is prohibited for any person who is not assigned to do work, to perform a task or to carry out a rescue there.
O.C. 885-2001, s. 299.
300. Gathering information before work: Before any work or task is carried out in an enclosed area, the following information shall be available, in writing, on the work premises:
(1) information on the specific dangers associated with the enclosed area and that concern :
(a) the prevailing internal atmosphere, namely the concentration of oxygen, inflammable gases and vapours, combustible or explosive dusts as well as the categories of contaminants likely to be present in this enclosed area or nearby;
(b) the fact that the natural or mechanical ventilation is insufficient;
(c) the materials that are present there and that can cause the worker to sink, to be buried or to drown, such as sand, grain or a liquid;
(d) the interior configuration;
(e) energies such as electricity, moving mechanical parts, heat stress, noise and hydraulic energy;
(f) ignition sources such as open flames, lighting, welding and cutting, static electricity or sparks;
(g) any other special circumstances such as the presence of rodents or insects;
(2) the prevention measures that should be taken to protect the health and to ensure the safety and well-being of workers, and in particular those concerning:
(a) safe methods and techniques for carrying out the work;
(b) appropriate and necessary work equipment to perform the work;
(c) the personal or collective protective means and equipment that the worker shall use when performing his work;
(d) the rescue procedures and equipment stipulated in section 309.
The information referred to in subparagraph 1 of the first paragraph shall be collected by a qualified person.
The precautionary measures referred to in subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph shall be drafted by a qualified person and implemented.
O.C. 885-2001, s. 300.
301. Information provided to workers prior to performing work : Information referred to in subparagraphs 1 and 2 of the first paragraph of section 300 shall be conveyed and explained to all workers before they enter an enclosed area ; this information shall be given by someone who is capable of adequately informing the workers on how to perform the work safely.
O.C. 885-2001, s. 301.
302. Ventilation : Except in cases where the safety of workers is ensured in compliance with subparagraph 3 of section 303, no worker may enter or be present in an enclosed area unless the latter is ventilated either by natural or mechanical means such that the following atmospheric conditions are maintained
(1) the concentration of oxygen shall be greater than or equal to 19,5 % and less than or equal to 23%;
(2) the concentration of inflammable gases or vapours shall be less than or equal to 10 % of the lower explosion limit;
(3) the concentration of one or more contaminants referred to under the sub- subparagraph of subparagraph 1 of the first paragraph of section 300 shall not exceed the standards provided in Schedule I for these contaminants;
If it proves impossible by ventilating the enclosed area to maintain an internal atmosphere in compliance with the standards provided under subparagraphs 1 and 3 of the first paragraph, a worker may only enter or be present in this area if he wears the respiratory protective equipment specified in section 45 and if the internal atmosphere of this enclosed area complies with subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph.
O.C. 885-2001, s. 302.
303. Combustible dusts: No worker may enter or be present in an enclosed area where there are combustible dusts posing a risk of fire or explosion unless the safety of the worker is ensured by the implementation of one of the following procedures:
(1) by maintaining and controlling such dusts at a safe level;
(2) by controlling existing ignition sources in the enclosed area associated with the training of the worker, by a qualified person, on the methods and techniques to be used for performing the work safely;
(3) by making the atmosphere in the enclosed area inert, associated with the worker wearing the respiratory protective equipment specified in section 45 and the training of the latter in compliance with subparagraph 2.
O.C. 885-2001, s. 303.
304. Hot work: Wherever hot work is performed in an enclosed area, a worker may only enter or be present therein if the following conditions are met:
(1) the conditions provided under sections 302 and 303;
(2) a continuous monitoring of the concentration of inflammable gases and vapours found therein is carried out by a direct reading instrument equipped with an alarm.
O.C. 885-2001, s. 304.
305. Special measures: Unless special precautionary measures are taken by the employer, no worker may enter or be present in an enclosed area when a qualified person has detected the presence of a contaminant, other than those referred to under section 300 and whose concentration requires the taking of such measures.
These measures include training devised by a qualified person and dealing with methods and techniques that shall be employed by the worker to carry out his work safely in this enclosed area. They can also provide, where necessary, for the use of equipment that is appropriate for this type of work as well as the other personal and collective protective means and equipment that the worker must use.
O.C. 885-2001, s. 305.
306. Method and frequency of readings: Readings of the oxygen concentration in the enclosed area as well as of inflammable gases and vapours and contaminants measurable by direct reading and likely to be present in the enclosed area or nearby shall be made:
(1) before workers enter the enclosed area and, subsequently, on a continuous or periodic basis, according to the evaluation of the danger made by a qualified person;
(2) if circumstances modify the internal atmosphere of the enclosed area and result in the evacuation of workers due to the fact that the quality of the air no longer complies with the standards set out in subparagraphs 1 to 3 of the first paragraph of section 302;
(3) if the workers leave the enclosed area and the work site, even momentarily, unless continuous monitoring is maintained.
The readings shall be taken in such a manner as to obtain an accuracy equivalent to that obtained following the methods described in section 44 or, when these measures cannot be applied, by following another recognized method.
O.C. 885-2001, s. 306; O.C. 1120-2006, s. 7.
307. Register of readings: The results of the readings made under section 306 shall be recorded by the employer in a register, on the work premises, identifying the enclosed area in question.
However, in the case where the readings are made using continuous reading instruments equipped with alarms that sound when the air quality does not meet the standards set out in subparagraphs 1 to 3 of the first paragraph of section 302, the readings shall only be recorded in the register if the alarm goes off.
Only those entries in the register that do not comply with the standards set out in subparagraphs 1 to 2 of the first paragraph of section 302 shall be kept for a period of at least 5 years.
O.C. 885-2001, s. 307.
308. Supervision: When a worker is present in an enclosed area, another person posted and having the skills and information to supervise the worker shall remain in visual contact, hearing contact or contact by any other means with the worker to initiate, if necessary, the rescue procedures quickly.
The person responsible for the supervision shall remain outside the enclosed area.
O.C. 885-2001, s. 308.
309. Rescue procedure: A rescue procedure making it possible to rapidly assist any worker performing work in an enclosed area shall be established and tested.
Such a procedure shall be implemented as soon as any situation so requires.
This procedure shall provide for the necessary rescue equipment. It may also make provision for a team of rescuers, an evacuation plan, alarm and communications devices, personal protective equipment, safety harnesses, lifelines, a first aid kit with emergency equipment as well as recovery equipment.
O.C. 885-2001, s. 309.
310. Unobstructed access: The personal or collective protective means or equipment used by workers shall not obstruct them when entering or leaving an enclosed area.
O.C. 885-2001, s. 310.
311. Precautions regarding free flow materials: No person may enter an enclosed area used to store free flow materials, when filling or emptying is taking place and when precautions have not been taken to prevent an accidental resumption of the operations.
O.C. 885-2001, s. 311; O.C. 1120-2006, s. 8.
312. Safety harness: When it is essential that workers enter an enclosed area where free flow materials are stored, each worker entering such an area shall wear a safety harness.
The safety harness shall be attached to a lifeline that is as short as possible and that is firmly attached outside the enclosed area.
O.C. 885-2001, s. 312.
