Other Standards and Regulations
The Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations are intertwined with reference to other standards and regulations in which farm owners should be familiar. Below are resources and links to access the standards and regulations that are referenced in Occupational Health and Safety Legislation.
Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Standards
The Nova Scotia Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act and Regulations references the following Canadian Standards Association (CSA) standards:
- Portable Ladders
- Protective Footwear
- Eye and Face Protectors
- High Visibility
- Fall Protection
- Chainsaws
- Roll Over Protective Structures for Agriculture (ROPS)
- Lift Trucks
- Propane Storage and Handling
- Portable Containers for Gasoline and Other Petroleum Fuels
- And more…
The CSA standards mentioned in the OHS legislation are available for review for free on the CSA Communities website. For printed copies of the CSA Standards, purchase the CSA Standard on the website. Once purchased, it can be downloaded and printed or mailed to the address provided.
Creating a CSA Communities Account
To view and purchase standards, create a CSA communities account. Click the link for CSA Communities and add your e-mail address under “Don’t Have an Account.” Follow the prompts to create the account. Click here for a PDF with instructions on getting started.
Once the account is created, enter the site to start navigating through the CSA Standards. Here is a sneak peak on how to navigate the site.
Navigating the CSA Communities Website
Once signed in, you will see the Welcome page below. To find the CSA Standard you are looking for, click the orange box labelled “View Standards.”
A window will open with icons to the left, scroll until you see the blue icon that says “OHS Standards” and click “View Access.” See screen shot below.
A new window will open listing each of the provinces and territories. Click on “Nova Scotia” to view the CSA Standards referenced in the Nova Scotia Occupational Health and Safety Act & Regulations.
All of the CSA Standards referenced for Nova Scotia are listed. It is easier to scroll by looking for the numbered standard. In this example, we are going to take a look at protective footwear. Scroll to Z195. To the right, click “View” to open the standard information page.
It opens up in a window similar to a PDF. Navigate by page number, adjust the size of the window, and how you want to view the pages. If there is only a small portion of the standard you are interested in, take a screen shot of the browser window and print the screen shot of the page.
National Fire Protection Codes (NFPA)
Compliance with National Fire Protection codes (NFPA) and standards is voluntary. However, if the Nova Scotia Occupational Safety and Health Act & Regulations make reference to them, then complying with the codes and standards is mandatory. For example, the Nova Scotia Occupational Health and Safety General Regulations references the fire protection codes in Part 4: Ventilation, Lighting, Sanitation and Accommodation, Section 25: Fire Protection & Escape.
Almost every building, process, service, design, and installation is affected by NFPA’s more than 275 codes and standards. The codes and standards, are available online for free. They reflect changing industry needs and evolving technologies, supported by research and development, and practical experience. They are designed to minimize the risk and effects of fire by establishing criteria for building, processing, design, service, and installation around the world.
One of the National Fire Protection Codes you may be familiar with is NFPA 10. This is a National Fire Protection Code for portable fire extinguishers which is one of the basic fire fighting requirements for buildings and equipment.
Viewing National Fire Protection Codes
To view the codes, go the National Fire Protection Association website.
To view Codes and Standards for free click on “Codes & Standards” in the red bar toward the top of the page.
Then click “List of Codes & Standards” in blue print when the new window opens up.
A list of all available NFPA codes will show up in a list. The list is organized by NFPA number starting at 1 and going al the way to NFPA 8506. We are going to take a look at NFPA 10 Portable Fire Extinguishers. Click on the blue text for NFPA 10.
To view the document, click “Free Access” which is to the right of “Subscribe to Access Now” button.
Then scroll to “Select the Free Access Edition” and then click “View.”
In the new window, “Create a Profile” to view NFPA code 10. It is to the right of the “Sign In” button in very small blue print.
Once your profile is created, the standard will be ready to view. Navigate the standard by using the buttons at the bottom of the document. After creating a profile, keep the username and password in a safe place as you will use this information to view other NFPA codes perhaps at another time.
Technical Safety Act & Regulation
The purpose of the Technical Safety Act and Regulations is to apply the principles of technical safety or the safety of technological systems involving regulated work and products including but not limited to pressure systems (air compressors), boiler systems and boiler plants (found in barns and greenhouses), electrical work, and refrigeration systems and refrigeration plants (sorting, processing, packaging, and storage of fruits and vegetables).
Regulated work means the assembly or manufacture of, installation, operation, testing, maintenance, service or repair of regulated products such as those listed above.
An example of a pressure system is the air compressor that may be found on farm in maintenance shops. As part of the Technical Safety Act, Boiler and Pressure Equipment Regulations are included that outlines the requirements for air compressors. See the information and links below.
To read the Technical Safety Act https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/techsafe.htm) and Regulations https://novascotia.ca/just/regulations/regs/tsstandards.htm click the respective links.
Boiler & Pressure Equipment Regulations
Most air compressors found in maintenance and repair shops on farm, are mounted on an air receiver, which is a pressure vessel and pressure vessels are regulated under the Boiler and Pressure Equipment regulations.
Pressure vessels are required to be licensed in Nova Scotia and an inspection is mandatory for licensing. Inspections are periodic which means subsequent inspections within a 3-to-5-year period are required in order to maintain the license. For more information: https://novascotia.ca/just/regulations/regs/tsboiler.htm
