Here are a few noteworthy global EHS regulatory changes from February 2019. We cover EHS legislation and standards for over 90 countries and 200 jurisdictions. If you would like to track legislative changes for specific regions, countries or jurisdictions, we are happy to help. Please send us a request for more information here and we will contact you shortly.
Canada
Regulations Amending the Canadian Aviation Regulations (Seaplane Operations)
Industry – Air transportation
According to the Government of Canada, the changes notably
- require passengers and pilots of commercial seaplanes with nine passengers or less conducting air taxi operations on or over water to wear a flotation device that is inflatable and not inherently buoyant
- introduce mandatory underwater egress training for pilots of commercially operated seaplanes, with recurrent training every three years
- repeal the exception of personal flotation devices, thereby requiring that personal flotation devices meet the applicable standards.
The first effective date of the document that makes the change is September 6, 2020.
More information about the change, including any additional effective dates, is available at https://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2019/2019-03-06/html/sor-dors49-eng.html.
British Columbia
Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 2019-02-05
Industry – General
The effect of the change, according to WorkSafeBC, is to
- Amend eye and face protection requirements to update the referenced standards to the current versions of those standards, clarify stakeholders’ obligations, remove redundancies, and provide consistency
- Amend concrete formwork and falsework requirements, notably to
- Clarify the responsibilities of employers and professional engineers with respect to the safe erection, use and dismantling of concrete formwork, falsework and reshoring
- Introduce a new requirement to specify in worksite-specific plans the maximum concrete slump the form or mould is able to withstand
- Expand the current requirements restricting worker access to areas underneath formwork during and after the placement of concrete or other intended loadings to apply to all persons
- Specify under which circumstances the placement of concrete or other loads must stop: when there is weakness, undue settlement, excess distortion, or other similar unanticipated or dangerous conditions
- Amend requirements for blasting operations in order to address electronic detonators
- Amend requirements for diving, fishing, and other marine operations, notably to take a prescriptive approach to provisions on when crewmembers must wear a lifejacket or personal flotation device.
The first effective date of the document that makes the change is June 3, 2019.
Manitoba
Provincial Railways Fitness Criteria and Safety Regulation
Industry – General
The effect of the change is to
- Raise the minimum amount of liability insurance that a railway company must hold from $10,000,000 to $15,000,000
- Change exemptions respecting inspections under grade crossing standards
- Change the list of safety standards with which railways are required to comply under The Provincial Railways Act.
The first effective date of the document that makes the change is March 1, 2019. More information about the change, including any additional effective dates, is available at https://web2.gov.mb.ca/laws/regs/annual/2019/039.pdf.
Ontario
Amending O. Reg. 222/07 (Environmental penalties)
Industry – General
The changes
- add contraventions concerning the new regulation on Air Pollution – Discharge of Sulphur Dioxide from Petroleum Facilities (OReg530/18) to the list of contraventions that are eligible for environmental penalties
- specify the conditions under which these contraventions will be considered less serious, serious or very serious.
The first effective date of the document that makes the change is December 21, 2018.
More information about the change, including any additional effective dates, is available at https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/r18531.
United Kingdom
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment
Industry – General
The effect of this change is to
- Implement the open scope principle to bring all electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) into the scope of Directive 2012/19/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on waste electrical and electronic equipment unless exempt or excluded and retain the current UK WEEE system product categories
- Make membership by all producer compliance schemes (PCSs) of the PCS Balancing System (PBS) mandatory
- Provide that reports submitted by approved authorised treatment facilities (AATFs) must be submitted in the format published by the appropriate authority or online.
The Environmental Protection (Miscellaneous Amendments) (England and Wales) Regulations 2018
Industry – General
The effect of this change is to do the following
- Add requirements for operators at permitted waste sites.
- Remove the need to consult a Radioactive Waste Advisor on public protection matters in relation to any aspect of radioactive substances activities that concern radioactive waste that is a sealed source.
- Make changes to one of the exempt flood risk activities and one of the excluded flood risk activities in this document.
United States
Hazardous Materials: Oil Spill Response Plans and Information Sharing for High-Hazard Flammable Trains (FAST Act)
Industry – General
This change revises and clarifies requirements for comprehensive oil spill response plans through:
- expanding their applicability and modernising the requirements; all while providing regulatory flexibility and improve response readiness to mitigate effects of rail accidents and incidents involving petroleum oil.
- requiring railroads to share information about high-hazard flammable train operations with State and tribal emergency response commissions to improve community preparedness.
The first effective date of the document that makes the change is April 1, 2019. More information about the change, including any additional effective dates, is available at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/02/28/2019-02491/hazardous-materials-oil-spill-response-plans-and-information-sharing-for-high-hazard-flammable.
California
Life Rings and Personal Flotation Devices
Industry – General
According to the California Regulatory Notice Register, the change requires that:
- marine terminal operations have at least one life ring kept in a readily accessible place where employees’ work exposes them to the hazard of drowning
- that each employee so exposed also wear a personal flotation device.
This rulemaking also requires that in general, where employees’ work exposes them to the hazard of drowning, the life ring be readily accessible.
The first effective date of the document that makes the change is April 1, 2019.
More information about the change, including any additional effective dates, is available at https://oal.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/166/2019/02/7z-2019.pdf.
Iowa
Rulemaking related to OSHA standard for crane operator training
Industry – General
According to the Iowa Administrative Bulletin, the effect of the change is to align Iowa’s occupational safety and health standards for crane operator training in the construction industry with the corresponding federal standard.
The first effective date of the document that makes the change is April 3, 2019.
More information about the change, including any additional effective dates, is available at https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/aco/bulletin/02-27-2019.pdf.
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