News
Regulation Review: Part 17
Workers in Manitoba have legislated regulations to help keep us safe, day in and day out – no matter what job we do. These regulations are a part of the framework for building safe workplaces in Manitoba.
The Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health Act and associated regulations are in place to protect you – the worker – from workplace hazards and the risks they present. Manitoba Regulation 217/2006 is a 44-part document containing requirements and guidelines for workplaces, including site-specific rules and other valuable information to prevent harm from coming to workers.
Safety Check is profiling one part of the Regulation in each issue to help remind you of the Regulation’s specifics and to help keep safety top-of-mind for all Manitobans.
This issue, it’s Regulation Part 17: Welding and Allied Processes.
Welding or allied processes means any type of electric or fuel gas welding or cutting process including arc welding, brazing, solid state welding, soldering, resistance welding and other welding and allied processes such as thermal spraying and thermal adhesive bonding, arc cutting, laser cutting, oxygen cutting or other cutting.
This part of the Regulation applies to every workplace where welding or allied processes take place and requires compliance in a number of areas. Read a summary of each below.
First and foremost, the Regulation states SAFE Work procedures must be developed, implemented and workers trained.
All welding and allied processes must meet the current CSA standard.
When a container, pipe, valve or fitting holds or may have held an explosive, flammable or otherwise hazardous substance or may become pressurized to the point of being a hazard, an employer must ensure that any welding or allied process is performed according to the safe work procedures.
Electric arc welding must not be performed if another worker may be exposed to radiation unless the other worker is using appropriate eye protection or is protected by an appropriate barrier.
Appropriate welding and ground leads are to be used to fasten the electric supply cable securely so that the inner wires of an electric welding machine are not exposed to damage.
An employer is to ensure that a person performing a gas welding or allied process tests a regulator and its flexible connecting hose immediately after it is connected to a gas cylinder to ensure there is no leakage.
Flashback arrestors must be provided between the torch and the fuel gas and oxygen supply. The employer must ensure that hose lines or pipelines are legibly marked to ensure the hoses are not interchanges and that the torch is ignited by a lighting device designed for that purpose.
For more information, read the Regulation in full.