August 1, 2018 Mike Powney

Regulator Updates

Regulator’s Session Recap

IPEIA would like to thank everyone who attended our Regulator Session on February 18, 2021.

We are very appreciative of the representation and information provided by Technical Safety BC, ABSA and TSASK. Your continued support of industry and IPEIA does not go unnoticed.

The annual updates, new regulation changes and adoption of codes provided by each jurisdiction was very informative and well received by all attendees. COVID-19 has been a big factor for everyone over the past year, so it was reassuring to hear how each jurisdiction has adapted during these unique times.

A recap of this session can be found by logging in to your member portfolio here. 

New Regulatory Requirement for Permit Holders in B.C.

Starting July 2, 2021 permit holders providing engineering and geoscience services in BC must register for a Permit to Practice with Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia (EGBC) prior to September 30, 2021.  EGBC has supplied an on-line assessment tool that will assist practitioners determine whether they need to register.

https://roftraining.egbc.ca/pix/flip/rofa/#p=1

Permit holders are obliged to obtain an EGBC permit to practice by:

  1. Registering between July 2 and September 30, 2021.
  2. Complete training and a Professional Practice Management Plan within 12 months of receiving their Permit to Practice.
  3. Participate in regulatory compliance audits every 3 to 5 years.
  4. Verify their information.
  5. Pay annual fees.

More information is available at:
https://www.egbc.ca/Practice-Resources/Firm-Practice/Firm-Practice

ABSA – AB-521 Document Revision

Your input into the Integrity Challenge Forum is effecting change!

ABSA’s “Requirements for Engineered Pressure Enclosures AB–521” was one of the main topics during round table discussions by over 120 pressure equipment industry and regulator representatives who attended the 2020 IPEIA Integrity Challenge Forum (ICF) in Banff, Alberta. 

Since the Banff meeting, the ICF Task Force continued to include AB-521 in its committee discussions and offered to support a request by ARPIA to ABSA for updates to AB-521 to be made. Since the Banff meeting ABSA has reviewed the document and has recently released an update to AB-521 which can be found on their website here. 

For more information on ICF initiatives, visit the ICF page.

Technical Safety BC – Core Connections 2020

Join us on May 28th for Core Connections 2020, our annual public meeting.

Each year we hold Core Connections to share with our clients and stakeholders our activities, results, and plans for the future.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Core Connections 2020 will be a virtual presentation on topics including:

  • Remote Assessments
  • Code Changes
  • Update from our Board Chair and CEO

Thursday, May 28, 2020
9:00 am – 10:00 am
Virtual connection via Zoom and phone
Connection details will be emailed to registrants prior to the event.

REGISTER NOW

Any questions, please contact us at: CoreConnections@technicalsafetybc.ca

Technical Safety BC – ANNOUNCING CORE CONNECTIONS 2020!

SAVE THE DATE: MAY 28, SQUAMISH
We hold Core Connections, our annual public meeting, each year to engage our clients, stakeholders and employees around our mandate, activities, results, and plans for the future. Join us for our presentations and breakout sessions designed to contribute to your technical knowledge and connection to the safety system.

This year, Core Connections will be held on May 28, 2020 in Squamish.
Save the date!

OUR PLANS FOR 2020
http://pix.upaknee.com/editor_images/image_995b4abe/templates/empty.gif
Our business plan continues to reflect the organization’s priorities to increase the understanding of technical knowledge and connection to the safety system as well as influence behaviour choices that advance safety.
Learn more!

Technical Safety BC – Boiler, Pressure Vessel & Refrigeration Contractor Licensing Requirements Feedback

Technical Safety BC would like feedback on the draft directive: Boiler, Pressure Vessel & Refrigeration Contractor Licensing Requirements. As your organization represents boiler or pressure vessel/piping contractors, your feedback is requested on whether the directive helps contractors understand the requirements for a boiler contractor licence.

This draft directive does not introduce new requirements. It clarifies existing requirements for quality control programs for certain classes of boiler contractors. Updated guidelines that detail how to put together a quality control program will be available when the directive is issued.

We are interested in your feedback to better understand what guidance industry needs when designing, revising, and using their quality control programs. Please give your feedback on this draft directive to: Kelsey Schneider, Technical Coordinator, Energy, at Kelsey.Schneider@technicalsafetybc.ca by Tuesday, March 3.

Thank you for your interest.

Technical Safety BC – New Pressure Welder Program

The new pressure welder program is now open for applications. Members who are currently working as pressure welders and meet certification requirements can transition to this program without fees before December 3, 2020. New graduates, apprentices, and pressure welders from outside of BC can apply for a certificate without fees before January 3, 2020.

Click here to learn more about the program and how to apply!

Pressure welders in British Columbia are required to hold this certificate of qualification. This nationally recognized program assesses a welder’s skills and abilities, ensuring all pressure welders in BC are working to the relevant codes and standards.

Please distribute this information to encourage your members to transition. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 604 813 7663 or engage@technicalsafetybc.ca

Technical Safety BC – Women in SETT Leadership Workshops

Technical Safety BC will be hosting and sponsoring a number WinSETT Leadership Workshops, which are professional development sessions for early and mid-career female engineers, scientists, tradespeople and technologists in science and technology-based sectors.

Early Bird Pricing
· You can register for all 6 workshops at a discounted rate of $1,075 ($550 for Students/Apprentices/Seeking Employment) and receive a certificate as having completed the full leadership series
· Individual Workshops are $199 ($99 for Students/Apprentices/Seeking Employment)
· 3 weeks prior to workshop date prices increase by 20%

Workshops and Dates
· Becoming Leaders – January 30, 2020
· Effective Communication – February 27, 2020
· Emotional Intelligence – March 26, 2020
· Negotiating for Success – April 23, 2020
· Navigating Politics – May 14, 2020
· Networking Mentors Sponsors – June 11, 2020

How do I register?
Register for the entire series, save 10% and be guaranteed your spot on the workshop dates that work for you before registration opens to the public. Receive your certificate and be recognized for completing the entire Women in SETT Leadership series
Register for WinSETT

Technical Safety BC – Certification Renewal

Reinstate Certification by December 3, 2019

Have your Power Engineers renewed their boiler, pressure vessel, or refrigeration certificate of qualification?

If not, their certificate is invalid and they are not legally permitted to work on boiler, pressure vessel, or refrigeration equipment.

Certificates of qualification reinstated before December 3, 2019, will be at no cost. After December 3 the reinstatement fee is $100.
Reinstate now.

The Power Engineers, Boiler, Pressure Vessel and Refrigeration Safety Regulation states that certificates with no expiry date are now invalid. Certificate holders with invalid certificates are not legally permitted to work or practice. Therefore, they need to apply to reinstate their certificate to work on regulated boiler, pressure vessel, or refrigeration equipment.

Please communicate this information to your members to prevent any inconvenience!

For more information, visit certification reinstatement or contact us at 1 866 566 7233 | contact@technicalsafetybc.ca.

Thank you for your continued commitment to safe technical systems. Everywhere.

Technical Safety BC – Safety Oversight Changes for 2019

As our organization evolves its strategy to share knowledge and drive behavior change, we must establish consistency through standards (e.g., training, regulation/code, processes) and implement cross-technology approaches that align with our product and service offerings. The opportunity to provide innovative safety solutions that can be scaled across multiple technologies (rather than creating different approaches for each of the seven technologies we oversee) will allow us to leverage untapped efficiencies.

While much of the organization has reorganized since we first came out of government in 2004, Safety Oversight has largely remained unchanged. This presents an opportunity to modernize our structure and processes, so that we can effectively provide safety oversight services in scalable and efficient ways.

The changes are as follows:

    • We are moving from having one Safety Manager (statutory decision makers) for each technology, to having two Safety Managers – one for Energy (electrical, gas, boilers & pressure vessels) and one for Transportation (elevating, rail, passenger ropeways, amusement devices).
    • We are also creating six new Technical Leader roles – one for each of the following technologies: electrical, gas, boilers & pressure vessels, elevating, rail, and alternative safety approaches (ASA).
    • We will create a new Safety System Risk Manager role to lead the understanding and management of technical risks.
    • We are also creating new Analyst and Trainer roles to support the Safety System Risk Program, Technical Learning Program, and Technical Safety Programs overall.

This new structure will not only provide opportunities for more effective safety oversight, it will also enable senior safety officers to provide more support for in-field operations. These changes will help advance our safety products and services for the benefit of clients and stakeholders while ensuring we have a growing and sustainable pipeline of technical expertise to understand and manage safety system risks.

Here are the new contacts during our transition period:

Technical Safety BC – Investigation Report

Please find the link https://www.technicalsafetybc.ca/fernieincident to the Technical Safety BC’s investigation report into the October 2017 incident at Fernie Memorial Arena, where an ammonia release resulted in three workers sadly losing their lives.

The report covers three areas where contributing factors led to the incident: failure of refrigeration system equipment; operational decisions that contributed to the incident; and, impact of inadequate ventilation and discharge systems following the incident. The report includes 18 recommendations to improve equipment maintenance, leak hazard identification, training, and secondary coolant system configuration and construction.

In learning from this incident, we would like to bring greater awareness of these hazards, and I encourage you to read the report and to share it with your association members and anyone interested.

Meryl Howell-Fellows | Business Partner, Stakeholder Engagement

TECHNICAL SAFETY BC | Safe technical systems. Everywhere.
Mobile: 604 813 7663 | Toll-free: 1 866 566 7233
Suite 600 – 2889 East 12th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5M 4T5
technicalsafetybc.ca