Government Connection
New TSSA Operating Engineers Regulation Officially Approved
GCCA is very pleased to announce that the Minister of Government and Consumer Services has officially approved the new regulations for Operating Engineers. The minister’s action marks the successful completion of efforts initiated by GCCA and Canadian members (led by Eben James) to modernize the OE regulation and give facilities more options for meeting compliance and safety requirements. Facilities now have the opportunity to select either Path 1 or Path 2 for compliance. GCCA will continue to work closely with TSSA as the new policies are implemented and keep members informed of new developments.
Below is the announcement posted on the TSSA website on October 8th:
“TSSA’s Operating Engineers Alternate Rules have been approved by the Minister of Government and Consumer Services to supplement the existing Operating Engineers Regulation 219/01. The Operating Engineers regulation remains in place and the Alternate Rules do not replace it. TSSA worked closely with the Government of Ontario to ensure that reducing the burden on business while maintaining public safety has remained the goal of the Alternate Rules.
The newly approved Alternate Rules will provide:
- organizations with two alternative paths (Path 1 & Path 2) to achieve safety and compliance outcomes beyond the Operating Engineers regulation.
- a flexible pathway for Operating Engineers to achieve certification.
- an alternate means to maintain electronic logbooks for all regulated plants.
The Alternate Rules are meant to address several concerns, specifically that the current regulation is too prescriptive, increases the burden on business does not create an incentive for business to be technologically innovative and exacerbates operating engineer labour supply issues.
Path 2 requires plant owners and users to customize site-specific risk and safety management plans, which TSSA will start accepting for review on November 2, 2020.
Path 1 of the Alternate Rules introduces several factors for risk rating plants beyond just the installed power rating of a plant (kilowatts), the sole component considered in the current regulation. Path 1 launch is scheduled for February 22, 2021.
Revised certification requirements for Operating Engineers is planned to come into force in May 2021.
More information on Operating Engineers Alternate Rules can be found in the FAQs on the TSSA website.
October 09, 2020
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