The Ministry of Government and Consumer Services amended Ontario Regulation O.Reg 211/01 (Propane Storage and Handling) in 2015 removing the annual inspection requirements of licensed propane storage and handling facilities by the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA).

TSSA’s Statutory Director, Fuels Safety Program, at that time decided to set the frequency of inspections of these facilities using a risk based approach. Facilities will be periodically inspected at 6 month, 1 year, 2 year or 3 year inspection intervals based on a risk score determined for each facility. A facility’s risk score is determined based on the following risk factors:

• Facility’s inspection history (number and type of non-compliances found by TSSA inspectors during previous inspections)
• Industry incident history
• Location of the facility (type of land use and population density in the surrounding area)
• Storage capacity

The Propane Safety Review Panel report (2008) also suggested incorporating the sensitive receptors in the hazard zone. TSSA first iteration of RSMPs did not include this information in the risk ranking.

The recent Auditor General Report (recommendation #8) reported on this gap in the risk ranking of propane sites. Effective immediately, TSSA will start using this additional information to determine the risk ranking and the associated inspection cycle for propane facilities required to submit RSMPs.

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TSSA newsletter