Acetakegroup-Ontario

Regulations of Ontario

Disclaimer

Please be advised that the synopsis has been supplied for information purposes only and should not be considered as the interpretation of the rules and regulations. Users are advised to send an enquiry to info@acetakegroup.com or directly consult with the safety authority of each province/territory before making any decisions that may have critical consequences. Acetake Group assumes no liability for the use or misuse of the information herein.

The Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA)

The Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) is the safety and regulatory authority that administers and enforces technical standards in the province of Ontario. TSSA has the following major divisions:

Elevating and Amusement Devices
Fuels
Boilers and Pressure Vessels and Operating Engineers

TSSA reports to the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services (MGCS), which retains authority over the Technical Standards and Safety Act, 2000 and is responsible for setting public safety policy and overseeing both the delivery of safety services and TSSA’s organizational performance.

1. TSSA BPV

Under the Boilers and Pressure Vessels (BPV) Program, TSSA regulates all pressure-retaining systems manufactured or used in Ontario. They review boilers, pressure vessels, and piping systems during the manufacturing process and again, once these systems are operational in locations such as schools, hospitals, factories, offices, and even nuclear power plants. As a member of the National Board of Boilers and Pressure Vessel Inspectors and an Authorized Inspection Agency under the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, TSSA works with industry and insurance companies to protect the safety of the public by ensuring the safe design, manufacture, installation, operation, and periodic inspection of all boiler & pressure vessels in Ontario.

Before a company begins to manufacture, install, repair or alter a boiler, pressure vessel, piping or fitting, the company must complete the applicable written quality control or quality assurance program to be approved by the TSSA.

1.1. Boiler and Pressure Vessel Regulations

In Ontario, TSSA issues a CRN for pressure equipment that will be used in the province.

1.1.1. Ontario Regulation 220/01: Boilers and Pressure Vessel Regulation

There are two Boilers and Pressure Vessels (BPV) regulations in Ontario. One Regulation, applies to the design, construction, maintenance, use, operation, repair and service of boilers, pressure vessels and piping in the province of Ontario (see Ontario Regulation 220/01: Boilers and Pressure Vessel Regulation under Links). The other regulation is applied under the conditions of Code Adoption Document which establishes essential requirements and minimum standards for the: design; fabrication; installation; repair; alteration; inspection; testing; operation; and use of boilers, pressure vessels, fittings and piping (see Boilers and Pressure Vessel Regulation - Code Adoption Document under Links).

2. TSSA Fuels

Following the Technical Standards and Safety Act and other applicable regulations, codes and standards, the Technical Standards and Safety Authority's (TSSA) Fuels Safety Program regulates the transportation, storage, handling and use of fuels in Ontario.

Fuels under this program include:

Natural gas
Propane
Butane
Hydrogen
Digester gas
Landfill gas
Fuel oil
Gasoline
Diesel

The TSSA licenses fuel facilities, register contractors and certifies tradespeople who install and service equipment. We also review and approve facility plans for sites licensed by the TSSA, and perform custom equipment approvals and inspection services to ensure safe handling and usage of fuel.

The three stages of the fuels life cycle that fall under TSSA's jurisdiction are:

Transmission, distribution, and transportation
Storage and dispensing
Utilization (burning)

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 months, 1 year, 2 years 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 (the type of land use and population density in the surrounding area)
Storage capacity