November/December 2024 |
JUMP TO SECTION:  What’s NewInsider Insights  Industry News  By the Numbers Did You Know? Subscribe Now  Update on Canada Post Postal Disruption TSSA clients should continue to pay invoices & download authorizations through the Client Portal  Canada Post resumed operations on December 17, 2024. The delivery of paper invoices and mailed authorizations may be delayed as the postal service works through the mail and parcels trapped in the system since the strike began on November 15 on a first-in, first-out basis. Regulated clients should continue to: Sign up for paperless invoicing through the TSSA Client Portal. Log into the TSSA Client Portal to pay invoices on time and download licences, certificates, statements, and other authorizations. Use the TSSA Client Portal to submit most applications, including most BPV engineering applications. Please use the Prepayment Portal for elevating and fuels engineering applications or services not offered on the Client Portal. For more information, visit www.tssa.org or contact TSSA by email at customerservices@tssa.org. Late Payment & Inspection Appointment Cancellation Fees In Effect  This is a reminder that on November 4, 2024, two new fees took effect: a Late Payment Fee for licences and other authorizations and an Inspection Appointment Cancellation Fee. These fees encourage timely compliance, reduce regulatory costs, and optimize inspection resource deployment. For more information, read our earlier announcement.  Lest We Forget – TSSA Honours Heroes on Remembrance Day TSSA joined Canadians across the country to commemorate Remembrance Day on November 11, 2024. Staff paused to reflect on the sacrifices made by those who served our country, remember those who gave their lives in service, and those who continue to protect, serve and defend our rights today. TSSA paid tribute to these heroes, their legacies, and the enduring values of service, bravery, and selfessness that secured the freedoms we cherish today.  Season’s Greetings! As 2024 comes to a close, TSSA would like to take this opportunity to thank our partners and safety communities for their support in keeping Ontario safe for all. Our continued collaboration has resulted in improved safety outcomes. As highlighted in our Public Safety Report, the past fiscal year saw fewer permanent injuries and a decrease in incident rates, despite Ontario’s population growth. We are safer when we work together in the name of safety. Looking ahead to 2025, we are excited about continuing our strong partnership in making Ontario a safer place to live, work, and play. Happy holidays! Wishing you a safe and successful 2025. Holiday Hours While the office is open to visitors by appointment only, please note the following changes to TSSA’s regular business hours. On December 24 and December 31, TSSA staff are available from 8 a.m. to noon. On December 25, December 26, and January 1, TSSA will be closed. On all other business days, you can reach a TSSA representative during regular office hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. by phone at 1-877-682-8772 or email customerservices@tssa.org.   Elevating, Amusement and Ski Devices Fuels Boilers and Pressure Vessels Operating Engineers 2024 Ontario Electrical Safety Code is Now Available The newest edition, an essential tool for electrical professionals and includes important updates, comes into effect on May 1, 2025 The 2024 edition of the Ontario Electrical Safety Code (OESC) has been finalized and is now available for purchase. The updated Electrical Safety Code regulation comes into effect on May 1, 2025. Members of the electrical industry are encouraged to begin familiarizing themselves with the new Code. Electrical work conducted after May 1, 2025, needs to meet the 2024 edition’s requirements. This new edition includes changes designed to enhance electrical safety, including protecting the public with additional GFCI requirements for cords used at midways, carnivals, fairs, and festivals. Read more  Elevating, Amusement and Ski Devices Safety Issue with Smartrise SRA Controller Door Zone During a Category 5 (CAT5) safety test on a traction elevator equipped with a Smartrise SRA (V3 Cedes) controller, SRA with CEDES Absolute Positioning System, and a single door zone sensor, a potential safety concern was identified: The single door zone signal can fail, and the elevator may run with the doors open. Unintended car motion will not be detected as the system believes the elevator is always within a door zone. Further testing of the Unintended Car Movement Protection revealed that the car could drift 2438 mm (6-8 ft.) before stopping and does not meet the maximum 1220 mm (48 in.) required by Unintended Car Movement Protection. No injuries were reported. Smartrise has issued a mandatory Technical Service Bulletin – TSB-0016 on December 10, 2024. TSSA is actively working with Smartrise to identify and implement a solution to address this issue. TSSA is developing a Director’s Safety Order, planned for dissemination in early 2025 to recommend appropriate corrective actions. Industry consultation will follow. Eye on Elevator Safety as Ontario Population Grows As part of the National Elevator Escalator Safety Awareness Week, held from November 11 to 15, 2024, TSSA shared key elevator and escalator safety tips from its Public Safety Report 2024. The report notes an increase in the number of reported elevator incidents over the past decade attributed to factors such as Ontario’s population growth – leading to increased elevator usage – and improved reporting mechanisms. TSSA estimates an increase of 1,500 elevators annually in Ontario.  From 2015 to 2024, the number of incidents is higher in condominiums (23.1%) and rental apartments (18.85%) due to the higher elevator usage at these residential buildings, compared to offices (15.56%) and other building types such as hospitals, hotels and schools (42.49%). Back to Industry News  Fuels Ministry Exempts Propane Certificate & Record-of-Training Holders from Certificate Requirement Starting December 22, 2024, propane certificate holders and Record-of-Training (ROT) holders will no longer be required to hold a liquid propane fitter certificate to purge propane tanks of 2,500 US water gallons (USWG) or less. The exemption helps propane distributors achieve the required changeout timelines for pressure-relief valves by increasing the number of professionals eligible to perform this task. The Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement approved the exemption of these specified persons from the Technical Standards and Safety Act, 2000 Fuel Industry Certificates Regulation (O. Reg. 215/01), provided they meet all the following conditions. Read more Laboratories of Accredited Training Providers to Comply with Code Variance applications for non-compliant labs must be submitted by July 1, 2025 TSSA has determined that accredited training providers with laboratories or training areas that do not comply with the Technical Standards and Safety Act, 2000 must submit variance applications to the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) by July 1, 2025, and achieve regulatory compliance by the end of their next audit cycle. TSSA is waiving the fee for the variance application which must provide a list of non-compliances found in the laboratory or training area and the safety mitigations used to comply with the Code. Read more It’s Not Just Your Furnace – Be in the Know When It Comes to Carbon Monoxide TSSA and local fire departments team up for carbon monoxide safety Safety experts at TSSA reminded residents to be in the know when it comes to carbon monoxide (CO) during CO Awareness Week, which ran from November 1 to 7, 2024. Often dubbed the ‘Silent Killer’, CO continues to be a leading cause of accidental poisoning in Ontario, with approximately 65% of all CO incidents occurring in people’s homes. Most, if not all of these incidents, are preventable. As part of its ongoing efforts to bring greater awareness to Ontarians, TSSA once gain teamed up with local fire and emergency services in fall – this time in Halton Region – to increase CO awareness. Read more  Back to Industry News  Boilers and Pressure Vessels Keep Pressure-Relief Devices in Good Working Condition Owners & operators of pressurized systems are responsible for establishing a program to ensure pressure relief devices are compliant Pressure-relief devices (PRD) are the last line of defence to prevent boilers, pressure vessels (BPV) and pressure piping from exceeding their maximum allowable working pressure (MAWP).  PRDs are designed to open and discharge some of the working fluid to reduce or relieve excess pressure automatically. Under normal operating conditions, a PRD does not operate as mechanical systems are not intended to operate at the limits. However, there is a risk that PRDs that are not tested and maintained regularly can become sealed, preventing them from discharging their safety function when needed. As such, TSSA inspectors always check pressure relief devices and issue orders when they find non-compliance. Orders associated with PRDs are flagged as high-risk and require follow-up inspections to ensure compliance. Read more Verifying the Status of Unverified Boilers & Pressure Vessels  This is a reminder that TSSA has kicked off an initiative requiring owners of boilers and pressure vessels (BPVs) to verify the operating status of devices that were certified at one time but do not currently have a valid Certificate of Inspection (COI). TSSA has designed a simple process to allow owners to access a list of unverified BPVs and report on them through the BPV Certificate of Inspection (COI) Portal for Owners. BPVs may be in different operating statuses (such as Actively Operating, Removed from Service, Changed Ownership, or Exempt from Inspection). Owners must report the status of their devices to TSSA. Read more Back to Industry News  Operating Engineers TSSA Shared Insights in Industry Forum for Power Engineers TSSA’s Chief Engineer Glen Lang presented a regulatory review and led the Power Engineers’ Roundtable at the Ontario Education Forum and Power Engineers’ Roundtable from October 23 to 25, 2024. The Institute of Power Engineers hosted the industry event in Toronto to provide updates on power-plant operations for professionals who work in a registered plant or operate and maintain power-house equipment in Ontario.  Back to Industry News  64,280 The number of authorized elevators in Ontario. There are 1.35 incidents per 100 elevators in Ontario in FY2024. Source: Public Safety Report 2024 (page 27)  Revamped ‘Consumer Safety’ Section on TSSA’s Website TSSA recently enhanced the Consumer Safety section on its website to make it easier for the general public to access practical resources and tools to stay safe where they live, work and play. Whether you’re looking for public safety information about amusement rides, elevators, escalators, ski lifts, fuels safety or carbon monoxide, our revamped, dedicated sites — safetyinfo.ca and cosafety.ca — provide the public and consumers with relevant safety resources, including the Find a TSSA-Registered Fuels Contractor lookup tool. Browse through these sections and share these valuable resources with your networks today.  Back to top Get in touch We would like to hear from you. Please send your comments or story ideas to media@tssa.org. Click the “Subscribe” button and get safety updates delivered to your inbox. You can access the issues online. Subscribe Now |
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