S-2.1, r. 4 - Safety Code for the construction industry

Section 3.23.16 Disposition versions

2022-04-28

3.23.16. On a construction site where high-risk work is being carried out, other than the work mentioned in section 3.23.16.1, an employer shall fulfil the obligations provided for in section 3.23.15, except those provided for in paragraphs 1, 2, 4.1 and 5 of that section, and the following obligations:

(1)  the employer shall ensure that any worker present in the work area during the use of electric tools not fitted with a dust collector equipped with a high-efficiency filter or during the handling of thoroughly wetted friable materials containing asbestos is wearing a full-facepiece respirator; the respirator must comply with one of the following types:

(a)  a powered air-purifying respirator with a HEPA particulate filter;

(b)  a supplied-air respirator operated in continuous-flow positive-pressure mode or in a pressure-demand mode with positive pressure;

(2)  notwithstanding paragraph 1, a supplied-air and continuous-flow positive-pressure adjusted, or pressure demand and positive pressure, full-facepiece respirator must be worn by any worker who is in one of the following situations:

(a)  in the presence of friable materials containing asbestos that are not thoroughly wetted;

(b)  in the presence of crocidolite or amosite, where the readings made under paragraph 4 give concentrations equal to or greater than 10 fibres/cm3;

(3)  before work begins, the employer and the principal contractor shall identify in writing the following information and make it available in the work area:

(a)  the equipment and tools necessary to carry out the work and the measures to be taken in order to install, use, care for, protect and move them;

(b)  the hazards and the health and safety measures to be taken depending on the work to be carried out;

(c)  the types of asbestos and other contaminants that may be encountered during the work;

(d)  the individual and group protective devices and equipment that must be used;

(e)  the measures to be taken in case of emergency, which shall include, in particular, locating emergency exits in the work area and the exits through which the building can be evacuated;

(4)  the employer shall take a sample of the concentration of airborne breathable asbestos fibres in the work area, in accordance with section 44 of the Regulation respecting occupational health and safety (chapter S-2.1, r. 13), at least once per shift during the work, send it immediately to a laboratory for analysis and take reasonable measures to obtain the results of those analyses within 24 hours; the results shall be recorded in a register that is available on the work premises during all the work;

(5)  the employer shall ensure that reusable protective clothing is washed before it is reused;

(6)  the employer must provide workers working in the work area with a double changing room that complies with section 3.2.13;

(7)  the employer shall ensure that any worker leaving the work area follows the decontamination procedure described below:

(a)  workers shall remove their disposable protective clothing in the work clothes changing room and treat them as waste or shall remove their reusable protective clothing and put it immediately in a receptacle filled with water or, where clothes are washed in the work clothes changing room, in the tub of a washer filled with water;

(b)  workers shall remove their work clothes and protective footwear in the work clothes changing room and those articles, before being put away, shall be washed or cleaned by means of a vacuum cleaner equipped with a high-efficiency filter;

(c)  workers shall wash and remove their safety helmets and respirators under the shower; disposable cartridges shall be thrown into a garbage can and the other parts of the respirator shall be washed under the shower and then hung to dry in a clean area free of dust;

(d)  workers shall shower immediately before entering the street clothes changing room;

(e)  work clothes and protective footwear shall be washed before being transported outside the work premises referred to in this section; where the work clothes are winter clothes, they shall be cleaned by means of a vacuum cleaner equipped with a high-efficiency filter and placed in an airtight bag and the employer shall cause them to be dry cleaned and water-proofed;

(8)  the work area and the work clothes changing room shall be sealed off from the rest of the building by an airtight enclosure that has an exhaust ventilation system. The ventilation system shall meet the following standards:

(a)  it shall be equipped with a high-efficiency filter;

(b)  it shall provide at least 4 changes of air per hour;

(c)  it shall ensure negative pressure of between 1 and 4 Pa;

(9)  notwithstanding paragraph 8, when work is done outdoors, an airtight enclosure is required only for the work clothes changing room; in such case, the travel area of workers that connects the work area and the work clothes changing room shall be marked off by hazard signs;

(10)  at the beginning and end of each shift, the employer shall ensure that the airtight enclosure is in good condition. If the enclosure is punctured or becomes defective, the work shall cease until the enclosure is repaired;

(11)  the air vents of the building’s ventilation system shall be sealed off from the work area before the work begins and shall be kept sealed during the work;

(12)  upon completion of the work, it shall be prohibited to dismantle the airtight enclosure or to remove the airtight drop sheets before the concentration of airborne respirable asbestos fibres in the work area drops to less than 0.01 fibres/cm3. That reading shall be taken in accordance with section 44 of the Regulation respecting occupational health and safety.

O.C. 54-90, s. 3; O.C. 459-99, s. 11; O.C. 885-2001, s. 374; O.C. 393-2011, s. 17; O.C. 48-2022, s. 9; O.C. 645-2022, s. 9.

2022-02-10

3.23.16. On a construction site where high-risk work is being carried out, other than the work mentioned in section 3.23.16.1, an employer shall fulfil the obligations provided for in section 3.23.15, except those provided for in paragraphs 1, 2 and 5 of that section, and the following obligations:

(1)  the employer shall ensure that any worker present in the work area during the use of electric tools not fitted with a dust collector equipped with a high-efficiency filter or during the handling of thoroughly wetted friable materials containing asbestos is wearing a full-facepiece respirator; the respirator must comply with one of the following types:

(a)  a powered air-purifying respirator with a HEPA particulate filter;

(b)  a supplied-air respirator operated in continuous-flow positive-pressure mode or in a pressure-demand mode with positive pressure;

(2)  notwithstanding paragraph 1, a supplied-air and continuous-flow positive-pressure adjusted, or pressure demand and positive pressure, full-facepiece respirator must be worn by any worker who is in one of the following situations:

(a)  in the presence of friable materials containing asbestos that are not thoroughly wetted;

(b)  in the presence of crocidolite or amosite, where the readings made under paragraph 4 give concentrations equal to or greater than 10 fibres/cm3;

(3)  before work begins, the employer and the principal contractor shall identify in writing the following information and make it available in the work area:

(a)  the equipment and tools necessary to carry out the work and the measures to be taken in order to install, use, care for, protect and move them;

(b)  the hazards and the health and safety measures to be taken depending on the work to be carried out;

(c)  the types of asbestos and other contaminants that may be encountered during the work;

(d)  the individual and group protective devices and equipment that must be used;

(e)  the measures to be taken in case of emergency, which shall include, in particular, locating emergency exits in the work area and the exits through which the building can be evacuated;

(4)  the employer shall take a sample of the concentration of airborne breathable asbestos fibres in the work area, in accordance with section 44 of the Regulation respecting occupational health and safety (chapter S-2.1, r. 13), at least once per shift during the work, send it immediately to a laboratory for analysis and take reasonable measures to obtain the results of those analyses within 24 hours; the results shall be recorded in a register that is available on the work premises during all the work;

(5)  the employer shall ensure that reusable protective clothing is washed before it is reused;

(6)  the employer must provide workers working in the work area with a double changing room that complies with section 3.2.13;

(7)  the employer shall ensure that any worker leaving the work area follows the decontamination procedure described below:

(a)  workers shall remove their disposable protective clothing in the work clothes changing room and treat them as waste or shall remove their reusable protective clothing and put it immediately in a receptacle filled with water or, where clothes are washed in the work clothes changing room, in the tub of a washer filled with water;

(b)  workers shall remove their work clothes and protective footwear in the work clothes changing room and those articles, before being put away, shall be washed or cleaned by means of a vacuum cleaner equipped with a high-efficiency filter;

(c)  workers shall wash and remove their safety helmets and respirators under the shower; disposable cartridges shall be thrown into a garbage can and the other parts of the respirator shall be washed under the shower and then hung to dry in a clean area free of dust;

(d)  workers shall shower immediately before entering the street clothes changing room;

(e)  work clothes and protective footwear shall be washed before being transported outside the work premises referred to in this section; where the work clothes are winter clothes, they shall be cleaned by means of a vacuum cleaner equipped with a high-efficiency filter and placed in an airtight bag and the employer shall cause them to be dry cleaned and water-proofed;

(8)  the work area and the work clothes changing room shall be sealed off from the rest of the building by an airtight enclosure that has an exhaust ventilation system. The ventilation system shall meet the following standards:

(a)  it shall be equipped with a high-efficiency filter;

(b)  it shall provide at least 4 changes of air per hour;

(c)  it shall ensure negative pressure of between 1 and 4 Pa;

(9)  notwithstanding paragraph 8, when work is done outdoors, an airtight enclosure is required only for the work clothes changing room; in such case, the travel area of workers that connects the work area and the work clothes changing room shall be marked off by hazard signs;

(10)  at the beginning and end of each shift, the employer shall ensure that the airtight enclosure is in good condition. If the enclosure is punctured or becomes defective, the work shall cease until the enclosure is repaired;

(11)  the air vents of the building’s ventilation system shall be sealed off from the work area before the work begins and shall be kept sealed during the work;

(12)  upon completion of the work, it shall be prohibited to dismantle the airtight enclosure or to remove the airtight drop sheets before the concentration of airborne respirable asbestos fibres in the work area drops to less than 0.01 fibres/cm3. That reading shall be taken in accordance with section 44 of the Regulation respecting occupational health and safety.

O.C. 54-90, s. 3; O.C. 459-99, s. 11; O.C. 885-2001, s. 374; O.C. 393-2011, s. 17; O.C. 48-2022, s. 9.

2012-09-01

3.23.16. On a construction site where high-risk work is being carried out, other than the work mentioned in section 3.23.16.1, an employer shall fulfil the obligations provided for in section 3.23.15, except those provided for in paragraphs 1, 2 and 5 of that section, and the following obligations:

(1)  a half-facepiece or full-facepiece respirator specified in the Guide des appareils de protection respiratoire utilisés au Québec, published by the Institut de recherché Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail, shall be worn by any worker using electric tools not fitted with a dust collector equipped with a high-efficiency filter or by any worker handling thoroughly wetted friable materials containing asbestos; the respirator shall be selected, adjusted, used and cared for in accordance with CSA Standard Z94.4-93 Selection, Use and Care or Respirators and shall comply with one of the following types:

(a)  a powered air-purifying respirator with a high-efficiency particulate filter;

(b)  a supplied-air respirator operated in continuous-flow positive-pressure mode or in a pressure-demand mode with positive pressure;

(2)  notwithstanding paragraph 1, a supplied-air and continuous-flow positive-pressure adjusted, or pressure demand and positive pressure, half-facepiece or full-facepiece respirator, specified in the Guide des appareils de protection respiratoire utilisés au Québec, published by the Institut de recherché Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail, shall be worn by any worker who is in one of the following situations:

(a)  in the presence of friable materials containing asbestos that are not thoroughly wetted;

(b)  in the presence of crocidolite or amosite, where the readings made under paragraph 4 give concentrations equal to or greater than 10 fibres/cm3;

(3)  before work begins, the employer and the principal contractor shall identify in writing the following information and make it available in the work area:

(a)  the equipment and tools necessary to carry out the work and the measures to be taken in order to install, use, care for, protect and move them;

(b)  the hazards and the health and safety measures to be taken depending on the work to be carried out;

(c)  the types of asbestos and other contaminants that may be encountered during the work;

(d)  the individual and group protective devices and equipment that must be used;

(e)  the measures to be taken in case of emergency, which shall include, in particular, locating emergency exits in the work area and the exits through which the building can be evacuated;

(4)  the employer shall take a sample of the concentration of airborne breathable asbestos fibres in the work area, in accordance with section 44 of the Regulation respecting occupational health and safety (chapter S-2.1, r. 13), at least once per shift during the work, send it immediately to a laboratory for analysis and take reasonable measures to obtain the results of those analyses within 24 hours; the results shall be recorded in a register that is available on the work premises during all the work;

(5)  the employer shall ensure that reusable protective clothing is washed before it is reused;

(6)  the employer must provide workers working in the work area with a double changing room that complies with section 3.2.13;

(7)  the employer shall ensure that any worker leaving the work area follows the decontamination procedure described below:

(a)  workers shall remove their disposable protective clothing in the work clothes changing room and treat them as waste or shall remove their reusable protective clothing and put it immediately in a receptacle filled with water or, where clothes are washed in the work clothes changing room, in the tub of a washer filled with water;

(b)  workers shall remove their work clothes and protective footwear in the work clothes changing room and those articles, before being put away, shall be washed or cleaned by means of a vacuum cleaner equipped with a high-efficiency filter;

(c)  workers shall wash and remove their safety helmets and respirators under the shower; disposable cartridges shall be thrown into a garbage can and the other parts of the respirator shall be washed under the shower and then hung to dry in a clean area free of dust;

(d)  workers shall shower immediately before entering the street clothes changing room;

(e)  work clothes and protective footwear shall be washed before being transported outside the work premises referred to in this section; where the work clothes are winter clothes, they shall be cleaned by means of a vacuum cleaner equipped with a high-efficiency filter and placed in an airtight bag and the employer shall cause them to be dry cleaned and water-proofed;

(8)  the work area and the work clothes changing room shall be sealed off from the rest of the building by an airtight enclosure that has an exhaust ventilation system. The ventilation system shall meet the following standards:

(a)  it shall be equipped with a high-efficiency filter;

(b)  it shall provide at least 4 changes of air per hour;

(c)  it shall ensure negative pressure of between 1 and 4 Pa;

(9)  notwithstanding paragraph 8, when work is done outdoors, an airtight enclosure is required only for the work clothes changing room; in such case, the travel area of workers that connects the work area and the work clothes changing room shall be marked off by hazard signs;

(10)  at the beginning and end of each shift, the employer shall ensure that the airtight enclosure is in good condition. If the enclosure is punctured or becomes defective, the work shall cease until the enclosure is repaired;

(11)  the air vents of the building’s ventilation system shall be sealed off from the work area before the work begins and shall be kept sealed during the work;

(12)  upon completion of the work, it shall be prohibited to dismantle the airtight enclosure or to remove the airtight drop sheets before the concentration of airborne respirable asbestos fibres in the work area drops to less than 0.01 fibres/cm3. That reading shall be taken in accordance with section 44 of the Regulation respecting occupational health and safety.

O.C. 54-90, s. 3; O.C. 459-99, s. 11; O.C. 885-2001, s. 374; O.C. 393-2011, s. 17.