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Part 20 Construction, Excavation and Demolition

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General Requirements

20.1A Qualified contractor

If a person agrees with the owner to be the prime contractor as provided in section 118 of Part 3 of the Workers Compensation Act, then that person must be qualified.

20.2 Notice of project

(1) The owner or, if the owner engages another person to be the prime contractor, then that person must ensure that the Board receives, in writing or by fax, a notice of project (NOP) at least 24 hours before starting a construction project if

(a) the total cost of labour and materials for the work exceeds $100 000, or

(b) all or part of the permanent or temporary works, except pre-engineered or pre-manufactured building and structural components, are required to be designed by a professional engineer, or

(i) the removal, encapsulation or enclosure of friable asbestos building materials, or

(ii) the demolition, dismantling or repair of any building or structure, or parts thereof, in which insulating materials containing asbestos have been used, or in which asbestos products have been manufactured, or

(iii) an abatement project or other activity involving significant disturbance of lead-containing coatings on buildings or structures, or

(iv) similar activities which may expose workers to a significant risk of occupational disease, or

(d) the construction project is a new erection, a major alteration, a structural repair or a demolition of

(i) a building more than 2 stories high or more than 6 m (20 ft) in height, or

(ii) a bridge, or

(iii) an earth or water retaining structure more than 3 m (10 ft) in height, or

(iv) a silo, chimney or similar structure more than 6 m (20 ft) in height, or

(e) workers will be working in a compressed air atmosphere or in a caisson, tunnel, underground working or cofferdam, or

(f) the construction project includes a trench more than 1.2 m (4 ft) in depth and over 30 m (100 ft) in length or includes another type of excavation more than 1.2 m (4 ft) in depth, which a worker may be required to enter.

(2) The notice of project required by subsection (1) must contain

(a) the name and address of the owner and, if applicable, any other person engaged to be the prime contractor for the project,

(b) the municipal address of the project, or its location in relation to the nearest highway,

(d) the starting date and the anticipated duration of the project,

(e) the estimated total cost of labour and materials for the project, and

(f) if the project involves an activity listed in subsection (1)(c), detailed written work procedures which will be used to minimize the risk to workers who might be exposed to a hazardous material specified by that subsection.

(3) A copy of the notice of project must be posted at the construction site before work commences.

(4) If it is necessary to do immediate work in order to prevent injury to workers or damage to property, work on the project may commence immediately, and the nearest Board office must be provided with an NOP at the earliest possible time.

(5) If a shaft, tunnel, underground working, caisson or cofferdam is to be constructed, the notice of project must confirm that drawings for all temporary and permanent ground support will be available on site for the duration of the project.

Note: Refer to the requirements for an assurance in writing in Part 19 (Electrical Safety) if the project will require workers, materials, equipment or machinery to come into proximity to an energized overhead high voltage electrical conductor or other exposed electrical equipment.

20.3 Coordination of multiple employer workplaces

(1) If a construction project involves the work of 2 or more employers or their workers, each employer must notify the owner, or the person engaged by the owner to be the prime contractor, in advance of any undertaking likely to create a hazard for a worker of another employer.

(2) If a work location has overlapping or adjoining work activities of 2 or more employers that create a hazard to workers, and the combined workforce at the workplace is more than 5,

(a) the owner, or if the owner engages another person to be the prime contractor, then that person must

(i) appoint a qualified coordinator for the purpose of ensuring the coordination of health and safety activities for the location, and

(ii) provide up-to-date information as specified in subsection (4), readily available on site, and

(b) each employer must give the coordinator appointed under paragraph (a)(i) the name of a qualified person designated to be responsible for that employer's site health and safety activities.

(3) The duties of the qualified coordinator appointed under paragraph (2)(a)(i) include

(a) informing employers and workers of the hazards created, and

(b) ensuring that the hazards are addressed throughout the duration of the work activities.

(4) The information required by subsection (2)(a)(ii) includes

(a) the name of the qualified coordinator appointed under subsection (2)(a)(i),

(b) a site drawing, which must be posted, showing project layout, first aid location, emergency transportation provisions, and the evacuation marshalling station, and

(c) a set of construction procedures designed to protect the health and safety of workers at the workplace, developed in accordance with the requirements of this Regulation.

Note: The information required by subsection (4) is a part of the overall health and safety program required by Part 3 of this Regulation (Rights and Responsibilities). See sections 118 and 119 of Part 3 of the Workers Compensation Act for the statutory requirements for coordination at multiple employer workplaces and the general duties of owners.

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