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Policies Part 26

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Policies Part 26 Contents


GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

  R26.11-1 RE: Forestry Operations - General Requirements - Dangerous Trees (Removal Prior to Silviculture Activities)

ROADS AND ROAD MAINTENANCE

  R26.79-1 RE: Forestry Operations - Roads and Road Maintenance - Haul Road Standards (Maintenance of Forest Roads)

WATER OPERATIONS

  R26.86-1 RE: Forestry Operations - Water Operations - Boat Equipment (Towline Guards and OPS for Boom Boats)

Policies Part 26 - General Requirements

Policy Item R26.11-1
RE: Forestry Operations - General Requirements - Dangerous Trees (Removal Prior to Silviculture Activities)
BACKGROUND

1. Explanatory Notes
Section 26.11 sets out the requirements for removal of dangerous trees where forestry operations are taking place.

2. The Regulation
Section 26.1:

"dangerous tree" means a tree that is a hazard to a worker due to

(a) its location or lean,

(b) its physical damage,

(c) overhead conditions,

(d) deterioration of its limbs, stem or root system, or

(e) any combination of the conditions in paragraphs (a) to (d);

Section 26.11:

(1) If it is known or reasonably foreseeable that work will expose a worker to a dangerous tree,

(a) the tree must be felled, or

(b) a risk assessment of the tree must be undertaken by a person who has completed a training program acceptable to the Board.

(2) If a risk assessment under subsection (1) determines that a tree poses a risk to a worker, the recommendations made in the risk assessment for eliminating or minimizing the risk must be implemented before the work referred to in that subsection starts.

(3) Despite subsections (1) and (2), if work in a forestry operation is to be carried out in an area that has more than 500 dangerous trees per hectare, the Board may approve a request to work without felling or assessing all the dangerous trees if, before the work starts,

(a) a person who has completed a training program acceptable to the Board conducts a risk assessment of a representative sample of the dangerous trees, and

(b) any recommendations made in the risk assessment for eliminating or minimizing the risks are implemented.

POLICY

Silviculture activities include tree planting, juvenile spacing, tree thinning, surveys, cone collecting, brush or weed control and chemical use in tree thinning practices.

Except where section 26.11 applies, the responsibility for ensuring that dangerous trees are removed rests with the B.C. Ministry of Forests, owner, licensee or contractor responsible for the work. The felling of dangerous trees is not to be carried out in conjunction with silviculture activities. Dangerous tree removal must be undertaken before silviculture workers are permitted into the hazard area. It is also the B.C. Ministry of Forests, owner, licensee or contractor's responsibility to ensure all falling activities are carried out by trained and competent fallers. Failure to comply with these requirements will result in orders being issued on the B.C. Ministry of Forests, owner, licensee, or contractor.

This policy does not relieve any sub-contractor of responsibility for compliance with the Regulation.

EFFECTIVE DATE: April 1, 2001
AUTHORITY: s.26.11, Occupational Health and Safety Regulation
CROSS REFERENCES: s. 118, Workers Compensation Act, ss. 26.2 and 26.21, Occupational Health and Safety Regulation
HISTORY: Housekeeping changes effective September 15, 2010 to update Regulation provisions and consequential changes to text, delete practice reference and make formatting changes.
Replaces Policy No. 60.14 of the Prevention Division Policy and Procedure Manual
APPLICATION: This Item results from the 2000/2001 "editorial" consolidation of all prevention policies into the Prevention Manual. The POLICY in this Item merely continues the substantive requirements of Policy No. 60.14, as they existed prior to the Effective Date, with any wording changes necessary to reflect legislative and regulatory changes since Policy No. 60.14 was issued.

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Policies Part 26 - Roads and Road Maintenance

Policy Item R26.79-1
RE: Forestry Operations - Roads and Road Maintenance - Haul Road Standards (Maintenance of Forest Roads)
BACKGROUND

1. Explanatory Notes
Section 26.79 sets out requirements for maintenance and construction of roads used to transport workers and forest products in forestry operations.

2. The Regulation
Section 26.79:

Roads, bridges, elevated platforms, and other structures used by vehicles transporting workers, logs or other forest products in forestry operations must be constructed and maintained to a standard which will permit safe transit.

POLICY

Each industrial user of a forest road must have a permit from the B.C. Ministry of Forests (MOF). Responsibility for maintenance of forest roads will be assigned by MOF to one or more holders of such permits. Where it is not known which permit holders are responsible for maintenance of a portion or all of a forest road, this information can be obtained from the district office of the MOF.

Officers of the Board will issue orders to the permit holder(s) responsible for maintenance of a forest road if road conditions are creating a danger to workers. The orders will require the correction or control of the unsafe condition and, if necessary, restrict use of the road until the danger is controlled or eliminated.

Each employer is responsible for ensuring the safe travel of any of its equipment on any forest road or haul road system.

EFFECTIVE DATE: April 1, 2001
AUTHORITY: s. 26.79, Occupational Health and Safety Regulation
CROSS REFERENCES:  
HISTORY: Housekeeping changes effective September 15, 2010 to delete practice reference and make formatting changes.
Replaces Policy No. 60.226 of the Prevention Division Policy and Procedure Manual
APPLICATION: This Item results from the 2000/2001 "editorial" consolidation of all Prevention policies into the Prevention Manual. The POLICY in this Item merely continues the substantive requirements of Policy No. 60.226, as they existed prior to the Effective Date, with any wording changes necessary to reflect legislative and regulatory changes since Policy No. 60.226 was issued.

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Policies Part 26 - Water Operations

Policy Item R26.86-1
RE: Forestry Operations - Water Operations - Boat Equipment (Towline Guards and OPS for Boom Boats)
BACKGROUND

1. Explanatory Notes
Section 26.86(1)(c) and (d) sets out requirements for suitable cabins, screens or guards in certain circumstances for operators of boats used in or about a forestry operation.

2. The Regulation
Section 26.86(1) in part:

A boat must be equipped with
...

(c) suitable cabins, screens or guards to protect operators against injury from towline breakage if the boats are regularly required to pull logs, booms or barges,

(d) suitable cabins, screens or guards meeting the requirements of WCB Standard G606, Boom Boat Operator Protective Structures if operators are subject to injury from logs or limbs intruding into the control area ....

POLICY

Towline guards are only required on boats used primarily for towing.

Operator Protective Structures (OPS) are only required on boats used to break "jackpots". Jackpots are piles of logs resulting from self-dumping barges.

EFFECTIVE DATE: April 1, 2001
AUTHORITY: s. 26.86(1)(c) and (d), Occupational Health and Safety Regulation
CROSS REFERENCES:  
HISTORY: Housekeeping changes effective September 15, 2010 to delete practice reference and make formatting changes.
Housekeeping changes were made on March 1, 2005 to reflect the October 29, 2003 changes to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation ("OHSR"). This Item originally replaced Policy No. 60.260(6) and (7) of the former Prevention Division Policy and Procedure Manual.
Effective October 29, 2003, the reproduction of section 26.86(1)(d) of the OHSR in this Item was revised to reflect its amendment.
This Item results from the 2000/2001 "editorial" consolidation of all Prevention policies into the Prevention Manual. The POLICY in this Item merely continues the substantive requirements of Policy No. 60.260(6)&(7), as they existed prior to the Effective Date, with any wording changes necessary to reflect legislative and regulatory changes since Policy No. 60.260(6)&(7) was issued.
APPLICATION: This policy applies to towline guards and operator protective structures for boom boats on and after April 1, 2001.
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