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Posted By: frank bill C-45 ? - 07/21/06 12:49 AM
Had a meeting today with my supervisor.He was sent to a boot camp last week where he was informed that no one but licensed electricians can work above 240v in industry.This is with regards to a new bill Inspectors will also be on site to enforce PPE and will be handing out $300 fines to employees and $500 to him for each instance.Engineers and mechanics will no longer be able to open any panels/equipment above 240v to reset O/Ls.The health and safety officer is currently making informaton booklets for our crew in a CYA campain.Has anyone heard about this yet.




[This message has been edited by frank (edited 07-20-2006).]
Posted By: jay8 Re: bill C-45 ? - 07/23/06 05:57 AM
I havent heard anything like that. In fact the opposite seems to be happening where anyone can get an electrical endorsement to work on electrical within the scope of their work. For example plumbers, gasfitters, locksmiths, HVAC guys can all work on electrical within the scope of their endorsement to allow them to hook up motors, furnaces, A/C equipment etc.
Posted By: frank Re: bill C-45 ? - 07/24/06 12:56 AM
This is really about 347v and above.In industry if managment and an employee both feel that the employee is competent he can work in any panel as long as there is a CPR certified person with him.Only a qualified electrican can work alone.I also need to what PPE is required to work/troubleshoot live equipment up to 600v.
Posted By: mikesh Re: bill C-45 ? - 07/26/06 11:09 PM
Bill C-45 came as a result of the Westray Mine disaster and is more about assigning liability to managers and owners if it can be shown they are disregarding known hazards or requiring workers to work beyond their training. In BC electrical work can only be performed by qualified persons. For voltages above 150 volts to ground that is powerline technicians and electricians. I think neon sign installers are an exception but they must of course be restricted to neon signs. So if in a facility there is a handyman changing lighting ballasts on a 347/600 circuit he would be in violation of wcb regs and possibly bill C-45 if he was doing so at the direction of the office manager for example.
As far as I know C-45 has not yet been tested in court as there has not been another disaster like Westray where it can be shown that the owners are ignoring hazards in favour of profit. We are using this legislation to influence our employer to profide flame proof clothing for our electricians and inspectors as WCB has not yet mandated this type of protection.
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