News release

Province Streamlines Safety Regulations in New Act

Labour and Advanced Education (Jan. 2011 - Aug. 2021)

Businesses and tradespeople who work with boilers, pressure vessels, and fuel burning appliances will benefit from safer workplaces through the streamlining and updating of important safety regulations into one new act.

Regulations related to power engineers, crane operators, and oil burner technicians are also included in these changes.

In the past, these regulations were administered through several individual acts. The new Technical Safety Act consolidates these acts into one updated piece of legislation. Regulations have also been revised to reflect current industry practices.

"Keeping Nova Scotians safe needs to remain a top priority of government, industry and individuals. We're working with industry to make sure our regulations continue to reflect this," said Marilyn More, Minister of Labour and Advanced Education.

"The Technical Safety Act provides a modern, flexible and streamlined framework that will help make it easier to do business in the province while reenforcing the protections in place for the public."

The Technical Safety Act was passed in 2008. During the development of the framework, interested parties were consulted on the sections of the legislation that applied to them.

The Technical Safety Act was passed in 2008. During the development of the framework and associated regulations, stakeholders were consulted on the sections of the legislation that applied to them. This included groups representing owners, contractors, manufacturers, various trades, and industry associations such as the Construction Association of Nova Scotia.

"These changes will support innovation by allowing new technology to be evaluated and incorporated into our buildings, systems and processes more quickly," said Carol MacCulloch, president of the Construction Association of Nova Scotia.

"We look forward to continuing to work with the government, consulting on compliance initiatives, and working together to maintain a high standard of safety for the public."

Now that the framework is complete, the regulations are being phased in.

The new act, when fully implemented, will replace the Amusements Devices Safety Act, Crane Operators and Power Engineers Act, Electrical Installation and Inspection Act, Elevators and Lifts Act, and Steam Boiler and Pressure Vessel Act.

The act, and the regulations for this phase, come into affect April 1.

To read the act and the regulations visit www.gov.ns.ca/lwd/ .