| Word | Description |
| 100 class filter | means a filter certified as being in the "100" class, and of the "N", "R" or "P" class as appropriate (as defined in Chapter 42, Part 84 of the United States Code of Federal Regulation). |
| aggrieved person | an employer, constructor, contractor, employee, self-employed person, owner, supplier, provider of an occupational health or safety service, architect, engineer or union at a workplace who is directly affected by an order or decision |
| Airlock | means a system consisting of two (2) curtained doorways which allows passage in and out of a contaminated area without permitting air movement out of the contaminated area. |
| allied processes | includes any specific type of electric or oxy fuel gas welding or cutting including those in appendix A of CSA W117.9 - 94 "Safety in Welding, Cutting and Allied Processes". Includes arc cutting, oxygen cutting, thermal spraying, thermal adhesive bonding, etc. |
| anchor point | means a component that is attached to a structure and to which fall protection or scaffold components are secured. |
| angle of repose | means the angle unconsolidated material will naturally go to after weathering. Imagine spilling a bag of sand on the ground. As the sand pours out, a cone shape takes place with the sides sliding out to their angle of repose - the angle or slope the sides come to a rest at and no longer spread out. |
| appeal office | means the appeal panel office established for the purposes of the Occupational Health and Safety Act by the Minister of Labour and Advanced Education to provide administrative support necessary to establish a functional appeal panel |
| arborist | A person trained and employed, in whole or in part, to climb trees for any economic or scientific purpose, including: detection and treatment of disease, infections or infestations; pruning, spraying or trimming; repairing damaged trees; assessing growth or harvesting potential; or scientific research |
| asbestos | means any or all types of asbestos. |
| asbestos containing material | means any material containing one percent (1%) or more of asbestos by volume |
| Asbestos filter | means a filter certified for use with asbestos-containing dusts, as defined in Chapter 30, Part 11 of the United States Code of Federal Regulations. |
| blaster | Means: 1) a person who holds a blaster certificate, 2) a person who conducts a blast in a specialized blasting operation, or 3) a person who conducts a special case blast, as defined in Section 23 of Blasting Safety Regulations |
| blaster certificate | A certificate of qualification in the blaster trade issued under the Apprenticeship and Trades Qualifications Act |
| boatswain's chair | Also known as “bosun’s chair", is a seat attached to a suspended rope, designed to accommodate one person in a sitting position. Types include those with rope falls or with a descent control device, as used in window cleaning or with a powered climber, often used where considerable amount of travel is involved. |
| body harness | means a harness consisting of leg and shoulder straps and an upper back suspension unit that will distribute and reduce the impact force of any fall. |
| bracket scaffold | A scaffold consisting of a work platform supported by brackets attached to a structural wall |
| cantilevered scaffold | A scaffold with a work platform that is directly attached to components that extend out from a building or a structure |
| carboy | means a bottle or container of 20 liters (about 4.4 gallons) or more, but less than 75 liters (about 16.5 gallons), that holds liquids. The carboy can be made of glass, plastic or metal. |
| catwalk | means a walkway that is 1.8m (6 ft) or more above the ground or floor level. |
| competent person | A person who is: 1) qualified because of that person's knowledge, training and experience to do the assigned work in a manner that will ensure the health and safety of persons in the workplace, and 2)knowledgeable about the provisions of the Act and the regulations, that apply to the assigned work, and about potential or actual danger to health or safety associated with the assigned work |
| confined space | There are three conditions that must be met (all three) for an area to be considered a confined space. The space must be 1) not intended for regular human occupancy; 2) have a restricted access or exit; and 3) is or may become hazardous to a person entering it because of design, construction, location, atmosphere or materials in it. Common examples of a confined space are sewers, silos, empty tanks, etc |
| constructor | means a person who contracts for work on a project or who undertakes work on a project himself or herself. Note: a project means a construction project, and includes such activitiies as: construction, excavation, renovation, or demolition of any structure, building,tunnel; as well as work and the preparatory work of land clearing or earth moving. |
| contractor | means a person who contracts for work to be performed at the premises of the person contracting to have the work performed. Note the work being performed is not construction activity. The Act defines this category of person as a constructor. |
| demolition zone | means the area designated in writing by an engineer; or the area at the centre point of the demolition and the horizontal radius 1 1/2 times the initial height of the project |
| designated | means designated in writing by the employer. The requirement is meant to indicate and set apart which persons are competent to do required tasks. It is not necessary to have individuals' names listed more commonly it would refer to a job title |
| engineer | means a person who is registered as a member or licensed to practise under the Engineering Profession Act in NS and is competent to do the work being performed |
| excavation | means a hole done by digging, cutting or scooping. An excavation is not necesarilly a trench; for an excavation to be a trench the depth must be greater than the width. |
| fall arrest system | means a system of physical components attached to a person that stops them during a fall. May include a full body harness, lanyard, rope grab, vertical lifeline, static line, anchor points and other connecting components. |
| fall protection | means a harness, net, rope, safety belt, structure or other equipment, or device or means of restraining a person who is at risk of falling, or stopping a person who has fallen |
| guardrail | in the fall protection and scaffolding regulations means a temporary system of vertical and horizontal members that warn of a fall hazard and reduce the risk of a fall. |
| HEPA | means a filter certified as being able to capture at least 99.97 percent of particles with an average aerodynamic diameter of 0.3 microns. |
| hoists | means a mechanical device or equipment and its structure used for moving, lifting, or lowering material, including a mobile crane, a tower crane, an electric overhead travelling crane, an automotive lift, a winch, a chain fall or other similar device, but does not include an industrial lift truck, a power operated elevating work platform, or a device to which the Elevators and Lifts Act applies (escalator, dumb waiter etc) or a hoist that operates in a shaft in the underground at a mine. Hoists are limited to devices that move material. |
| industrial lift trucks | means a self propelled vehicle that is designed primarily to carry, lift, stack or tier material; is equipped with an elevating mechanism, and has a lifting capacity that is greater than 450 kg, but does not include a hoist. The definition is intended to be limited to forklifts and similar vehicles. Note while hand trucks are not covered by this definition, they are covered by the standards cited in the regulation dealing with forklifts. |
| ladderjack scaffold | prohibited in all workplaces as per subsection 18(3) of the fall protection and scaffolding regulations; consist of a scaffold erected by means of attaching one or more brackets to one or more ladders to support a work platform; these . |
| lanyard | means a flexible line used to secure a person to a lifeline, a static line or a fixed anchor point. |
| lifeline | means a vertical line attached to a fixed anchor point or a static line and to which a lanyard and a ropegrab are attached. |
| lock out device | means the device that secures the isolation of the energy source of a locked out machine, equipment, tool or electrical installation; |
| lock out tag | means a tag installed at the lock out location; words directing person not to start or operate the machine, equipment, tool or electrical installation and does not conduct electricity readily. |
| manufacturer's specifications | means the written instructions of a manufacturer of a machine, material, tool or equipment that outline the manner in which the machine, material, tool or equipment is to be erected, installed, assembled, started, operated, used, handled, stored, stopped, adjusted, carried, maintained, repaired, inspected, serviced, tested, cleaned or dismantled, and an instruction, operating or maintenance manual and drawings respecting a machine, tool or equipment. |
| mobile crane | mobile crane to which CSA standard CAN/CSA-Z150-98, "Safety Code on Mobile Cranes" applies |
| overburden | means the material on top of a deposit of useful geological materials or bedrock. For example soil on top of rock/gravel |
| overhead crane | means any mechanical device or structure that is used to raise, lower and move material that travels overhead and incorporates a: power driven drum, bridge and cable or rope; single or multiple girder; and a moveable bridge carrying a moveable or fixed hoisting mechanism; BUT does not include wall cranes, cantilever gantry cranes and semi-gantry cranes |
| portable compressed gas cylinder | having a water capacity of 450 kilograms (about 450 liters or 100 gallons) or less |
| powder-actuated tools | means a tool using a powder generated explosive force to propel or discharge a fastening device. Examples are either a Hilti or a Ramset gun (named after their manufacturers). |
| power operated elevating work platform | means a temporary horizontal working surface that provides access and support to a person at a workplace, and that is elevated and lowered by means of a mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic or other powered mechanism and that complies with Section 36 of the Fall Protection and Scaffolding Regulations, including a standard listed in subsection (4). These may be more commonly known as known as scissor lifts, cherry pickers, zoom boom, telescopic and articulated booms, aerial ladders and bucket trucks. |
| powered mobile equipment | means self-propelled equipment that is designed to operate on land in conditions other than a public highway, but does not include equipment primarily designed to transport persons, an industrial lift truck or a power operated elevating work platform |
| project | means a construction project, and includes such activitiies as: construction, excavation, renovation, or demolition of any structure, building,tunnel; as well as work and the preparatory work of land clearing or earth moving. Also work of any nature or kind designated by the OHS Executive Director as a project. |
| pumpjack scaffold | means a scaffold consisting of a work platform supported by vertical poles and adjustable support brackets. |
| reasonably practicable | Is used in the Act as a test as to when compliance will be required. In certain cases, a party may not have to comply with a requirement if the cost of that compliance is prohibitive and the cost outweighs the benefit. The onus (burden of proof) will be on the party wishing to be exempt to prove the cost is prohibitive. For greater clarity the party will need to prove that all of the costs - time, trouble and money are prohibitive. |
| rolling scaffold | means an assembled scaffold supported by wheels and capable of being moved manually. |
| roofing bracket | means a bracket that is secured to a sloped roof and to which a work platform is secured. |
| rope grab | means a mechanical fall-arrest device that is attached to a lifeline and a lanyard, and locks itself immediately on the lifeline in the event of a fall. For greater clarity rope grabs must be a manufactured device, in accordance with CSA Standard Z259.2-M1979 “Fall Arresting Devices, Personnel Lowering Devices and Life Lines”. The traditional practice of tying a triple hitch knot to a lifeline is prohibited. |
| safety belts | means a belt worn by a person as a means of fall protection. Safety belts are never to be considered part of a fall arrest system; they may be used for work positioning or as travel restraint (prevent a person from accessing an area where a fall may occur). |
| scaffold | means an elevated work platform, or a suspended work platform (suspended scaffold) and the supporting components of the work platform. A work platform means a temporary horizontal working surface that provides access and support to a person. |
| softener | means padding or hoses that are used with a lifeline, suspended scaffold or static line to prevent a rope from being cut or chafed. |
| surface mine | means a mine where rock, sand, gravel, minerals, etc. is removed from the surface. It does not include an operation where the only activity is stock piling and removing materials from the stock pile or underground mining. |
| suspended scaffold | means a work platform supported by ropes, suspended from components cantilevered out from a building or other structure, and includes a swingstage, a boatswain's chair and a multi-point suspended scaffold. |
| temporary stairway | means a stairway installed during construction and that will be removed before the construction is completed |
| tower crane | means any mechanical device or structure that: incorporates a power-driven drum and cable or rope and a vertical mast or tower and a jib; is of the traveling, fixed or climbing type; and is used exclusively for raising, lowering and moving material |
| trench | means an excavation where the depth is greater than the width. Note: there is NO minimum depth noted in the regulations for an excavation or trench; however, some requirements apply only at depths of 1.2 m (4 ft) or more. |
| welding | includes any specific type of electric or oxy fuel gas welding or cutting including those in appendix A of CSA W117.9 - 94 "Safety in Welding, Cutting and Allied Processes". Includes arc welding, brazing, solid-state welding, resistance welding, etc. |
| wooden carpenter's portable bracket scaffold | Note: Wooden carpenter's portable bracket scaffolds are prohibited in all workplaces as per subsection 18(3) of the Fall Protection and Scaffolding regulation. Wooden carpenter's portable bracket scaffold refers to a triangular wooden bracket scaffold with gussets that is attached to a vertical wall when in use and does not normally have another means of support during use. |
| work area | means the immediate area where asbestos-containing material is being disturbed. |
| work platform | means a temporary horizontal working surface that provides access and support to a person; see scaffold. |
| working face | means an area in a surface mine where consolidated or unconsolidated material is worked |
| zero eneregy state | means the condition in which a machine, equipment, tool or electrical installation is made incapable of spontaneous or unexpected action or otherwise releasing kinetic or potential energy. To be clear it goes beyond simply removing the energy source and ensuring there is no stored energy or any means that can cause unexpected or unwanted movement |