Amended regulations regulating major hazard installations (MHI) under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) were promulgated in January 2023. They apply to MHI establishments with the prescribed quantities of listed substances and major pipeline establishments.
They require the duty holder (the employer, self-employed person, a user or pipeline operator who is in control of an establishment) to take steps to manage health and safety risks, some of which are in addition to the measures required under the 2001 regulations. In respect of existing establishment, timelines for compliance with some of these new obligations have been set out.
To comply fully with the MHI regulations, duty holders should have assessed and determined whether the MHI or major pipeline establishment is a low, medium, or high-hazard establishment.
Although the MHI regulations came into effect in January 2023, certain extended time periods were provided for duty holders to achieve specific regulatory compliance.