The Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) works in partnership with industry and government organizations in Ontario to reduce risks within the Fuels industry.
For regulated industries like the Fuels industry, reporting an incident is the law—and it plays a critical role in keeping Ontario safe.
Examples of incidents involving hydrocarbon fuels (pdf) include the following:
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Pipeline strikes
- Explosions
- Liquid-petroleum spills
- Accidental release of propane or natural gas
TSSA becomes actively involved in fire or police investigations, providing technical expertise and collecting incident data, if the incident involves any of TSSA’s regulated industries or equipment.
TSSA approval must be requested before anyone may disturb the scene of an incident. This helps us ensure that any pertinent safety data gets collected, and that any inspection or investigation to understand the root cause of an incident can be completed before a cleanup or restart.
Please see Report an Incident for guidelines on reporting an incident in the Fuels industry.
Keeping pipelines safe from strikes
As Ontario’s pipeline-safety regulator, TSSA is committed to ensuring the safety of all oil and gas pipeline infrastructure in the province, including many underground pipeline networks that provide fuel for our homes
Ontario Regulation 210/01: Oil and Gas Pipeline Systems, under the Technical Standards and Safety Act, 2000, regulates the safety of oil and gas pipelines in Ontario. The regulation sets the requirements for the design, operation, maintenance, safety, and integrity of pipelines.
In 2016, TSSA formally adopted the Canadian Standard Association’s Z247 standard (Damage Prevention for the Protection of Underground Infrastructure) into the Code Adoption Document.
The Z247 standard stipulates various requirements for excavators to make sure that damages to underground infrastructure, including other infrastructure like electrical and telecommunication cables or sewer lines, is minimized. The Z247 standard, which offers a more comprehensive approach to ensuring underground-infrastructure safety, can be purchased on the CSA website.
To learn more about excavations and pipeline strikes, read Excavation Safety (pdf) or frequently asked questions about excavations.
Keeping rooftops and construction sites safe
The Fuels Safety Program regulates gas pipelines above ground, below ground, and on rooftops running to various appliances or equipment.
For example, this advisory (pdf) states that the gas code requires a minimum clearance of six feet (1.83 metres) between the roof edge and gas-fired appliances.
TSSA works with industrial partners such as the Infrastructure Health & Safety Association, Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, and the Ontario Industrial Roofing Contractors Association to develop industry best practices and ensure that roofing or construction operations are safe and compliant with the applicable regulations and code. This includes proper fuel storage and adequate consideration for moving natural gas lines if required for renovation or replacement work.
For the latest safety advisories and manufacturer bulletins, see our Fuels Industry dashboard.