Lieux de travail temporaires routiers

Le saviez-vous?

Le manuel de contrôle de la circulation sur les lieux de travail temporaires (Temporary Workplace Traffic Control Manual – en anglais seulement) est un code de pratique approuvé pour les travaux de construction, d’entretien et de services publics sur ou près des routes en Nouvelle-Écosse.

Résumé

Travailler sur une route ou à proximité présente des risques supplémentaires, notamment le fait de travailler à proximité de véhicules, de vitesses de circulation élevées, de conditions météorologiques, etc. Les employeurs doivent s’assurer que le lieu de travail est sûr, même s’il est temporaire. Il est important de planifier la circulation pour garantir la sécurité des membres du personnel et s’assurer que les travaux ne mettent pas en danger les autres personnes utilisant la route. Lorsque les membres du personnel travaillent sur ou près de la route, le lieu de travail comprend la zone où le travail est requis et s’étend à toutes les zones où les membres du personnel utilisent des dispositifs qui guident la circulation. En évaluant les dangers du lieu de travail temporaire sur une route ou à proximité, les employeurs peuvent définir des mesures et des mesures de contrôle précises pour réduire les risques associés à ce travail.

Les renseignements suivants s’appliquent uniquement aux lieux de travail temporaires routiers. [N.S. Reg. 52/2013, s. 24.2]

L’employeur est tenu de faire ce qui suit :

  • Ne pas effectuer de travaux de construction, d’entretien ou de services publics sur un lieu de travail temporaire routier avant d’adopter l’un des codes de pratique suivants pour ces travaux : [N.S. Reg. 52/2013, s. 24.3(1)]
    • Manuel de contrôle de la circulation sur les lieux de travail temporaires (Temporary Workplace Traffic Control Manual – en anglais seulement)
    • Procédure écrite de sécurité au travail, approuvée par écrit par la direction, qui assure un niveau de sécurité adéquat, similaire aux considérations générales relatives au contrôle de la circulation énoncées dans le manuel de contrôle de la circulation sur les lieux de travail temporaires (Temporary Workplace Traffic Control Manual)
  • S’assurer que la procédure écrite de sécurité au travail adoptée comme code de pratique pour le travail comprend des mesures claires pour assurer un niveau de sécurité adéquat pour tous les éléments suivants : [N.S. Reg. 52/2013, s. 24.3(2)]
    • Nature des travaux
    • Zone couverte par le lieu de travail temporaire routier
    • Proportion de la zone se trouvant sur la route
    • Durée du travail
    • Sélection, utilisation et emplacement des panneaux et des dispositifs qui traiteront de :
      • l’ampleur de la circulation autour du lieu de travail temporaire;
      • la vitesse à laquelle les véhicules se déplacent;
      • l’avertissement préalable dont aura besoin la personne qui conduit un véhicule à l’approche du lieu de travail temporaire routier;
      • la distance que la personne qui conduit un véhicule devra parcourir pour se préparer à arriver sur le lieu de travail temporaire routier;
    • Nombre de personnes nécessaires et leurs responsabilités, la formation, le positionnement, l’habillement, l’équipement, les communications et la signalisation
    • Effet que peuvent avoir les conditions météorologiques
    • Toute autre circonstance susceptible de réduire la visibilité des personnes qui conduisent les véhicules s’approchant du lieu de travail temporaire
  • S’assurer que la procédure écrite de sécurité au travail adoptée comme code de pratique pour le travail comprend une liste de contrôle suffisamment détaillée pour montrer la prise en compte des principes généraux de contrôle de la circulation énoncés dans le manuel de contrôle de la circulation sur les lieux de travail temporaires (Temporary Workplace Traffic Control Manual). [N.S. Reg. 52/2013, s. 24.3(3)]
  • Ne pas effectuer de travaux autres que des travaux de construction, d’entretien ou de services publics sur un lieu de travail temporaire routier avant que l’employeur adopte une procédure de travail sûre écrite pour le type de travail en question, qui détermine les mesures que l’employeur prendra pour assurer un niveau de sécurité adéquat par rapport à tous les éléments décrits dans les exigences de la procédure de travail sûre ci-dessus. [N.S. Reg. 52/2013, s. 24.4]
  • S’assurer que tout membre du personnel qui se déplace à pied sur un lieu de travail temporaire routier : [N.S. Reg. 52/2013, s. 24.5]
    • porte un vêtement de sécurité à haute visibilité dont la conception et les performances sont conformes à la dernière version de la norme CSA Z96, « Vêtements de sécurité à haute visibilité », et qui est choisi, utilisé et entretenu conformément à la norme CSA Z96.1, « Guideline on selection, use and care of high visibility safety apparel » (Lignes directrices sur la sélection, l’utilisation et l’entretien des vêtements de sécurité à haute visibilité – en anglais seulement);
    • a une lampe de poche à cône rouge ou une lumière équivalente lorsqu’il dirige la circulation sur le lieu de travail temporaire routier ou à proximité, de la demi-heure après le coucher du soleil à la demi-heure avant le lever du soleil, et à tout moment où la visibilité est limitée par le brouillard, la pluie, la neige ou d’autres conditions, de sorte qu’une personne n’est pas clairement visible à 100 m de distance;
    • fait allumer les feux clignotants de tout véhicule équipé de feux clignotants pendant qu’il travaille sur le lieu de travail temporaire routier.

Exemptions

  • Le personnel des organismes de services d’urgence est exempté de suivre les exigences pour : [N.S. Reg. 52/2013, s. 1.17]
    • une procédure de travail sûre pour un lieu de travail temporaire routier;
    • les membres du personnel à pied lorsqu’il n’est pas raisonnablement possible pour eux de le faire en raison de la nature de leurs fonctions à un moment donné.

Le membre du personnel, sauf s’il est exempté pour les organismes de services d’urgence, est tenu de faire ce qui suit :

  • Porter des vêtements de sécurité à haute visibilité qui : [N.S. Reg. 52/2013, s. 24.5(a)]
    • répondent à la conception et au rendement de la dernière version de la norme CSA Z96, « Vêtements de sécurité à haute visibilité »;
    • sont sélectionnés, utilisés et entretenus conformément à la norme CSA Z96.1, « Guideline on selection, use and care of high-visibility safety apparel » (Lignes directrices sur la sélection, l’utilisation et l’entretien des vêtements de sécurité à haute visibilité – en anglais seulement).
  • Utiliser une lampe de poche à cône rouge ou une lumière équivalente pour diriger la circulation sur le lieu de travail temporaire routier ou à proximité : [N.S. Reg. 52/2013, s. 24.5(b)]
    • une demi-heure après le coucher du soleil jusqu’à une demi-heure avant le lever du soleil;
    • chaque fois que le brouillard, la pluie, la neige ou toute autre condition réduit la visibilité de sorte qu’une personne n’est pas clairement visible à 100 m de distance.
  • Allumer les feux clignotants d’un véhicule équipé de feux clignotants lorsqu’il travaille sur un lieu de travail temporaire routier. [N.S. Reg. 52/2013, s. 24.5(c)]

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY ACT

S.N.S. 1996, c. 7

Section 3

3. In this Act,

(a) "aggrieved person" means 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;

(b) "analyst" means a person appointed as an analyst by the Minister pursuant to this Act;

(c) "Board" means the Labour Board established under the Labour Board Act;

(d) "committee" means a joint occupational health and safety committee established pursuant to this Act;

(e) "compliance notice" means a response, in writing, to an order of an officer, describing the extent to which the person against whom the order was made has complied with each item identified in the order;

(f) "constructor" means a person who contracts for work on a project or who undertakes work on a project himself or herself;

(g) "contractor" means a person who contracts for work to be performed at the premises of the person contracting to have the work performed, but does not include a dependent contractor or a constructor;

(h) "contracts for work" includes contracting to perform work and contracting to have work performed;

(i) "Council" means the Occupational Health and Safety Advisory Council established pursuant to this Act;

(j) "dependent contractor" means a person, whether or not employed under a contract of employment and whether or not furnishing the person's own tools, vehicles, equipment, machinery, material or any other thing, who performs work or services for another on such terms and conditions that the person is

(i) in a position of economic dependence upon the other,

(ii) under an obligation to perform duties mainly for the other, and

(iii) in a relationship with the other more closely resembling that of an employee than an independent contractor;

(k) "Deputy Minister of Labour and Advanced Education" includes a person designated by the Deputy Minister of Labour and Advanced Education to act in the stead of the Deputy Minister;

(l) "Director" means the Executive Director of Occupational Health and Safety or any person designated by the Executive Director pursuant to this Act to act on behalf of the Executive Director;

(m) "Director of Labour Standards" means the Director of Labour Standards under the Labour Standards Code;

(n) "Division" means the Occupational Health and Safety Division of the Department of Labour and Advanced Education;

(o) "employee" means a person who is employed to do work and includes a dependent contractor;

(p) "employer" means a person who employs one or more employees or contracts for the services of one or more employees, and includes a constructor, contractor or subcontractor;

(q) "former Act" means Chapter 320 of the Revised Statutes, 1989, the Occupational Health and Safety Act;

(r) "health and safety" includes both physical and psychological health and safety;

(s) "Minister" means the Minister of Labour and Advanced Education;

(t) "occupation" means any employment, business, calling or pursuit;

(u) "officer" means an occupational health and safety officer appointed pursuant to this Act and includes the Director;

(v) "owner" includes a trustee, receiver, mortgagee in possession, tenant, lessee or occupier of lands or premises used as a workplace and a person who acts for, or on behalf of, an owner as an agent or delegate;

(w) "police officer" means

(i) a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or

(ii) a member or chief officer of a police force appointed pursuant to the Police Act;

(x) "policy" means an occupational health and safety policy made pursuant to this Act;

(y) "practicable" means possible, given current knowledge, technology and invention;

(z) "program" means an occupational health and safety program required pursuant to this Act, unless the context otherwise requires;

(aa) "project" means a construction project, and includes

(i) the construction, erection, excavation, renovation, repair, alteration or demolition of any structure, building, tunnel or work and the preparatory work of land clearing or earth moving, and

(ii) work of any nature or kind designated by the Director as a project;

(ab) "reasonably practicable" means practicable unless the person on whom a duty is placed can show that there is a gross disproportion between the benefit of the duty and the cost, in time, trouble and money, of the measures to secure the duty;

(ac) "regularly employed" includes seasonal employment with a predictably recurring period of employment that exceeds four weeks, unless otherwise established by regulation or ordered by an officer;

(aca) "repeatedly" means occurring more than once within the preceding three year period;

(ad) "representative" means a health and safety representative selected pursuant to this Act;

(ae) "self-employed person" means a person who is engaged in an occupation on that person's own behalf and includes a person or persons operating a sole proprietorship but does not include a dependent contractor;

(aea) "serious injury" means an injury that endangers life or causes permanent injury;

(af) "supplier" means a person who manufactures, supplies, sells, leases, distributes or installs any tool, equipment, machine or device or any biological, chemical or physical agent to be used at or near a workplace;

(ag) "union" includes a trade union as defined in the Trade Union Act that has the status of bargaining agent under that Act in respect of any bargaining unit at a workplace, and includes an organization representing employees where the organization has exclusive bargaining rights under any other Act in respect of the employees;

(ah) "workplace" means any place where an employee or a self-employed person is or is likely to be engaged in any occupation and includes any vehicle or mobile equipment used or likely to be used by an employee or a self-employed person in an occupation.

[S.N.S. 2000, c. 28, s. 86; 2010, c. 66, s. 2; 2010, c. 37, s. 117; 2011, c. 24, s. 2; 2016, c. 14, s. 1; 2024, c. 10, s. 11]

Workplace Health and Safety Regulations

N.S. Reg. 52/2013

Part 1 INTERPRETATION AND APPLICATION

Section 1.17 Emergency services agencies exemptions for temporary highway workplaces

1.17 Emergency services agency personnel are exempt from complying with a safe-work procedure for a temporary highway workplace required by Section 24.2 and the requirements for employees on foot in Section 24.5 when it is not reasonably practicable for them to do so because of the nature of their particular duties at any given time.

Part 24 TEMPORARY WORKPLACES ON HIGHWAYS

Section 24.2 Application of Part 24

24.2 This Part applies only to temporary highway workplaces.

Section 24.3 Code of practice required for construction, maintenance or utility work

24.3 (1) An employer must ensure that construction, maintenance or utility work is not conducted at a temporary highway workplace until the employer adopts 1 of the following as a code of practice for the work:

(a) the Temporary Workplace Traffic Control Manual;

(b) a written safe-work procedure, approved in writing by the Director, that provides for an adequate level of safety in relation to the general considerations for traffic control set out in the Temporary Workplace Traffic Control Manual, including all of the considerations set out in subsection (2).

(2) A written safe-work procedure adopted for the purposes of clause (1)(b) must clearly identify the measures to be taken to provide an adequate level of safety in relation to all of the following:

(a) the nature of the work to be performed at the temporary highway workplace;

(b) the physical area covered by the temporary highway workplace;

(b)* the duration of the work;

[*Clause lettering as in original.]

(d) how much the work area encroaches on the highway;

(e) the selection, use and placement of signs and devices to address

(i) how much traffic will be around the temporary highway workplace and how fast the traffic moves,

(ii) how much advance notice a vehicle driver requires when approaching a temporary highway workplace, and

(iii) how much distance a vehicle driver requires to adequately prepare for the temporary highway workplace;

(f) the number of temporary workplace personnel required and their responsibilities, positioning, training, clothing, equipment, communication and signalling;

(g) the effect that weather conditions could have on the temporary highway workplace;

(h) any reasonably foreseeable circumstances that could adversely affect the ability of approaching vehicle drivers to see a person at the temporary workplace.

(3) A code of practice approved under clause (1)(b) must include a completed workplace checklist that has enough detail to demonstrate that consideration has been given to the general principles of traffic control set out in the Temporary Workplace Traffic Control Manual.

Section 24.4 Safe-work procedure required for other work

24.4 Except as provided in Section 1.17 for emergency services agencies, an employer must ensure that any work other than construction, maintenance or utility work is not conducted at a temporary highway workplace until the employer adopts a written safe-work procedure for the type of work to be conducted that identifies the measures to be taken to provide an adequate level of safety in relation to all of the factors set out in subsection 24.3(2).

Section 24.5 Requirements for employees on foot

24.5 Except as provided in Section 1.17 for emergency services agencies, an employer who conducts work at a temporary highway workplace must ensure that all of the following requirements are met for an employee who is on foot at the temporary highway workplace:

(a) the employee must wear high-visibility safety apparel that is in accordance with all of the following:

(i) for the selection, use and care of the apparel, the latest version of CSA standard CSA Z96.1 , "Guideline on selection, use and care of high-visibility safety apparel",

(ii) for the design and performance of the apparel, the latest version of CSA standard CSA Z96 , "High-visibility safety apparel";

(b) when directing traffic at or near the temporary highway workplace, the employee must use a flashlight with a red cone or an equivalent light for use at all of the following times:

(i) from a half hour after sunset to a half hour before sunrise,

(ii) any time when visibility is so limited, by fog, rain, snow or other atmospheric conditions or by poor lighting, that a person is not clearly visible at a distance of 100 m;

(c) if the employee has a vehicle equipped with flashing lights, the employee must have the flashing lights turned on while working at the temporary highway workplace.