Pre-Start Health and Safety Reviews
Givens Engineering provides PSR services for lifting devices, safeguarded machinery and racks. A PSR is a Prestart Health and Safety Review which is required by the Ontario Health and Safety Act, Reg 851, Section 7 for:
- Safeguarding devices that signal the apparatus to stop, including but not limited to two-hand control systems.
- A travelling crane or other lifting device suspended from or supported by a structure.
- A structure that is a rack or stacking structure.
For more information, see Section 7 table.
The PSR would consist of a site visit to look at the machine and how it is installed, followed up by a report.
The report would consist of 3 parts:
- Scope of Work, describing the machine requiring the PSR and delineating what surrounding equipment is not part of the PSR.
- Observations and Deficiencies, which is the bulk of the report, contains written observations, layouts, photographs, etc., and ends with a list of deficiencies, if there are any.
- Letter of Compliance, which is what a Ministry of Labour inspector will ask to see as proof that a PSR has been done, and which usually states that the machine is compliant with the Occupational Health and Safety Act providing that a number of deficiencies are corrected.
Our PSR Letter of Compliance will be stamped by a Professional Engineer, Licensed in Ontario.
PSRs, or Pre-Start Health and Safety Reviews, are an essential part of workplace safety in many industries. PSRs are a type of risk assessment that is conducted before new or modified equipment is put into use. Here are a few reasons why PSRs are important:
- Identify potential hazards: PSRs help to identify potential hazards associated with the use of equipment or processes. This allows companies to address any potential safety risks before the equipment is put into use.
- Compliance with regulations: PSRs are required by law in Ontario, Canada. Failure to conduct a PSR can result in fines and legal liability.
- Protect workers: PSRs are designed to protect workers from harm by identifying and mitigating potential hazards. By conducting a PSR, companies can ensure that their employees are working in a safe environment.
- Reduce accidents and injuries: By identifying potential hazards and implementing appropriate safety measures, PSRs can help to reduce the likelihood of accidents and injuries in the workplace. This can lead to lower workers’ compensation costs and increased productivity.
- Increase confidence: PSRs can increase the confidence of workers and management in the safety of equipment and processes. By demonstrating a commitment to safety through the use of PSRs, companies can build a culture of safety in the workplace.
Caution and Limitations:
- The correction of deficiencies is up to the customer and any investigation or design to correct deficiencies would be outside of the scope of the PSR.
- Many machines that originate outside Canada have common controls problems that violate our standards, and especially the largest applicable standard, the CSA Z432.
- Common problems in foreign machines include:
- Emergency stops are routed through a PLC or HMI, which is not allowed in Ontario.
- A lack of CSA electrical certification or ESA electrical inspection.
- Basic safety devices, such as light curtains, emergency stops, 2-hand control circuits, safety interlock switches, etc. are controlled by “black boxes”, which sometimes are programmable, sometimes are proprietary and usually cannot be accessed or understood by the PSR engineer. In general, it is not permissible to have safety devices controlled by “black boxes”, instead, separate external hard-wired devices such as safety relays must be installed to control them, which can be costly.
- Machines originating outside North America and Europe may also have basic, fundamental problems, such as open access of a worker’s hands to unsafe machine parts.
- In general, any machine that operates automatically, even for short periods, must be completely guarded.
- In general, if the machine in question must be assessed for strength, the engineering calculations to determine the strength will be requested in the PSR; they are not part of the PSR.
Give us a call and we will look into your machinery as quickly as possible!