It happens more often than you think. Lost documents, obliterated
manufacturer's marks, bought at auction, fabricated by Joe's Welding the way
he's done a hundred of them, got it when we bought out XYZ Corp--all sorts of
reasons. But you have been using it, safely, sometimes for years.
Then the day comes when some questions come up:
- How do we repair it?
- How do we maintain it?
- What is its maximum safe working load?
- What jobs is it useful for?
- What jobs should it NEVER be used for?
These are questions that an employer is legally responsible for answering under
Alberta OH&S Code Part 3
Section 12 & 13 or similar legislation:
12 An employer must ensure that
(a) equipment is of sufficient size, strength, design and made of suitable
materials to withstand stresses imposed on it during its operation and to
perform the function for which it is intended or was designed,
(b) the rated capacity or other limitations on the operation of the equipment,
or any part of it, or supplies as described in the manufacturer’s specifications
or specifications certified by a professional engineer, are not exceeded,
(c) modifications to equipment that may affect its structural integrity or
stability are performed in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications or
specifications certified by a professional engineer, and
(d) equipment and supplies are erected, installed, assembled, started, operated,
handled, stored, serviced, tested, adjusted, calibrated, maintained, repaired
and dismantled in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications or the
specifications certified by a professional engineer.
13(1) If this Code requires anything to be done in
accordance with a manufacturer’s specifications, an employer may, instead of
complying strictly with the manufacturer’s specifications, comply with modified
specifications certified by a professional engineer.
(2) If this Code requires anything to be done in
accordance with manufacturer’s specifications and they are not available or do
not exist, an employer must
(a) develop and comply with procedures that are certified by a professional engineer as designed
to ensure the thing is done in a safe manner, or
(b) have the equipment certified as safe to operate by a professional engineer at least every 12
calendar months.
When there is no original manufacturer you can turn to to answer these questions
and fulfill these legal obligations, we can help. Our engineering team can
document your 'mystery' equipment, validate its design, work out safe working
capacities, and supply operating and maintenance instructions and certify the
equipment as safe to operate.