Chief Safety Officer (CSO) Approvals
The following references in the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Area Occupational Health and Safety Regulations have an allowance for the Chief Safety Officer (CSO) to provide direct approval of an alternate means:

• • Subsection 30(3) – Annual lifeboat launching drill
  • Paragraph 63(3)(a) – Request to exceed two persons in sleeping quarters
  • Subsection 107(e) – Use of self-propelled or mobile elevating work platforms
  • Section 110 – Non-conformance with International Code of Practice for industrial rope access (IRATA) standard
  • Paragraph 153(1)(c) – Amount of explosives

Applications 
With respect to applications for CSO Approval, the following is expected:

• • The request should be made formally in writing to the CSO and accompanied with all required supporting documentation.
  • Information should be suitable for posting on the C-NLOPB’s website. If there is any information to be redacted prior to posting, both a redacted and un-redacted version is to be provided to the C-NLOPB at the time of submission.
  • The Offshore Workplace Committee should be consulted and their concerns addressed, prior to submission. Evidence in the form of signed Offshore Workplace Committee meeting minutes (or Offshore Workplace Committee concurrence) should be provided with the request.
  • If the request impacts the design, inspection, testing or maintenance of equipment listed on the schedule of regulations to be verified by the Certifying Authority on an installation or vessel which requires a Certificate of Fitness, it should be accompanied by the Certifying Authority’s review and concurrence. With respect to subsection 30(3) of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, this should include:
    • • lifeboat integrity assurance activities in lieu of conducting regular launching which should specify additional activities above what is already required by Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and the manufacturer; and
      • written concurrence from the lifeboat manufacturer along with any conditions associated with their concurrence.

Approval
Once an application for CSO Approval is approved:

• The application, supporting documentation and associated approval letter will be posted on the C-NLOPB’s website.
• Any supporting documents to support the request, including maintenance plans, will become controlled documents of the approval and should not be modified without concurrence of the CSO.
• The application and associated approval letter should be provided to the Offshore Workplace Committee and posted publicly at the workplace.
• Any conditions noted in the associated approval letter should be implemented to the satisfaction of the CSO.