Safety Order: Installation of gas appliances into solid fuel fireplaces

Safety Order

Safety Order: Installation of Gas Appliances Into Solid Fuel Fireplaces

April 30, 2024

Safety Order
Gas

Reference Number:

SO-G5 051207 1

Revision Number:

Revision 01



This safety order is issued pursuant to section 31 of the Safety Standards Act. A person affected by this safety order may appeal this order in writing to the Safety Standards Appeal Board within 30 days. The appeal process is set out on the Safety Standards Appeal Board's website at www.gov.bc.ca/safetystandardsappealboard.

Failure to comply with a safety order is an offence under section 72 of the Safety Standards Act.

 

Part 1: Details of Regulated Work or Regulated Product

This safety order is being issued in relation to:

 Regulated Work – General  Regulated Product – General
XRegulated Work – Specific Class  Regulated Product – Specific Class
 Specific Regulated Work XSpecific Regulated Product

 

Part 2: Requirements(s) of this Safety Order

Certified gas fireplace inserts must be installed into masonry, or solid fuel zero-clearance fireplaces only. A gas fireplace insert installation involving any other enclosure must only be performed if the specific combination of gas fireplace insert and enclosure is certified as a package by a recognized Canadian certification body.

Only replaceable parts attached by mechanical fasteners such as: the damper, glass doors, screens, log grates, or smoke shelves may be removed. A masonry or solid fuel fireplace enclosure or structure must not be changed, altered, or removed to install a gas fireplace insert. If a masonry firebox or solid fuel enclosure requires modification to accommodate the gas fireplace insert, a certified zero-clearance kit specified for the gas fireplace insert must first be installed into the masonry firebox or solid fuel enclosure.

Gas log set burners, log lighters, and sand pan gas fireplaces must only be installed in certified wood or solid fuel burning enclosures.

Clearances to combustible material from the opening of a masonry fireplace must comply with BC Building Code requirements.

 

Part 3: Details of Issue

This safety order is being issued to the following: All owners, installers, and retailers.

This safety order addresses the practice of installing gas fireplace inserts into uncertified enclosures, typically an existing wood burning fireplace. Improper installation of a gas fireplace insert into a solid fuel fireplace or similar enclosure creates a hazard which can lead to an incident.

 

Part 4: Details of Ordering Safety Manager or Safety Officer

I certify that I am authorized to issue this safety order in accordance with section 15 (d) of the Safety Standards Act or that I have been delegated this power under section 15 (g) of the Safety Standards Act.

 

 

Provincial Safety Manager - Gas

 

Refereces

Safety Standards Act

 

Safety Standards Act
Safety Orders 
31(1) To prevent, avoid or reduce risk of personal injury or damage to property, a provincial safety manager may, in writing, issue a safety order.
 (2) A safety order may be issued to any person in relation to any of the following:
    (a) regulated work or regulated products generally;
    (b) a specific class of regulated product or regulated work;
    (c) a specific regulated product or regulated work.
 (3) For certainty, a safety order issued under this section may apply to
    (a) regulated work that meets the requirements under this Act,
    (b) regulated work that previously met the requirements under this Act or a former Act but does not meet the current requirements under this Act,
    (c) regulated products that meet the requirements under this Act, or
    (d) regulated products that previously met the requirements under this Act or a former Act but do not meet the current requirements under this Act, including a regulated product that bears a certification mark.
 (4) A safety order may specify any requirement that is intended to prevent, avoid or reduce the risk of personal injury or damage to property and may include any of the following orders:
    (a) that an existing regulated work or regulated product must be made safe in compliance with the safety order;
    (b) that a regulated product must be
        (i) disconnected from a power source,
        (ii) uninstalled, or
        (iii) modified before continued use;
    (c) that a regulated product must be operated, installed, manufactured or disposed of only as specified or that a regulated product must not be moved;
    (d) that current or future regulated work or a regulated product must conform to the terms or conditions of the order;
    (e) that a person take or refrain from taking any action that a safety manager considers necessary to prevent, avoid or reduce a risk of personal injury to persons or damage to property;
    (f) that the manufacturer make reasonable efforts to recall the regulated product.
 (5) The provincial safety manager must give written notice of the safety order to the following persons:
    (a) the manufacturer of the regulated product;
    (b) an owner of the regulated product if the identity of the owner is known to the provincial safety manager;
    (c) the person in charge of the regulated work.
 (6) The notice must state the reasons for the decision and that the person has the right to appeal the decision to the appeal board.
 (7) Despite section 54, a safety order may not be stayed during an appeal.
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