UPDATE – SK: CPA will meet government on acceptable clearance between construction trailers and propane

The CPA and members are preparing for an upcoming meeting with the government of Saskatchewan on acceptable clearance distances between construction trailers and propane.

The concern was raised by the Technical Safety Authority of Saskatchewan (TSASK) at the CPA Saskatchewan Committee Meeting held last month.

Construction trailers have been historically installed with the cylinder set up against the trailer and close to the AC unit, which could cause an ignition concern. For typical set up of these installations, as well as the manufacturer placement of the regulator, the cylinder is set at the end of the unit. However, the AC condenser unit is attached to the trailer directly above the location where the cylinder is expected to be attached.

While TSASK suggested to move the cylinder and the regulator, already attached to the trailer, the CPA believes that this issue should be resolved by the manufacturer, not the propane industry.

The CPA is advocating that the TSASK solution is costly for the propane industry and doesn’t respect the minimum acceptable clearance between a propane cylinder, the regulator and any source of ignition, as stated in table 5.3 of the CSA B149.1-20 and rule 2-326 of the Canadian Electrical Code.