System Owner/Operator Safety

Your safety and the safety of everyone who may enter your property are of great importance. To help you make informed decisions about safety, cautions are mentioned in numerous places in this manual. However, it is not possible to caution you about every possible danger and you must use good judgment and common sense around the components of your system.

You should never climb into or stick your head into any portion of this system. Toxic gasses are produced inside these components, and they can cause dizziness, shortness of breath, fainting, and even respiratory damage due to lack of oxygen and other factors. This can happen even several feet from an open lid.

These components qualify under the WorkSafeBC regulations as Confined Spaces. This means that if you were to come in contact with the gases, which then caused you to faint, and you fell into a component, you could die in minutes. You would likely sustain permanent serious injury or death if no one was there to immediately lift you out. Many of the gases are colorless and odorless, so it will not be immediately apparent that you have been exposed, and the first symptoms can be dizziness and fainting.

When workers who have been trained in Confined Space Entry enter a confined space such as this, they are usually working in at least a group of three, they are connected to a pulley system, have an oxygen mask and tank, are wearing a waterproof suit, and they have a prearranged entry and exit plan.

Be aware of the locations of the access lids and immediately call the Maintenance Provider if they appear to have been damaged or are not secure. A child or adult could easily fall down inside due to an insecure lid, and they would likely land in approximately six feet of raw sewage, often with no easy way out.

Do not attempt to carry out any system maintenance yourself.

Do not touch any of the electrical components other than the alarm silence switch unless directed to by a Maintenance Provider in an emergency.