Guarded Status

In Manitoba, an owner of either a steam or a refrigeration plant that requires constant supervision may be eligible to apply for Guarded Status. Guarded Status allows the Power Engineer on duty to leave the plant for periods greater than twenty minutes at a time given all extra safety measures are in accordance with the Manitoba Power Engineers Act and Regulation.

Eligible Steam Plants

Guarded Status may apply to any steam plant:

  • With safety relief valves set to 15 psig or lower, and greater than 50 boiler horsepower in capacity, or,
  • With safety relief valves set to greater than 15 psig, and less than 150 psig, over 5 boiler horsepower in capacity, but not over 50 boiler horsepower in capacity.

Note: 1st Class, 2nd, and 3rd Class Steam Plants are not eligible under any circumstance.

Eligible Refrigeration Plants

Guarded Status may apply to any 4th Class, 5th Class or Refrigeration Class plant:

  • With high-side pressures in excess of 15 psig and rated capacity in excess of 50 tons (if having field-erected refrigerant piping) or,
  • With high-side pressures in excess of 15 psig and rated capacity in excess of 100 tons (if factory built, and pressure/leak tested, and having no field-erected refrigerant piping connections).

Applying for Guarded Status

Owners who wish to apply for Guarded Status must email a request in writing to the Director of ITS. The written request shall indicate that the plant will be well maintained and its safety limit controls tested regularly by a power engineer of the required class, and the plant will operate accordance with the Manitoba Power Engineers Act and Regulation as well as all relevant safety codes and guidelines. A follow up inspection by a BPV inspector is required to confirm acceptability and witness testing of the systems to verify proper functionality.

All written requests must be sent to bpvintake@gov.mb.ca

For Guarded Status inspection checklists and more detailed information refer to following Guides available on the Bulletins, Guides & Forms page:

  • ITS BPV Guide 06 - Guarded Status - Refrigeration Booklet
  • ITS BPV Guide 07 - Guarded Status - Steam Booklet