RBQ responsibilities

The Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) draws up the regulations governing petroleum equipment and enforces them to minimize the risks of personal injury, property damage and environmental contamination. 

The RBQ is responsible for :

• protecting people, property and the environment from risks associated with the use of petroleum equipment 
• verifying compliance with regulatory requirements for petroleum equipment. 

Federal and provincial ministries as well as municipalities also have jurisdiction in this area.

Using petroleum equipment poses risks such as fire, loss of containment or spills, which can : 

• cause harm to persons that are using the equipment or are in the vicinity (physical injury, death, etc.)
• damage property on the equipment site or in the vicinity (fire, explosion, etc.) 
• contaminate the environment following a petroleum product spill or loss of containment (contamination of soil, a drinking water source, a body of water, etc.).

The regulations governing petroleum equipment [Fr] are designed to minimize the likelihood of an accident, as well as its consequences.

Fire and explosion hazard

Petroleum equipment (tanks, piping, pumps, etc.) that contains or has contained flammable or combustible liquids presents a non-negligible explosion and fire hazard. Only 3 components are needed to cause an explosion or fire in the presence of a flammable or combustible liquid :

• oxygen
• a concentration of flammable vapours in the air that is within the explosive limits
• an ignition source (open flame, cigarette, welding, heat generated by friction and static electricity, etc.).

These 3 components form the fire triangle. Since it’s difficult to limit the presence of oxygen on our planet, it’s crucial to control the other 2 sides of the triangle: flammable vapours and ignition sources. To see the fire triangle at work, watch the video Stop Static: refueling fire at gas pump on the Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI) website. According to the PEI, a discharge of static electricity caused the gasoline vapours present around the fuel filler port to ignite. .

Environmental contamination hazard 

There should also be regulatory provisions designed to prevent or reduce the environmental impact of petroleum product leaks and spills.