If you’re going to get seriously or fatally injured on the job, chances are it’ll be from a fall. More construction workers die from falls than from any other kind of injury.

Everyone faces this risk. Falls happen in all sectors, all project types, and all trades.

Falls happen because people don’t follow the regulations or accepted good practices. The regulations don’t need to be changed, and the solutions are neither complex nor technical in nature. Arm yourself with the facts!

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LADDERS Facts  Falls from ladders are the leading hazard— in both residential and ICI work. A few simple rules can prevent most or all of these kinds of injuries.

Here’s what to do

• Never over-reach to get at something off to the side. Always re-position your ladder.
• Make sure that your extension ladder is

  - free of damage to rungs, siderails, and hardware
  - set up so that the base is level and the bottom can’t slip
  - sloped between 1:3 and 1:4
  - tall enough to extend at least 3 feet beyond the landing area at the top
  - secured at the top if it will be a regular means of access.

• Consider using ladder stabilizing attachments at the top and base.
• Make sure your step ladder is

  - free of damage (no cracks in rungs or siderails, no excessive lateral play in the hinges)
  - set up with the legs fully extended and locked
  - tall enough to let you work while keeping your waist below the top of the ladder.

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ROOFS Facts You face the second highest risk of falling when you work on a sloped roof or near the edge of a flat roof. Falls are most common at residential low-rise and commercial projects. There are fall protection solutions for working on roofs, but they’re not used often enough. Complying with the regulations and current good practices would prevent most, if not all, fall injuries from roofs. There is some inherent risk of falling while installing or removing fall protection systems on roofs, but there’s only been one case of such a fall.

Here’s what to do

• Always use a fall-arrest or travel-restraint system.
• Use rooftop anchorage systems. They’re available.
• If you can’t install rooftop anchorage, rig a lifeline over the roof to a temporary anchor on the other side of the building.
• Ladders should extend 3 feet above the landing area on the roof, and they should be secured against slipping.
• Use edge protection along the eaves to prevent tools or material from sliding off the roof. While edge protection doesn’t qualify as a guardrail, it may make the life-saving difference when things go wrong.
• Use properly-constructed scaffolding when doing chimney maintenance or repairs.
• Use barriers on flat roofs to keep workers from walking backwards towards the edge.
• Cover skylights or other openings securely, or protect them with guardrails.

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SCAFFOLDS Facts Falls from scaffolds are caused by problems with access—systems for getting up or down, on or off the scaffold, are improper or inadequate. incomplete or inadequate planking or decking. structural failure from incomplete bracing or faulty erection. Some falls occur when workers are erecting or dismantling the scaffold.

Here’s what to do

• Ensure that the scaffold is properly constructed, level, and plumb, with all bracing properly installed.
• Use a proper ladder to get on or off the scaffold.
• Ensure that planking and decking is free from damage, properly installed, and fully covers the working level of the scaffold.
• Always use fall-arrest systems when you’re erecting or dismantling scaffolds.
• Inspect scaffolds regularly to ensure that they’re safe.
• Ensure that guardrails are installed on the working level.

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OTHER FALLS

Facts

Common fall hazards involve

• inadequately protected floor openings
• poor housekeeping in stairways
• makeshift work platforms
• missing or inadequate guardrails.

Here’s what to do

• Put guardrails around floor openings or cover them securely. Mark covers to keep them from being removed accidentally.
• Keep hallways, stairs, and landing areas clear.
• Do not use upside-down pails, crates, or other makeshift platforms.
• Use guardrails to protect floor edges.

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CRITICAL INJURIES   In which construction sectors have falls occurred?

 

What were workers standing on at the time?

 

Was a fall-arrest system the solution?

*“NO” means that there were better solutions available or there was no appropriate place to tie off. All data from the Ontario Ministry of Labour