Working at Heights – Fundamentals of Fall Prevention
Questions and answers about IHSA's training program
1) With respect to fall protection training, what are construction employers now required to do?
All construction employers in Ontario are required to ensure
- that every worker who may use a fall protection system is adequately trained in its use and given adequate oral and written instructions by a competent person
- that training records are kept, including training dates and participants' names
- that training records are available to Ministry of Labour inspectors on request.
2) Where are these requirements spelled out?
In Section 26 of the construction regulation (Ontario Regulation 213/91).
3) When do these requirements come into effect?
June 12, 2002.
4) What is "adequate training"?
One form of adequate training is the Working at Heights – Fundamentals of Fall Prevention program produced by the IHSA. Construction employers must ensure that their workers have been trained in the specific fall protection equipment and applications they will encounter on the job.
Working at Heights – Fundamentals of Fall Prevention enables participants to
a) recognize common fall hazards
b) identify and apply basic fall protection controls
c) assist in the selection and use of appropriate fall protection systems for travel restraint and fall arrest.
Combined with job-specific training, Working at Heights can help construction employers comply with regulations, ensure that workers are adequately trained, and provide records of training.
5) Does IHSA conduct fall protection training?
Yes. IHSA conducts Working at Heights training at the rate of $100 per participant for members* and $320 per participant for non-members.
*Member Price. You're automatically a member if you or your company pays WSIB premiums in one of the rate groups covering the construction, transportation, electrical & utilities, aggregates, natural-gas-pipelines, or ready-mix-concrete industries.
6) Does IHSA keep records of workers who take Working at Heights?
IHSA keeps records of workers who take training from instructors whom IHSA has trained. If IHSA staff deliver the program, employers and workers get records of training.
7) Are employers, unions, or private trainers required to use IHSA's Working at Heights program?
No. Employers, unions, and private trainers are free to choose IHSA's program, use another program, or develop one of their own. There is no standard to define what must be done to ensure that a worker is "adequately trained" in fall protection under the regulation. In assessing compliance, the Ministry of Labour will determine whether training is adequate or not. Working at Heights has been endorsed by the Provincial Labour-Management Health and Safety Committee in construction and reflects agreement between labour and management authorities.
8) How long does it take to deliver Working at Heights?
Working at Heights takes one day to deliver, including the hands-on component intended to provide general awareness training on fall protection.
9) Is Working at Heights training portable from one employer to another?
Yes, to the extent that the program covers basic, generic information about common fall protection methods that all workers should know. But employers must ensure that their workers have been trained in the particular equipment and applications the workers will encounter on the job. Although new hires may present a proof-of-training card issued by their previous employer, their familiarity with the equipment and applications specific to their new workplace should be assessed.
10) Is there an expiry date for fall protection training?
There are no plans to attach an expiry date to training. However, site-specific training is required to meet legislation.
11) Does
the Ministry of Labour recognize IHSA's Working at Heights program?
Yes, to the extent that the program covers basic, generic information about common fall prevention methods that all workers should know. The Ministry of Labour was involved in program development and review. As noted in the answer to Question 9, employers must also provide training in the particular equipment and applications their workers will encounter on the job.
12) Is there a grandfather clause for past training on working at heights?
No, but all training must meet the intent of the legislation. For workers to be able to adequately protect themselves, the training must be site-specific and ensure workers are aware of the hazards.
13) How often do I need to train workers?
Beyond the basic awareness training, a worker must be trained on site-specific equipment in the workplace and be familiar with associated hazards and control options.
14) Why did IHSA decide to develop a new program for working at heights?
A new program was designed to meet the concerns of a lack of compliance and continued fall injuries in the workplace. IHSA, in conjunction with the WSIB and MOL, developed a new standard for fall protection for use by industry partners.
15) What has changed?
The new program is a full-day classroom session that includes a hands-on demonstration of fall-arrest and fall-restricting equipment. It emphasizes the need to prioritize fall-prevention systems and applications to minimize a worker's risk.
16) Does IHSA still offer no-cost presentations on fall protection?
IHSA continues to deliver informal presentations on fall protection at no charge to labour and management in Ontario. These are generally hazard awareness and information sessions. Information on fall protection is also included in larger programs such as multilevel trade training and the Construction Health and Safety Representative program.
17) Where do I have to use a guardrail system?
A worker at risk of falling more than 3 metres (10 feet) must be protected by a guardrail system. If such a system is not practical, then a travel-restraint system, fall-arrest system, or safety net must be used. In many cases, guardrails are the most reliable and convenient means of fall protection.
A guardrail system that meets regulated requirements must be used if a worker has access to the unprotected edge of any of the following work surfaces and is exposed to a fall of 2.4 metres (8 feet) or more:
- a floor, including the floor of a mezzanine or balcony
- the surface of a bridge
- a roof while formwork is in place
- a scaffold platform or other work platform, runway, or ramp.
18) Where do I have to use a travel-restraint system?
Where work must be done within 2 metres (6 feet) of an open, unprotected edge that presents a fall hazard, a fall protection system must be provided. A travel-restraint system can afford the protection required. The system lets a worker travel just far enough to reach the edge but not far enough to fall over.
The basic travel-restraint system consists of:
- CSA-approved full body harness,
- lanyard,
- lifeline,
- rope grab to attach harness or lanyard to lifeline, and
- adequate anchorage (capable of supporting a static load of 2 kilonewtons—450 pounds—with a recommended safety factor of at least 2,
that is, 4 kilonewtons or 900 pounds).
19) Where do I have to use a fall-arrest system?
Where workers cannot be protected from falls by guardrails or travel restraint, they must be protected by at least one of the following methods:
- A fall-restricting system, designed to limit a worker's free fall distance to 0.6 metres (2 feet). One type uses a belt grab or belly hook that
attaches to a safety rail on a fixed ladder. - A safety net designed by a professional engineer. The system is installed below a work surface to protect any location where a fall
hazard exists. - A fall-arrest system, which
- must include a CSA-approved full body harness,
- must include a lanyard equipped with a shock absorber unless the shock absorber could cause a falling worker to hit the ground or an
object or level below the work, - must be attached to a lifeline or by the lanyard to an adequate fixed support,
- must prevent a falling worker from hitting the ground or any object or level below the work, and
- must not subject a falling worker to a peak fall-arrest force greater than 8 kilonewtons.
In the event of a fall, these systems must keep a worker from hitting the ground, the next level below, or any other objects below.
