To reduce death toll, start with falls

Site supervision the key component

falls

2003 was a very bad year for safety in Ontario construction.

The death toll from accidents was 30. That was the highest since 1990, when 36 workers were killed.

In the years between 1990 and 2003, annual fatalities never climbed higher than 24. Over that period the average number of fatalities was 20 a year.

Of the 30 traumatic deaths in 2003, more than half resulted from falls. This is too often the case in construction, where falls are the number-one cause of accidental death.

Fall prevention is the logical first step in reducing fatalities overall.

Supervision

Measures for fall protection are well known. Equipment includes guardrails and fall-arrest systems. Procedures include tying off ladders and bracing scaffolds.

But these measures amount to nothing without effective management and control.

 

"Supervision must not only be on site but must intervene immediately to correct unsafe practices and behaviour."

 

 

Training

All construction employers in Ontario are legally required to ensure that

• every worker who may use a fall protection system is properly trained in its use and given adequate oral and written instructions by a competent person
• records of training are kept, including training dates and participant names
• training records are available to Ministry of Labour inspectors upon request.

CSAO can help contractors meet these requirements. Phone 1-800-781-2726 about Basics of Fall Protection.

Knowing is not enough

In 2003, construction people were killed by falls even when they knew how to prevent those falls.

In one fatality, guardrails had been in place but were removed. In other cases, workers were wearing fall-arrest equipment but failed to tie off. They hit the ground with their harnesses on.

Clearly, training and knowledge are not enough. Supervision must ensure that workers not only understand but also apply fall protection on the job.

Adopt a policy of zero tolerance wherever there’s any risk of falling.

 

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FACTS ABOUT FALLS

• Falls are the number-one cause of accidental death in Ontario construction.
• The most common fall hazards in the residential and commercial sectors involve ladders.
• You face the second highest risk of falling when you work on a roof, whether sloped or flat.
• Construction workers have fallen off edges of every description. When an unprotected edge makes you worry about falling, take action. Set up guardrails, install opening covers, or use a fall-arrest system securely tied off.
• A number of fatal falls have occurred among small crews doing low-cost, short-term jobs. Workers thought the jobs were small and quick enough not to warrant protection. That was their fatal mistake.
• Openings in floors and roofs must be covered or be protected by guardrails.
• Construction workers have been killed when they removed the plywood cover from a roof or floor opening to use the material elsewhere and inadvertently stepped into the opening. Identify covers in bright paint. OPENING COVER! DO NOT REMOVE!
• Falls from scaffolds are caused by – inadequate means of getting up and down the scaffold
  • incomplete planking or decking
  • collapse due to inadequate bracing or faulty erection.
• A worker at risk of falling more than 3 metres (10 feet) must be protected by guardrails. If that’s not practical, then a travel-restraint, fall-arrest, or safety net system must be used.
• Guardrails must be installed if a worker is exposed to a fall of 2.4 metres (8 feet) or more from a floor, bridge surface, runway, ramp, scaffold, other work platform, or roof where formwork is in place.

   

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  Why do workers fall?

  • Guardrails are missing from floor and roof edges and from platforms such as scaffolds.
  • Covers for floor openings are missing or not secured.
  • Ladders are not tied off at
  • the top.
  • Ladders and scaffolds are in poor shape or used the wrong way.
  • Fall protection equipment is not available, used the wrong way, or not used at all.
  • Workers are not trained in fall protection.
  • Lighting is poor, work surfaces are slippery, and housekeeping is bad.
  • Sites are not adequately inspected or supervised.
  • Employers, supervisors, and workers don’t know their responsibilities under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations for Construction Projects – the “Green Book.”

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Where can I find the legal requirements
for fall protection in Ontario construction?

In Section 26 of the Construction Regulation (Ontario Regulation 213/91). This regularion is included in the “Green Book” – the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations for Construction Projects. Order your copy of the Green Book from CSAO at 1-800-781-2726.

You can also read, download, and search the construction regulations at www.csao.org