CONSTRUCTION S U MMER

M M E R 2009
2009

C O N STR U CTI O N
SAFETY
SAFETY MAGAZINE

The fall
A S S O C I AT I O N O F
O N TA R I O

protection
issue
I N S I D E TH I S I S S U E
Pullout posters
What supervisors can do
Safety culture
Working from ladders
What roofers can do
Falls quiz
Trips and slips
Scaffolds
www.csao.org Fines
 Safety Talk
guardrails
) max
2.4 m (8’ 0”

Explain dangers
Falls are the number one cause of serious injuries and
death from injuries in construction.

0.9 m to 1.1 m (36” to 42”)

Identify controls
Guardrails are often the best and most convenient
means of fall protection.
x
2” ) ma
m (1

✁
m
Where possible, guardrails must be installed 300

✓ along the open edges of roofs and floors

✓ on formwork, scaffolds, and other work surfaces

✓ openings in floors and roofs

✓ wherever workers are exposed to the risk of
falling.
Guardrails must be installed no more than 30 cm
(1 foot) from the open edge. They must be able to
withstand all loads specified in the Construction
Regulation (Ontario Regulation 213/91).
Posts supporting a wooden guardrail should be no
more than eight feet apart. Guardrails can also be
made of wire rope, or they can be manufactured
systems of metal frames and wire mesh.
Well-anchored posts are essential. You can use vertical
shoring jacks, screw-clamp posts, clamp binding posts,
or posts that fit into sleeves cast right in the slab.
Sometimes guardrails have to be removed to land
material or make installations along floor or roof
edges. The open edge should be roped off and marked
with warning signs. Workers inside that area must
wear fall protection and be tied off.
Guardrails are the best method of protecting workers
around openings in floors and roofs, but sometimes
they’re not practical. You may have to use securely
fastened covers made of planks, plywood, or steel
plate. Covers must be strong enough to support any
weight to be reasonably expected.
There’s always the danger that someone will pick up
the plywood to use somewhere else. Workers have
even removed covers from openings and then fallen
through.
That’s why covers should be clearly marked in bright
paint with warning signs. DO NOT REMOVE.
DANGER! FLOOR OPENING.
Demonstrate
Review the types of guardrails used on your site. Ask
your crew where else guardrails should be installed.

All guardrails—especially wood guardrails—should be

For more free safety talks like
inspected regularly. this, go to www.csao.org
C O N S T R U CT I O N
SAFETY
A S S O C I AT I O N O F
O N TA R I O
SAFETY
C O N STR U CTI O N
S U M M E R 2 0 0 9 . VO LUME 20, NUMBE R 2

contents
MAGAZINE

The Construction Safety Association

of Ontario publishes Construction
Safety Magazine quarterly.

Circulation: 68,000

President
Rick Van ihinger,
15 things supervisors can do to prevent falls.................................4
Health and Safety Coordinator,
Clifford masonry Limited
Safety culture.................................................................................6
1st Vice-President
Tim Fenton,
Business manager,
Ontario Sheet metal Workers’ and
Risk factors: ladders.......................................................................8
Roofers’ Conference

Executive Vice-President / Working from ladders....................................................................9

General Manager
Roy O’Rourke
Poster: Ladders.............................................Centrefold pullout
Editor
John J. ihnat
johnih@csao.org
What can roofers do?..................................................................12
Cover Photo
John J. ihnat
Don’t trip up...............................................................................14
CSaO reserves the right to accept or
refuse any ad. acceptance does not
signify endorsement. Fall protection quiz for workers (with answers) ...........................15
Construction Safety Association
of Ontario
21 Voyager Court South Fall fines......................................................................................17
etobicoke, Ontario m9W 5m7
Canada

1-800-781-2726 Poster: Safe scaffold....................................................................18

www.csao.org
iSSn 1485-7227
Poster: Cover floor openings........................................................19
Publications mail agreement #40064070

Do your workers need

FALL PROTECTION TRAINING?
Using CSAO’s Basics of Fall Protection kit, a competent
person (as defined by the Occupational Health and Safety
Act) can train workers on the fundamentals.You will also
need to train your workers on the specific fall-protection
equipment and applications they will use on their project.

The Basics of Fall Protection kit includes a Trainer’s

Guide, a User’s Guide, and a DVD. You need one User’s
Guide for every employee you train.

• Training Kit (M054KIT): Members pay $29.95

• User’s Guides (M053): Members pay $10.95 each,
$24.95 for five, $89.95 for twenty-five.
• Non-members: Call for pricing.

Order online at www.csao.org or call

Customer Service: 1-800-781-2726
15 THINGS SUPERVISORS
CAN DO TO PREVENT FALLS
5 THINGS TO DO TODAY
1) Ask workers one question
Ask them “How many workers
died from falls in Ontario
construction in 2008?” The answer
is ten. Your workers need to know
that the problem of falls is serious.
(Later this week, give your workers
the quiz on page 15 of this issue!)
2) Check for missing guardrails
Guardrails are often the best
form of fall protection because
they keep workers away from
the edge. Keep an eye out for
missing guardrails on scaffolds and
floor edges. Ministry of Labour
inspectors will be looking out for
them too.
3) Look out for ladders.
This year, the Ministry of Labour
is focusing on how workers use
4 CONSTRUCTION SAFETY MAGAZINE
ladders. (See pages 8 and 9.) A
lot of injuries involve ladders, but
we use them so often that we get
desensitized to the danger. Look
for workers doing things that
increase the risk of injury, such as
leaning outside the rails, working
off a ladder, or carrying something
while climbing. There’s a ladder
poster in this issue—put it up on
your site!
4) Check for floor openings
Too many workers have died
after walking backwards into
a floor opening. Use a sturdy
cover and write on it with spray
paint to make its purpose clear.
Alternatively, install guardrails
around the opening and put up a
sign. Use the floor-cover poster on
page 19 of this issue to broadcast
the message!
www.csao.org
5) Give a safety talk
We’ve printed a safety talk on the
inside front cover of this issue.
There are more free ones on
www.csao.org. Even better, talk to
workers for five minutes about the
specific hazards and fall-protection
equipment used on your site. Walk
the site with them, or meet in an
area where you can see several fall
hazards. Explain what you and
your company expect.
5 WAYS TO SUPERVISE
1) Show that you mean it
More than anything else,
your actions demonstrate your
commitment to fall protection.
Inspect your site every day. Point
out the hazards. Suggest safer
ways to do a job (e.g., using an
elevating work platform instead of
a ladder).
If all you talk about is productivity
and deadlines, you encourage
workers to cut corners. If your
actions show that you care about
your workers, you encourage them
to protect themselves.
2) Plan your work
You and your company should
consider ways to avoid work at
heights. For example, assemble
roofs on the ground and hoist
them into place; order pre-
fabricated wall frames or trusses;
use extension handles on tools to
Summer 2009
do painting or window-washing
from the ground.
At the very least, think ahead
a few days. List the tasks that
workers will do at heights. Go
to the jobsite ahead of time and
look for fall hazards. Look for
places where workers might use
ladders, and order elevating work
platforms instead. Prepare your
equipment and other hazard
controls in advance.
3) Train your workers
A competent person must train
your workers on fall-protection
basics, as well as the specific
fall protection situations and
equipment on your project.
(CSAO’s Basics of Fall Protection
kit is not enough. You need to
address the specifics of the work
you’ll be doing.)
The law requires you, as a
supervisor, to inform your
workers about the hazards on
site. Knowing what to tell them
becomes easy if you have a system
in place. For example, do a job
hazard analysis and then give your
workers a safety talk to describe
what you found.
Ongoing training and coaching
are a part of your job. Put up
posters, distribute CSAO stickers,
and hand out safety talks. These
reminders could save a life.
4) Enforce the rules
Enforce the Construction
Regulation and your company’s
policies on fall protection. If
workers are ignoring procedures—
such as tying off on sloped
roofs—insist that they follow
the procedures and explain the
Summer 2009
consequences of ignoring them
again. Don’t be afraid to take
disciplinary action when necessary.
Your company can’t afford to
tolerate workers who continue to
put themselves, other workers, and
the business at risk.
5) Reward good behaviour
Recognize workers who follow
the rules. “Catch” workers doing
something right and thank
them for it. A small token of
appreciation can make a person’s
day and reinforce good behaviour.
5 THINGS TO TELL YOUR
WORKERS
1) “Do it right every time.”
“It will just take a minute” or “I
have done this a hundred times
before” can be a worker’s last
words. Your employees are paid to
be professionals. That means doing
the job safely each time, every
time, and all the time.
2) “Look out for other workers.”
You expect them to fix a problem
that endangers other workers—but
they need to know that. They
www.csao.org
should feel comfortable replacing
a missing guardrail or a floor-
opening cover, even if it’s not in
their work area.
3) “Use the right equipment.”
Your workers need to know that
wearing the equipment you
require is not an option. It’s
mandatory.
4) “Tell me about the hazards
you see.”
The law requires workers to
inform their supervisor of any
hazards that can affect them or
other workers. They should feel
comfortable calling you if they
face a confusing situation or can’t
control a hazard. It’s in your best
interest to find out before an injury
happens—so you can prevent
it—rather than afterwards.
5) “Know your rights.”
If a worker faces a fall hazard and
does not have adequate protection,
the worker has the legal right
to refuse the work. It’s better
for everyone not to get to this
situation in the first place.
construction safety magazine 5
safety culture
The hidden message in every decision
Sound familiar?
The project is a four-storey building
under construction. Pipefitters are
working in the mechanical area on
the top floor. They use the stairwell
for access, and throughout the day
they carry tools and material up and
down the stairs. There’s a string of
temporary lights between the second
and third floor, but the lights are
out. With no windows nearby, it’s
difficult to see.
The project is a house. Drywallers
are about to start work on the
second floor. To prepare, they remove
guardrails around the stair opening,
and then leave to get material. An
electrician is also working on the
second floor, finishing his work as
quickly as possible so the drywallers
can start. None of the drywallers
went over to tell the electrician that
they removed the guardrails.
6 construction safety magazine
Do these kinds of situations occur
on your jobsite? You know that
they’re disasters waiting to happen.
You can’t, however, be everywhere
at once. You can’t always be
inspecting the jobsite. You need
your workers’ help to prevent these
situations from occurring.
Health and safety professionals
often recommend having a clear
disciplinary system to ensure that
everyone follows the rules. While
a discipline system is important,
it can’t be your only means of
encouraging commitment to
safety. Fear of punishment is
unlikely to create a proactive
attitude towards injury and illness
prevention, which is what you
really want.
Ideally, you not only want workers
to follow the health and safety
www.csao.org
rules. You also want them to
look out for other workers and
to fix safety problems on the
spot. You want them to tell you
about hazards or concerns before
someone gets hurt. You want them
to integrate safe work habits into
everything they do.
For these things to happen, you
need a positive health and safety
culture.
Culture & performance
Culture refers to a set of beliefs,
values, and attitudes shared by a
group. Some refer to it as what
people do when no one is looking.
Every workplace has a culture,
whether it’s positive or negative.
For years, companies have been
harnessing the power of culture
to achieve the results they want.
Often, corporate cultures focus on
innovation.
Google is a perfect example.
Everything from office design
to workflow embodies Google’s
emphasis on creativity and
innovation. Google’s managers
don’t just tell employees that
innovation is important to
the company. They show their
employees every day through their
actions and decisions. And a clear
expression of what matters to
the company will determine how
employees work.
Construction firms can use the
same principles to create a culture
that has health and safety at its
Summer 2009
core. When management values
safety, so will workers. Employees
come to understand that sharing
the company’s views on safety
leads to the next contract or to a
promotion. When safety is tied
that closely to job performance,
you foster a safety culture.
Creating culture
Creating a safety culture is not
something you can do overnight.
Management has to incorporate
health and safety into all of its
decisions—and has to mean it.
Here’s a common problem:
company managers talk about
health and safety, but don’t
support their words with
actions—or they even contradict
what they say by what they do.
Imagine the following situation:
The company has a great policy
and program, and there’s a health
and safety coordinator on staff. The
owners ensure that all new workers
are given proper orientation, and
they provide health and safety
training in each worker’s first
language. They even make the
supervisors responsible for giving
weekly safety talks.
One day, a supervisor sees that a
project will not be ready for the
scheduled concrete pour because
of unforeseen delays. When the
supervisor informs management,
they tell him to do whatever it takes
to make the job ready. They say
that they’re not prepared to cover
the cost of a delay at this stage. So,
the supervisor passes this message
along to the workers. To get the job
Summer 2009
done quickly, the workers don’t put
up guardrails and they miss some
bracing—and the supervisor doesn’t For years,
do anything about it because he
wants them to get the job done.
In this example, management’s
companies have
actions completely contradict their
earlier attempts to show that they
value safety. They send a clear been harnessing
message that safety is something to
push aside when a tight deadline is
looming.
the power of
If management had covered the
cost of postponing the concrete
pour and allowed the workers to culture to achieve
finish the job safely, they would
have instilled a culture of safety
on this jobsite. They would have
sent a clear message that employee
the results they
safety is worth more than a few
thousand dollars. They would have
created the type of environment
where, in the future, a worker
want. Google is a
would feel justified taking a few
minutes away from a task to
replace a missing opening cover. perfect example..
That result is worth much more
than the earlier cost for the delay
because if someone were to fall
into the opening, the company your experience tells you that it’s
could face a hefty fine and greater too tight and you may run into
project delays—in addition to the problems, point that out to the
consequences to the worker. project manager. By ensuring that
the proper amount of time and
Think about that the next time number of workers are allocated
you are faced with an everyday to each task, you are more likely
decision. Take, for example, the to preserve a safe and healthy
question of whether to allocate environment while still meeting
a worker’s time to clearing your deadlines.
walkways after construction
garbage has gotten out of hand. By If you act on these principles,
making someone responsible for the culture on your jobsite will
housekeeping, you’ll show workers not only encourage workers to
that you value a clean, safe jobsite. follow the rules. It will foster an
environment where workers want
Also, on your next job, look to follow the rules and look for
closely at the project schedule. If ways to make the site safer.
www.csao.org construction safety magazine 7
risK factors: ladders
Things that increase your chance of falling from a ladder
The Ministry of Labour recently
identified five things that lead to
ladder instability and contribute to
falls. Make sure everyone on your
site knows and avoids them.
get your free heat stress guide
8 construction safety magazine
Reaching to the side
If you reach to the side so that
your body goes past the ladder’s
side rails, you can tip the ladder
and fall. Keep your body within
the side rails. Tie off the ladder top
and bottom. Never overreach.
Handling bulky or heavy
material overhead
If you’re standing on a ladder
doing overhead work—particularly
if the work involves bulky or heavy
material (such as drywall)—you’re
risking a fall. For this kind of job,
find an alternative to working
from a ladder.
Using a lot of force
When you do things such as pull
wire bundles with high resistance
or swing a sledge hammer, you’re
There’s a wealth of
information on heat
stress on our website,
including a new Heat
Stress Awareness Tool, a
humidex-based Heat
Stress Prevention Guide
for workplaces, safety
talks, and a poster.
Download them for free.
www.csao.org
www.csao.org
applying a lot of force at one
instant in time. If you’re on a
ladder, the reaction force on
your body can throw you and
the ladder off balance. Avoid
doing this kind of work from a
ladder—it’s just too risky. Look for
an alternative.
Constant-force work
When you’re applying a constant
force on something—such as
a drill—your centre of gravity
often shifts. It shifts because you
start to rely on the tool as one of
your points of support. You’ve
experienced this when you “lean
into” a drill. You get accustomed
to leaning on the drill and you
forget that you’re counting on the
drill for support.
Now, what happens when the drill
bit reaches the end of the material
and suddenly slides through?
You’ll be thrown off balance. If
you’re on a ladder, you can tip
and fall. Avoid doing this kind of
constant-force work from a ladder.
Muscle fatigue
Tasks that require continued or
repeated reaching, a lot of force,
or handling heavy material can
fatigue your muscles. When your
muscles are tired, you have less
control over your balance, and it’s
harder to recover stability if you’re
thrown off. Take adequate breaks.
For more information on ladder
safety, visit www.csao.org.
Summer 2009
WorKing froM ladders
Here are the Ministry of Labour’s enforcement principles.

This year, Ministry of Labour

(MOL) inspectors will be paying
special attention to how workers
use ladders on construction sites
across Ontario. The MOL recently
provided clarification on how it
interprets the issue of working off
ladders. Here are the main points.

1. According to the Construction

Regulation (Ontario
Regulation 213/91, contained
in the “green book”), ladders
are not work platforms. They
are a means of access. In
situations where you can use
a scaffold or other type of
approved work platform, use
it. You may only work from a
ladder when it is not possible
to use a proper work platform.
depends on the task and the 6. Ladders must be set up at a
2. If working from a ladder is
worker’s physical condition. proper angle, which is one foot
your only option, remember
that ladders are more hazardous out for every three to four feet
Don’t forget: If you are doing up.
than work platforms. Fall
short duration work from a
protection rules apply to ladder
ladder and your feet are more 7. Ladders must be set up on
use. If your feet are more than
than three metres from the firm, level surfaces and the area
three metres from the ground,
ground, you must use fall around the base must be free of
you must use fall protection.
protection. material and debris.
3. The MOL will allow “short
4. Workers must keep their centre To download a chart describing
duration” work from ladders—
of gravity between the side rails specific things MOL inspectors
meaning less than 30 minutes.
of the ladder, and have two feet will be looking for—and
Therefore, a worker may not
on the rungs at all times while enforcement consequences—go to
work from a ladder for more
working. the News page of www.csao.org.
than 30 minutes at one time.
The website also offers safety talks
5. Carrying equipment or on ladders, a poster on setting up
Workers may work from
material up or down a ladder is ladders at a correct angle, as well
a ladder multiple times
not permitted. Inspectors will as a detailed chapter on ladders
throughout the day, as long as
look for three-point contact from CSAO’s Construction Health
there is an adequate rest period
(two feet and one hand or two and Safety Manual, all for free
or alternative work in between.
hands and one foot on the download.
The amount of rest required
ladder at all times).

Summer 2009 www.csao.org construction safety magazine 9

Where Would you rather WorK?

prevent falls froM ladders

C O N STR U CTI O N • Clean up your site
SAFETY • Set up the ladder at a good angle: 1 foot out for 1-8 00-781-2726
A S S O C I AT I O N O F every 3 to 4 feet up www.csao.org
O N TA R I O • Secure the ladder top and bottom info@csao.org
• Don’t carry anything
• Stay between the rails; don’t lean over.
What can roofers do?
Fall protection for sloped roofing
Think that you’re perfectly safe
working on a roof without fall
protection? Think that the soles of
your shoes are protection enough?
Think again.
In recent years, an average of
about nine workers die every year
from falls on construction sites
in Ontario. Many of those who
have died were roofers. Roofers
also suffer career-ending and life-
altering injuries from falls.
That’s the bad news. But here’s the
good news: There are some simple
things you can do to protect
yourself from a fall.
Ladder safety
You can fall before you even get to
the roof. How you use your ladder
makes all the difference.
Ladder safety starts from the
ground up. Before you set up
your extension ladder, inspect it. If
any of the rungs or rails are bent,
cracked, or damaged, don’t use the
ladder. The same goes for the feet
and the pawls, which are critical
for maintaining stability once
the ladder is set up. If anything
is damaged, write “Damaged! Do
not use!” on a tag, put it on the
ladder, and tell your supervisor.
When using ladders,
✓✓ check for overhead powerlines
before carrying or setting up a
ladder
12 construction safety magazine
✓✓ set the ladder up on firm, level
ground
✓✓ extend the top of the ladder
so that it goes at least 900 mm
(about three rungs) above the
landing (the roof edge)
✓✓ secure the top and bottom of
the ladder
✓✓ when climbing up or down a
ladder always face it, and use
three-point contact (two feet
and one hand, or two hands
and one foot on the ladder at
all times)
These kits are inexpensive, so
✓✓ don’t carry anything when roofers and roofing companies can
you’re climbing; raise or lower easily afford to be protected.
material and equipment using
a hoist or other method
Where am I supposed to tie
✓✓ wait for the worker ahead off?
of you to get off the ladder
Some roofers think that there’s
before you get on
nowhere to tie off. That’s simply
✓✓ keep the areas at the top and
bottom of the ladder clear
of material, equipment, and
debris.
Where can I get fall-arrest
equipment?
Just about every safety equipment
company sells a complete fall
protection kit just for roofers. It
usually contains everything you
need to protect yourself from a fall
—a harness, lanyard, lifeline, rope
grab, and sloped-roof anchors. The
anchors are designed to attach to
the roof and support a lifeline.
www.csao.org Summer 2009
wrong. There are a number of
options for tying off on a roof.
Here are a couple of them:

✓ Nail a roof anchor (see photo

below) at the peak of the roof.

✓ Loop a “safety strap” through

openings in the roof sheathing
onto the top chord of a roof
truss.

How am I supposed to be
protected while I’m attaching
the first anchor?

Installing the first lifeline anchor

doesn’t have to be dangerous.
There are a number of ways to
ensure you’re protected from a fall.
✓ Plan ahead. Arrange for a
framer to leave openings in
the roof sheathing so anchors
can be attached inside the
house and lifelines fed out
through the opening.
✓ Install intermediate anchors as
you move from the edge of the
ladder to the peak. Use double
lanyards to work your way to
the top of the roof.
✓ Use a weighted throw line to
toss a lifeline over the roof.
Attach it to a solid anchor on
the other side of the house.
Now you can attach your rope
grab to this lifeline, but only
as temporary protection
while you are installing the
roof anchor. Tie off to the
roof anchor as soon as you
have installed it. Never use
this “throw line” method for
ongoing fall protection while
working on a roof.
Nailing it down
Here’s what to do when you’re
installing the anchor.
✓ If you are using a
manufactured product, follow
the manufacturer’s installation
instructions exactly.
✓ Position the anchors so that
your lifeline will run straight
down the roof. If you do fall,
you don’t want to swing and
hit something.
✓ You must have a separate
lifeline for each worker on the
roof.
✓ Put roofing materials and
equipment in places that don’t
interfere with the lifelines or
other workers on the roof.
✓ Keep adjusting your rope grab
so that you minimize the slack
in your lifeline.

Once the anchor points are

installed and the lifelines
connected, you can get down to
roofing. You’ll probably be able to
do more, and be better at it, now
that you have no worries about
falling.

Summer 2009 www.csao.org construction safety magazine 13

DON’T TRIP UP
✗ ✓
How to prevent slip and trip injuries
When we say “falls”, you probably
think we’re talking about falling
from a ladder, a roof, or some
other high place. It’s true that falls
from heights do cause the most
injuries, and they’re usually the
most severe.
But did you know that about one
third of all lost-time fall injuries
happen when workers fall to the
same level they’re standing or
walking on? For example, a worker
might fall after stumbling over
a two-by-four, tripping on some
garbage, or slipping on a muddy
plank.
From 2004 to 2008, over 2,000
Ontario construction workers
suffered lost-time injuries from
trips and slips. Statistics show that
the body part most frequently hurt
in such injuries is the knee. Other
parts frequently injured are the
shoulder, ankle, back, and wrist.
The biggest hazard for slip and trip
injuries is poor housekeeping (not
cleaning up garbage). The easy
solution to this hazard is to keep
your site clean.
14 CONSTRUCTION SAFETY MAGAZINE
What employers and
supervisors can do
✓ Develop a plan for keeping
the site clean, particularly
for removing construction
debris and other garbage from
walkways, stairways, and work
areas. You can develop a plan
for continuous housekeeping
or you can schedule it for a
specific time.
✓ Include site-specific guidelines
in your jobsite orientation
describing contractor and
worker responsibilities for
keeping the site clean.
✓ Remind workers of their
responsibilities by giving
safety talks on housekeeping,
especially when you see the
site getting cluttered.
✓ Ask equipment operators to
steer clear of soft ground and
to avoid walkways. Otherwise
the tires or tracks will make
ruts in the ground, which can
cause you to trip or twist an
ankle. Repair ruts or uneven
ground on walkways.
www.csao.org
✓ Keep building entrances clear.
Put down sand or salt in
winter.
✓ Elevate the main walking
paths.
✓ Fill low-lying areas with gravel
to reduce the accumulation of
water, ice, and mud.
✓ Provide enough disposal bins
around the jobsite to make it
easy for workers to put their
garbage in the right place.
What workers can do
✓ Before starting work, look
around your work area to
become familiar with your
surroundings.
✓ Don’t walk backwards. If you
have to walk backwards—say,
to carry something with
another worker—then make
sure the path is clear ahead of
time.
✓ Keep the areas at the top and
base of ladders clear of debris.
✓ Pay attention to your footing
when carrying things.
✓ Walk, don’t run.
✓ Clean up after yourself.
✓ If you see a tripping hazard,
clean it up or fix it. Otherwise,
tell your supervisor.
Although the constructor and the
employer can suffer financially
after an injury, the worker is the
one with the most to lose.
Summer 2009
 fall protection QuiZ
for WorKers Photoco
py a n d h a n d out!

1. How many workers died from falls in Ontario construction in 2008?

2. What is the best method of fall protection?

3. Does fall protection training expire?

✁

4. When do you need guardrails?

5. If someone removes a guardrail for material delivery, who is responsible for putting it
back?

6. A fall-arrest anchor must be able to hold

a. the weight of a worker
b. twice the weight of a worker
c. the weight of a small car.

7. Why is keeping your site clean important for fall protection?

8. What’s a typical fine a worker will have to pay for not using fall protection?

9. What should you do if you don’t know how to protect yourself from a fall hazard?

10. What motivates you to use fall protection?

C O N S T R U CT I O N
SAFETY
A S S O C I AT I O N O F
O N TA R I O
Answers on the back
Summer 2009 www.csao.org construction safety magazine 15
QuiZ ansWers
1. 10 construction workers died from falls in 2008. (From 2004 to 2008, 45 construction workers in
Ontario died from falls.)
2. The best fall protection prevents you from reaching the fall hazard in the first place. For example,
guardrails physically prevent you from reaching an open edge. You simply can’t fall. A travel-restraint
system also prevents you from reaching an edge.
With a fall-arrest system, however, nothing stops you from going over the edge. The system will stop
your fall in mid air, but it’s always better not to fall at all. There are many situations, however, when fall
arrest is your only option, and it’s much better than no protection at all.
3. Your training on the basic principles of fall protection doesn’t expire. But proper fall protection
training also includes site-specific and equipment-specific training. You must be trained on the specific
equipment, systems, and situations you’ll encounter on the job. Once any of these things change, you

✁
need to get fresh training on the new “specifics”.
4. It depends on the situation. Section 26 of the Construction Regulation describes the precise
requirements for the open side of work surfaces, but here are some rough—but safe—rules you can
follow. You need guardrails
• if you’re over eight feet (2.4 metres) high
• if you could fall four feet (1.2 metres) if the area is used as a path for a wheelbarrow or similar
equipment
• at any height if you could fall into operating machinery, into water or another liquid, into a
hazardous substance or object, or through an opening in a work surface.
If you can’t install guardrails, you need to use some other form of fall protection that complies with the
Construction Regulation.
5. Someone who knows how to replace the guardrail properly must put it back immediately after the
delivery. Everyone on the jobsite, however, is responsible for reporting hazards. If you notice that a
guardrail is missing and you can’t replace it yourself, find someone who can or tell a supervisor.
6. A fall-arrest anchor must be able to hold the weight of a small car (about 3,600 lb).
7. It’s easy to trip on debris and garbage. In the winter, ice and snow make surfaces slippery.
8. $295.00
9. Ask your supervisor. Never face a fall hazard without protection.
10. Each person may have a different motivation. Some people consider what it would be like for their
children, their wife or husband, or parents if they died on the job. Others want to prevent a brain injury
or other disability. There are hundreds of good reasons to use fall protection. Remember yours.

C O N S T R U CT I O N
SAFETY
A S S O C I AT I O N O F
O N TA R I O

16 construction safety magazine www.csao.org Summer 2009

fall fines
A selection of recent convictions and fines for violations of fall-protection requirements
$297,000: Two supervisors,
two companies fined;
young worker died
A young worker was clearing snow
and ice from roof canopies in
Toronto in 2007. The worker was
wearing a harness, but was not tied
off. The young worker died after
falling over 42 metres (140 feet).
Earlier this year, the Ministry of
Labour charged and fined the
constructor, the subcontractor,
and two supervisors a total of
$297,000.
The constructor was fined
$150,000 for failing to ensure
that every employer and worker
on the project complied with
fall protection measures in the
Construction Regulation. The
subcontractor was fined $115,000
for not complying with the
regulation.
One supervisor was fined $20,000,
and the other was fined $12,000,
both for failing to ensure that a
worker was adequately protected
by a method of fall protection.
In addition to the fines, the court
imposed a 25 percent victim fine
surcharge.
$60,000: Company fined;
fall through floor opening
A worker was on the second
floor of a new housing unit
under construction in 2007. The
worker was carrying plywood
while walking backwards, and fell
through an opening in the floor to
Summer 2009
The supervisors
were fined for
failing to ensure
that a worker
was adequately
protected by a
method of fall
protection.
the basement two storeys below.
The worker suffered severe head
and shoulder injuries.
The Nepean-based company
pleaded guilty to violating a part
of the Construction Regulation
that deals with preventing falls
through such openings, which is a
contravention of the Occupational
Health and Safety Act. The
company was fined $60,000 and
must pay a 25 percent victim fine
surcharge.
$20,000: Owner fined;
scaffold collapsed; worker
died
Workers employed by a Toronto-
based company were on a scaffold
repairing masonry. When one of
the workers was on the top tier
www.csao.org
of the scaffold, it collapsed. The
worker fell more than six metres
(20 feet) to the ground and died of
head injuries at the scene. Another
worker who fell from the second
tier suffered minor injuries.
A Ministry of Labour investigation
found that the scaffold was
missing several components,
including vertical and horizontal
bracing, connecting devices, and
one jack screw. The scaffold was
also not properly secured to the
building.
The owner pleaded guilty to
failing as an employer to ensure
that the scaffold complied with
the Construction Regulation. The
court imposed a fine of $20,000
plus a 25 percent victim fine
surcharge.
$7,500: Owner fined;
re-shingling without fall
protection
A company was conducting roof
maintenance on several two-storey
housing units in Renfrew in 2007.
An employee was re-shingling a
roof without fall protection and
was injured after falling about six
metres to the ground below. The
company owner pleaded guilty to
failing, as an employer, to ensure
that the worker was adequately
protected from falling, as required
by the Construction Regulation
under the Occupational Health and
Safety Act. The owner was fined
$7,500 and the court imposed a
25 percent victim fine surcharge.
construction safety magazine 17
 Elements of a

safe scaffold
Guardrails on all
working levels.
Guardrails at ends of
outrigger platform

✁
Fully planked
Tie in to the decks
building

Use all vertical and

horizontal bracing
(omitted here so
the drawing won’t
be confusing) Mudsills

Legs adjusted so
the scaffold is level

✓ Always use a fall-protection system when you’re erecting or

dismantling a scaffold.
✓ Make sure that the planks are free from damage and fully
cover the working levels of the scaffold.
✓ Set up a ladder for getting on or off the scaffold. Tie off the
ladder at top and bottom.

C O N STR U CTI O N 1-8 00-781-2726

SAFETY
A S S O C I AT I O N O F www.csao.org
O N TA R I O info@csao.org
 ✁

Where Would you

rather WorK?

C O N STR U CTI O N 1-8 00-781-2726

SAFETY www.csao.org
A S S O C I AT I O N O F
O N TA R I O
info@csao.org
PROMOTE FALL PROTECTION
with posters and stickers from CSAO
POSTERS
Set up your ladder at a

SAFE ANGLE
1
Put your toes
against the base
of the ladder.

Roofing tools 2
Stand straight.
Stretch your
arms toward

include
the ladder.

FALL
PROTECTION 3
Move the ladder
until your
knuckles touch

Tie off. Falls are killing us.

the side rails at
shoulder level.

Construction Safety Association of Ontario 1-800-781-2726 www.csao.org

Construction Safety Association of Ontario www.csao.org

P026 (17” x 22”) P042 (17” x 22”) P044 (81/2” x 11”) W201 (81/2” x 11”) W200 (81/2” x 11”)
members: $6 Weather-resistant vinyl. Paper. Download from Download from
non-members: $12 members: free Members: free www.csao.org www.csao.org
non-members: $12 Non-Members: $5
P043 (81/2” x 11”) Paper.
members: free
non-members: $5

Download PDFs of these posters for free from www.csao.org

STICKERS
S042 (3” x 2”, pack of 50) S052 (21/2”, sheet of 10)
members: $24.95 members: free
non-members: $44.95 non-members: $5

To order call
1-800-781-2726
or email
customerservice@csao.org

Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:

CSaO allows members to print their own Construction Safety Association of Ontario,

logos on the “Tie Off” posters and stickers. 21 Voyager Court South,
Etobicoke, Ontario, M9W 5M7
CSaO will provide you with the electronic Fax: 416-679-4069, 416-674-8866
info@csao.org www.csao.org
print files. all design and printing is up to
you. To get the files, email johnih@csao.org Publications Mail Agreement No. 40064070
Cert no. SW-COC-002063