[TITLE: Fall Hazards in Construction and Inspectors' Enforcement Tools]
I'm Mike Chappell, Provincial Coordinator of Construction Health and Safety for the
Province of Ontario.
The Ministry of Labour is taking an aggressive approach to enforcing the existing regulations
surrounding fall protection.
We inspect all kinds of falls, starting from working on the same level where there's poor
house-keeping, working from ladders, working from work platforms, working on the outside
of the building on a suspended access platform, or working many stories in the air while protected
by fall protection equipment.
This video is going to show you an example of a typical inspection for falls and fall hazards.
My name is Ruhi Sharma. I'm a Construction Health and Safety Inspector with the Ministry
of Labour out of the Central West Region.
Today I'm going to be showing you how the MOL does inspections on construction projects
where workers are working from heights.
When I first arrive on site, I'll do a quick glance around to ensure that what I can see
is in compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the construction regulations.
MOL Inspector: So how many workers are at the project today?
Supervisor: There's six here today. MOL Inspector: And how many of them are working
on the roof? I will also ask to see the Health and Safety
Policy of the company as well as a copy of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and
if any other inspectors have been on site previous to me, are their Field Visits posted or not?
MOL Inspector: You were trained how to inspect your equipment before you put it on?
Worker: Yup. Every morning we make sure the lanyards, shock absorbers are still intact…
(MOL inspector cont'd): …if they're using any machinery on site, do they have training
to use the forklift, if they have been provided with the right fall arrest equipment, if they
know how to use it and inspect it properly and if they know where the Emergency Procedures
for the site are posted.
I will ask the workers how they're accessing the roof. Is it by ladder? Is it by scaffold?
And if the lifelines are located at the point of access.
It pays to take all the precautions required by the Occupational Health and Safety Act
and the Construction Regulations which includes wearing your fall arrest, ensuring that you're
anchored to a safe point, ensuring that your supervisor identifies hazards at the workplace
that you might encounter while working from heights.
MOL Inspector: Thank you very much for your cooperation.
Mike Chappell (cont'd): That, of course, was a simulated inspection. In a real situation
where there's contraventions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act or the regulations an
inspector would issue corrective orders.
There's a forthwith order where the contravention can be corrected at the time of the field visit.
In the case of a time-based order, the inspector will determine the amount of time that is
given to comply with the order.
A stop work order can be issued and that can be for the whole project or it can be for
part of the project where the hazard is and, in that case, all work must stop until the
contravention is rectified.
An inspector may decide to issue tickets to workers who are not wearing their personal
protective equipment especially when the employer has provided both the equipment and the training to workers.
And that ticket is a fixed fine offence for $295 plus the victim surcharge and a court surcharge.
The maximum fine for a Part 1 summons is $1,000 plus court charges.
A summons can be issued for any infraction under the Occupational Health and Safety Act
or the Regulations.
Most of the time they are issued to supervisors for failure to ensure their workers work in
accordance with the Act and the regulations and typically for not wearing personal protective equipment.
In the event of a serious or repeated contravention an inspector can lay charges under the Occupational
Health and Safety Act, Provincial Offences Act, Part 3.
In that case, as an individual worker, as a supervisor, or as a director of a corporation,
upon a guilty finding by the court, a fine of up to $25,000 and/or a jail term, up to one year can be levied.
In the case of a corporation, the fine can be up to $500,000 per count.
The real cost is the emotional impact it has when somebody is killed or injured at a workplace.
That lasts forever.
Injuries and deaths have no place on your worksite.
We have the appropriate regulations to protect workers. We have the personal protective equipment
that can make them safe. We need to all work together to make sure that happens.
Stop falls before they stop you.
For more information, please visit our website: www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/pubs