Alec Caldwell
Kite sailing on construction sites?
Canadian ContractorHere is an accident waiting to happen: A worker (photo) is carrying an 8'x4' sheet of plywood near the edge of an unguarded work surface that is at least 15 foot above the ground.
I watched in horror. Had he been caught by the wind at any time, he would have likely been carried to the ground with serious injuries resulting, or worse. This article would have carried a very different headline.
One gust of wind and this worker is in trouble
Here’s the safety issue
There were no temporary guard rails system set up to prevent him from being blown over the edge. Guardrails should have been set up around the perimeter of this elevated area, in fact around any work surface area 2.4 meters or more above grade, in order to protect workers from falls. These regulations are no secret; you’ll find them in the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and Regulations for Construction Projects (Green book) in Ontario, Regulation 26.3 (1).
These are the very same regulations will also be used against anyone found guilty of contravening the Act.
Regulations 26.3 (1) says:
“A guardrail system that meets the requirements of this section shall be used if a worker has access to the perimeter or open side of any of the following work surfaces and is exposed to a fall of 2.4 metres or more.”
How do you build a temporary guardrail?
It’s all there, detailed guardrail specifications, in the same green regulation book, under Regulation 26 (3) 4. By the way, this is the same green book (Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulation for Construction Projects) that must be accessible for workers on all Ontario construction job sites.
What else bothered me about this situation?
There was no supervisor or constructor on site, yet another contravention of regulations. Workers must be supervised! As Regulation 25. (2) (a) clearly says, someone must be on hand to “provide information, instruction and supervision to a worker.”
CLICK HERE to request a free download of the Act covering these points
Of course, if you operate outside Ontario, you should check with your provincial authority for guidance specific to your region.
Not sure of your current safety responsibilities?
If you operate in Ontario, get yourself up to speed initially through the new Ontario Working at Heights Standard Training course. This course is a requirement for every worker working or climbing above heights of 3 meters or more. This includes commercial, industrial, residential and home renovations.
If you’re not sure who needs training, whether Working at Heights Training or Fall Awareness Training, contacts us. We have the answers at 1 866 366 2930.
CARAHS is an approved Ontario Ministry of Labour Working at Heights Training Provider # Pro- 34609 (See details)
Visit our featured online Safety e-course WHMIS
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“I watched in horror. Had he been caught by the wind at any time, he would have likely been carried to the ground with serious injuries resulting, or worse. This article would have carried a very different headline.” For the love of God…… did it happen, the whole time you watched in horror? (short answer no) If you would have had the the thought of a terrorist missile hitting the man, a lighting strike, or an earth quake, would you have stood and watched in horror waiting for that to happen. “By the slightest margin, the man was spared a million possible deaths that waited him at every turn. It was all one could do to watch him get through the day of hazards”. When he attempted to cross the street it was more that we could take….. (where was his safety vest, team of flaggers, lane closure, and medivac on stand by). I will tell you a story. I was on a job site many years ago. There was a village idiot that was a hazard to himself and all around him. He was up on a roof dealing with a trap in an actual high wind condition (even though his employer told everyone to vacate the structure due to the conditions. He became tangled in the tarp and would have surely fallen and been injured (not fatal, but even to remove him from the job site for a week or two). A coworker saved him from the fall. That village idiot injured a co worker that same week (who lost his arm as a result) and killed another with a fork lift (leaving behind a wife and small child). Perhaps work place accidents are a Darwinian natural selection process that we should not interfere with. This article makes me blow tea out of my noise laughing because it is so ridiculous. Talk about fanning the flames of drama for the sake of meeting a deadline . There is no story here, quite trying to create one where one does not exist.
There’s “no story” when it comes to talking about preventing fatalities on jobsites through Working at Heights training? We should let workplace accidents happen through a “Darwinian natural selection process”? Was that thoughtful contribution to our website what you learned from your co-worker you claim cost another worker his arm, and killed another with a forklift?
I used to enjoy receiving Canadian Contractor emails. But lately it seems that the articles are a bit reaching and bordering on desperation to create some sort of sensation or story where it really does not exist. I feel there are a lot of good topics that could be discussed. Topics that help contractors become more efficient, introduce new approaches designs & products, insights to help deal with government hurdles and red tape. Contractors are squeezed from all sides. Be competitive in your industry, jump through endless hurdles, pay licenses. permits, taxes, stat holidays, benefits, penalties, severances, etc. They there is the fun of being a banker and collection agency. So for most contractors that are in the real world fighting the good fight, to read an article about something that did not happen that had all the flare of reality TV, with captions like “I watched in horror” I hope you understand that it lowers your stock and credibility. Your writer is either too lazy to find a worthy topic, or is too removed and or not in tune with the world of contracting today. This article is something that would only appeal, and be pep rally like entertainment, for government inspectors and worksafe. The last time I looked this was Canadian Contractor. Not Inspector or Worksafe Weekly. You can do much better.
Appreciate the feedback, Enter Tained. Feel free to email me, please, if you’d like to talk about some of those topics you mentioned. We will see what we can do.