The Ministry of Labour is ready to play Scrooge. Safety-wise, have you been naughty or nice?

Will Santa come to your jobsite this Christmas bearing gifts? Only if you’re nice, right? Because if you’re naughty, it could be Scrooge in the guise of an MOL inspector. Their gift for non-compliance could be a fine between $25,000 and $500,000 – and up to 12 months’ bed, breakfast, lunch and dinner behind some big high walls and sharp razor wire. See my recent article on what a roofer’s life was worth and the supervisors sentence recently handed down.     

TO GET ON THE NAUGHTY LIST, neglect to pay attention to workers on your sites lacking (quoting Ontario regulations, but similar in every province) the following:

Safety hat, glasses and correct footwear. These must always to be worn. (Reg. 213/91, s.22 (1) – Reg. 213/91, s. 24. – Reg. 213/91, s 23 (1)).

Ladders. They must extend at the upper level at least 3 feet above the landing. And they have to be secured at the top and bottom to prevent movement (O. Reg. 213/91, s. 80).

A fall protection system is required to be in use above 10 feet heights (O.Reg.145/00, 13).

A stair handrail is required on the open sides of each flight; and shall l have a guardrail on the open side of each the landing (O. Reg.213/9s. 77 (2)).                                                         

Scaffolding  should not have any unguarded openings; and be provided with a means of access (Section 70. O. Reg. 213/91, s. 135 (1); O. Reg. 527/00).

On elevating work platforms, workers must be tied to the platform with safety belt/harness as the platform moves (0. Reg. 213/91, s. 148).

A fire extinguishers are required on site (O. Reg. 213/91, s. 52 (1).

A first aid kit is required on site (R.R.O. 1990, Regulation 1101).    

You MUST HAVE a Policies & Pprocedures Manual. This must be a written document that includes an Internal Responsibility System (IRS) and and an Emergency Rescue Plan. These are detailed procedures that you keep updating and these documents will be immediately demanded and closely examined if there is an accident investigation facing you. Having an up to date Policies and Procedures Manual can play a big part in your defence if prosecuted. Without a plan, you don’t have a leg to stand on.

TO GET ON THE NICE LIST:

Follow the above rules and more. By law, you are required to post, in full view of all your workers, a WSIB “1.2.3.4” poster and a MOL “Health & Safety at Work: Prevention Starts Here” poster. Lastl,y there is a new, updated edition of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (greenbook).  This publication became available August 2013. Don’t get caught with the older version.

A further idea is to have adequate security fencing around your jobsite with signage on it like: “Hard hats, safety glasses, footwear must be worn.”  “No trespassing.”  “Danger work site.” “Report to supervisor immediately upon arrival at this site.” And you will also need to post your hours of operation, your “In Case of Emergency” contact, “No Smoking” signs and more. Yes, more. The more signage, the safer you will deemed to be operating.

Get compliant now and always have a competent safety person on site or have one visit your site regularly to enforce compliance.

If you are not sure what’s required to bring you or your company’s safety up to standards, contact CARAHS.  Call Monica NOW Toll Free 1-866-366-2930.

CARAHS is a non profit association for renovators and home services providers. We offer education, information and benefits.

CARAHS offers over 90 Health and Safety e-courses online here.

Now for the small print. The above is only a sample of the Ontario Health & Safety Act. Please refer to the Ontario Occupational Health & Safety Act (Regulation 213/91) for full details. Don’t have a copy? Call us at CARAHS, again 1-866-366-2930 to get help with any of the above legal requirements for job safety on your sites.