As I do more and more Working at Heights training I am coming across more companies which are not meeting the basic Ministry of Labour (MoL) requirements for a Working at Heights program.   Here are some things you should be doing if your employees are working at heights.

1) You are required under the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations (The Act or Green Book) to inspect your fall protection equipment every time you use it.   You must also have a checklist to show what you inspected the equipment for and it must be signed off and dated.  If you don't have a copy of the inspection sheet how do you prove to the MoL that you actually inspected it.

2) Rescue Planning.  Anytime you are wearing fall protection equipment or using a safety net you must have a rescue plan.   These are some of the requirement for your rescue plan: 

a) site specific,

b) in writing,

c) must be in place before the work starts

d) must be trained on

e) must be explained and understood by all workers on the site

3) Ladders.   If you use ladders on your job site they must be inspected every day you are going to use them.  Just like fall protection equipment you must have a written inspection checklist, which outlines what you have inspected the ladders for, the date and the person who inspected them.   You should also have your ladders numbered.  if you have four ladders on your truck and they are not number how does the MoL know which one you actually inspected?

For more information on Working at Heights and the requirements and training to do so please contact Redhead Health and Safety at 647-292-4882