[TITLE: Fall Hazards in Construction and Inspectors' Enforcement Tools]
[Footage is shown of workers on a construction site putting on fall protection]
[Mike Chappell introduces himself to the camera]
MIKE CHAPPELL >> I'm Mike Chappell, Provincial Coordinator of Construction Health and Safety for the Province of Ontario.
[Shot of a Ministry of Labour inspector writing notes in a notepad while touring a construction site, followed by footage of various construction workers climbing on ladders and working on rooftops ]
MIKE CHAPPELL >> 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.
[Ruhi Sharma introduces herself to the camera]
RUHI SHARMA >> 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.
[Sharma is seen arriving at a location in an Ontario fleet van]
RUHI SHARMA >>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.
[Sharma meets with the supervisor to find out about who is on site and where they’re working]
RUHI SHARMA >>So how many workers are at the project today?
SUPERVISOR >>There's six here today.
RUHI SHARMA >>And how many of them are working on the roof?
[Interview with Sharma continues]
RUHI SHARMA >>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?
[Sharma’s meeting with worker and supervisor continues]
RUHI SHARMA >>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…
[Interview with Sharma continues. Footage of two workers with a forklift is shown.]
RUHI SHARMA >>…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.
[Workers are seen adjusting the straps on their protective equipment]
RUHI SHARMA >>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.
[Sharma prepares to leave the work site following her inspection]
RUHI SHARMA >>Thank you very much for your cooperation.
[Transition to Mike Chappell, who speaks to the camera]
MIKE CHAPPELL >> 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.
[An inspector is shown writing a corrective order]
MIKE CHAPPELL >> 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.
[A worker is seen putting on his personal protective equipment]
MIKE CHAPPELL >> 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.
[A supervisor approaches the worker who strapped on his equipment and attaches a safety line to the back of the harness]
MIKE CHAPPELL >> 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.
[A worker climbs up onto the roof of a house]
MIKE CHAPPELL >> 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:
[TITLE: www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/pubs]