Hello and welcome back to another Goodman Elbassiouni LLP blog post. In our most recent posts, we have written about a couple of the most common causes for workplace accidents and we’ll continue that theme today, because we feel that the more informed our readers are, the more likely they will be able to prevent these accidents from ever happening. Here at Goodman Elbassiouni LLP we truly do care about each and every one of our clients, and we feel for those who have been given the run around during such a difficult time in their lives. It’s one of the reasons we choose to only receive compensation is we win our cases, and it’s why we put so much effort into each and every case we take on.
If you’ve been reading our blogs regularly, you have likely already read about how ladders and scaffolds are two of the most common causes of workplace accidents in Ontario. If you haven’t already begun to sense a bit of a theme with the most common workplace accidents we’ve covered thus far on our blog, you likely will when you read what this blog will be about: fall protection (or a lack thereof). Yes, working at heights is one of the most common causes of injury or death in Canada and it is one of the reasons Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) began requiring all construction workers who work at height to begin taking a “Working at Heights” course in 2015. If you work at heights, but have not taken this course yet, then you should look into taking it – particularly if you work in the construction field. Since the course is now mandatory, you may be breaking the law by working without it.
Oftentimes when people think of the need to take fall protection, they think of extremely high heights. It’s obvious at 100 feet that you should probably do something to protect yourself; however, at lower heights people often do not realize that they should be taking precautions. Fall protection is actually recommended for heights as low as four feet off the ground in general industries, five feet for maritime work, and six feet for construction work. It is the responsibility of your employer to ensure that all workers are adequately prepared and informed for any work at heights including ensuring that they have taken and passed the aforementioned OHSA working at heights Ministry course.
This Ministry course teaches workers how to recognize potential hazards and how to safely avoid them through common sense and proper use of fall protection equipment. Fall protection equipment can include: guardrails, proper decking, ladders, harnesses, ropes pulleys, anchors, fall arrest systems, and other tools. Employees should not only have access to this equipment, but should be trained in their use and proper rigging. However, most of the times injuries and fatalities from height are avoidable and caused because the injured party either did not have access to proper fall protection equipment or did not choose to use fall protection devices when working. Don’t risk your life unnecessarily – follow proper procedures to ensure your safety!
