Ontario

Fall Protection - Protection contre les chutes

This material has been extracted from the Acts and Regulations of the Province to help students understand the subject. It is not an official source of information and must not be used for any other purpose.

The following is © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 2009 - 2009

Occupational Health and Safety Act - R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 851

52.  A crane, lift truck or similar equipment shall be used to support, raise or lower a worker only when,
(a) the worker is on a platform,
(i) equipped with adequate safety devices that will automatically prevent the platform and load from falling if the platform's normal support fails,
(ii) suspended from a boom that does not move, and the person is attached to a separate lifeline suspended from the boom or a fixed support capable of supporting at least four times the weight of the worker, or
(iii) attached to a mast, or boom which,
(A) is hydraulically or pneumatically operated, and
(B) is equipped with a safety device that will prevent free fall of the platform in the event of a pressure line failure;

85.  Where a worker is exposed to the hazard of falling and the surface to which he or she might fall is more than three metres below the position where he or she is situated,
(a) the worker shall wear a serviceable safety belt or harness and lifeline adequately secured to a fixed support and so arranged that the worker cannot fall freely for a vertical distance of more than 1.5 metres; and
(b) the fall arresting system described in clause (a) shall,
(i) have sufficient capacity to absorb twice the energy and twice the load that under the circumstances of its use may be transmitted to it, and
(ii) be equipped with a shock absorber or other devices to limit the maximum arresting force to 8.0 kilonewtons to the wearer. R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 851, s. 85.
86.  Where a worker is exposed to the hazard of falling into liquid that is of sufficient depth for a life jacket to be effective as protectionfrom the risk of drowning, there shall be an alarm system and rescue equipment, appropriate in the circumstances, to ensure the worker's rescue from the liquid and,
(a) the worker shall wear a life jacket; or
(b) the employer shall develop written measures and procedures to prevent the worker from drowning and shall implement them. O. Reg. 284/99, s. 1.