On-Site's Construction Forum
What prevents you from wearing your safety harness?
by Alicia Brady, the Construction Safety Network
Two years ago, a Langley construction worker plunged through a hole in a sheet-metal roof with nothing between him and the concrete floor, 10 meters below. Before he hit the ground, he prepared to die. The fall shattered his pelvis, broke his arm in three places, split open his liver and kidney, and damaged his spleen beyond repair. Amazingly, he survived, but with catastrophic injuries that prevent him from kickboxing and snowboarding ever again.
While last December, 23-year-old Saskatoon worker Andrew Smith, was killed after plummeting six storeys while working on a luxury condominium. Also a 35-year old coworker who tried to catch Smith was seriously injured. Interestingly, Smith had been corrected on several occasions for not properly wearing his fall-protection equipment. However, the employer never moved from advising to corrective discipline and now faces criminal charges for Smith’s death.
Prevention is key in both instances to avoid the negative impacts of injuries such as recovery and legal action. Recovery is often filled with pain and difficulty and the injured worker may suffer from post-traumatic stress or need counseling to help them cope with the anguish of the accident and its aftermath.
Organizations, including corporations, may face criminal charges under Bill C-45 for the acts of their representatives if "reasonable steps" to ensure the safety of workers and the public were not taken. Whether workers pose safety hazards to themselves or safety hazards on the jobsite go undetected and un-remedied it is important to take action to both prevent workers from noncompliance and prevent avoidable falls on the jobsite.
Falls through holes or from elevation can happen to any worker, no matter your job or task on-site. As the leading construction safety association in B.C., the Construction Safety Network would like to know your opinion about safety harness noncompliance on the jobsite. What do you believe are the leading causes workers don’t wear their safety harness and/or tie off at work? Do you have workers who refuse to wear their safety harness? What solutions have you implemented and enforced to ensure your workers comply with regulations? Send us an email at info@safetynetwork.bc.ca before midnight on September 18, 2009. Your input will help the CSN to work with regulatory bodies and manufacturers of fall protection gear to improve wear ability and provide prevention solutions for other construction companies. Due to the numbers of responses the CSN will not be able to respond to individual emails.
For more information about the Construction Safety Network and to learn how we can help you make your workplace safer visit: www.safetynetwork.bc.ca.