January 27, 2015
BARRIE, ON - Jebco Industries Inc., a company that operates a coatings, linings and moulding facility in Innisfil, has pleaded guilty and has been fined $30,000 after a worker was observed working on top of a flatbed trailer without using a safety harness or other fall protection equipment as required by law. No one was injured.
On February 13, 2013, a Ministry of Labour inspector attended Jebco’s industrial workplace located at 3270 Clifford Court to follow up a previous inspection. Upon arrival, the inspector saw that in the yard outside, the load of a flatbed trailer was being covered with a tarpaulin and secured. There was a forklift on the passenger side of the truck; the forks of the forklift were raised in the air and loaded with a platform, upon which stood a worker.
The worker on the platform was adjusting the tarp or straps at the top of the load on the flatbed trailer. The worker left the platform and climbed on top of the load, about 13 feet from the ground. The inspector saw the worker perch on the edge of the load on the flatbed truck while trying to tarp it.
The worker was not using fall protection such as a safety harness. The Occupational Health and Safety Act and Ontario Regulation 851 require that any worker exposed to the hazard of falling more than three metres must wear a safety belt or harness and lifeline (a fall arrest system).
In addition, the inspector also saw two workers standing under the load of the forklift. This contravenes a section of the regulation that states that a lifting device must be operated so no part of the load passes over any worker.
Jebco Industries Inc. pleaded guilty to failing, as an employer, to ensure that measures and procedures prescribed by law are carried out in the workplace. The company was fined $30,000 by Justice of the Peace Dennis D. White in Provincial Offences Court in Barrie on January 27, 2015.
In addition to the fine, the court imposed a 25-per-cent victim fine surcharge as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.
Unsafe working at heights is one of the leading causes of fatalities and hazards at Ontario workplaces.
Because OSHA doesn’t typically bother with ‘lone wolf’ inspection companies with no working employees. The ‘owner’ can fall off a skyscraper for all they care, as long as he doesn’t fall on someone when he lands!
Well, they give you the possibility to have a responsible individual to go up there to attach the tie-on bracket. All others following are to be secured…
That being said, most smaller roofing companies don’t bother since it’s too tedious to do setup and removal… It’s all about time and coin!
I was in a OSHA meeting the other day and wanted to ask the lady speaking if she would fine me for not wearing a seat belt while on my motorcycle. Some of that stuff is ridiculous and some of it you can understand. Fines reach up to $70,000, which is absurd in my opinion. She asked at the end of the meeting if there were any questions; everyone looked around at each other like “don’t ask her anything, they might make a new rule”!
I try to help my builders out by calling them when I see some issues. One I see all the time is the roofers will tie off to each other, which always makes me laugh out loud.
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[/RIGHT] [FONT=Times New Roman]Working at Heights Training [/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri]Content last reviewed: December 2014 [/FONT]
As of April 1, 2015, certain workers will need to complete a working at heights training program that has been approved by the Chief Prevention Officer before they can work at heights.
The new training requirement is for workers on construction projects who use any of the following methods of fall protection:
[FONT=Calibri]travel restraint systems [/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri]fall restricting systems [/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri]fall arrest systems [/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri]safety nets [/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri]work belts or safety belts [/FONT]
There is a two year transition period for workers who already meet the existing fall protection training requirements set out in section 26.2 of the Construction Regulation. These workers will have until April 1, 2017 to complete an approved working at heights training program.
The new training requirements in the Occupational Health and Safety Awareness and Training Regulation will be in addition to the current training requirements under the Construction Regulation. [FONT=Times New Roman]Standards and Guidelines[/FONT]