Fall protection equipment or a guardrail system is a necessity for employers and employees while working from heights. The Honourable Kevin O�Brien, Minister of Government Services, demonstrated today, while visiting a new home construction site in St. Thomas, how easy it is to use fall protection equipment.

"We know that the majority of workers are aware of fall protection systems but when Occupational Health and Safety officers with the Department of Government Services visit sites where these systems are required, workers are not using them," said Minister O�Brien. "It is vitally important that workers start using this equipment not just because they are required to do so by regulations, but because it can save their lives should they fall from even a short height. Fall protection equipment is easy to use and should be taken seriously."

Falls are among the greatest risk of injury or death in the construction sector with construction workers falling off edges of every description, the most common being roofs. The Occupational Health and Safety Branch has issued over 80 stop work orders to employers and employees this year alone for non-compliance with fall protection requirements under the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations. These constitute the vast majority of stop work orders issued to date. Over the past few years, officers have prosecuted several employers for lack of fall protection and in 2007 issued 144 stop work orders to employers for a lack of fall protection.

The Occupational Health and Safety Branch continues to be aggressive in enforcing fall protection requirements on construction sites, specifically on residential sites. It will continue to monitor employers and employees to ensure they have the necessary controls in place to prevent falls.

"We have seen a disturbing trend in the last couple of years where a number of fatal falls have occurred among small crews doing jobs of low cost and short duration," said Minister O�Brien. "The contractors evidently thought the jobs were small and quick enough not to warrant fall protection. That was their fatal mistake. Complying with the regulations and current good practices would prevent most, if not all, fall injuries and deaths from roofs. There are fall protection solutions for working at heights. We just need to use them more often."

Employers and employees need to apply the following requirements to make these workplaces safer by preventing falls:

• Always use a fall arrest or travel restraint system when working at heights (personal fall protection equipment consists of components such as full body harness, lanyard and shock absorber, rope grap and lifeline);
• Use roof top anchorage systems, they are available;
• Use proper constructed scaffolding;
• Extend ladders three feet above the landing area on the roof, and secure them against slipping; and,
• Ensure workers receive proper training and education regarding the use of fall protection equipment prior to using.

"These few simple steps could save lives and make workplaces safer," said Minister O�Brien. "The regulations are clear that adequate fall protection must be implemented anywhere where there is a hazard of falling 10 feet or greater. A fall does not have to be from a great height to cause serious injury or death."