Since the workplace accident that claimed the life of the manager of the Le Fort de la Montagne complex in June 2020, CNESST has been paying particular attention to safety when working on roofs. More specifically, for work carried out within 2 meters of the edge or any other place where a worker could fall. This article is intended as a reminder of certain safety concepts, and as food for thought in reviewing your procedures for accessing and working on roofs.
Fatal accident and investigation report
Regarding this accident at the Le Fort de la Montagne complex, the CNESST investigation report reveals that the property manager went to the roof of the building to take simple photos and draw up sketches of the ventilation systems. However, he tripped over the protruding part of a concrete slab, lost his balance and moved to the parapet at the edge of the roof, only to topple over it and fall some 36 metres. He was pronounced dead on the spot.
Tolerance 0
You’ll no doubt be aware that the risk associated with falls from heights of over three metres is one of CNESST’s current Tolerances 0 standards. This means that in the event of non-compliance, CNESST will stop the work, and those at fault will be liable to criminal prosecution. This is not a subject to be taken lightly, as the risks involved in working at height are considerable, and the consequences can be very serious. You can avoid serious situations by preparing properly and increasing your safety measures. Other subjects on the CNESST Tolerance 0 list relating to work at height include falls from ladders and scaffolding.
Reminder: eliminate hazards at source
A key concept in prevention is the elimination of danger at source, and this is no exception when planning work on a roof. The elimination of danger at source is also the aim of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. As a result, performing as many tasks as possible from the ground eliminates the danger at source when risks arise from working at height. If it is possible to carry out work on the ground, every effort must be made to do so, and workers must respect this. We remind you that it is the employer’s duty to offer and verify that the work methods and techniques used are adequate to safeguard the health and safety of workers.
Roofing safety and work
Different types of work can be carried out on a roof, such as snow removal, ventilation system maintenance, elevator maintenance, re-roofing and so on. All these activities must be carefully planned to avoid accidents and meet the highest safety standards. Especially if you don’t often have to carry out work on a roof, consider calling in a specialized company to do the work if your workers aren’t trained or equipped to carry out this type of task.
As an employer or even a building owner, however, you need to ensure that both roof access and the roof itself are safe for your workers or subcontractors. It’s vital to reduce the risk of falls, and to ensure that only authorized users have access. Employers are responsible for ensuring that establishments under their control are properly and safely designed to protect workers.
Means of protection – guardrails, fall arresters, anchoring systems, safety harnesses, etc.
First of all, it’s important to note that the preferred means of protection is the installation of a guardrail to prevent falls. In fact, under the Regulation respecting occupational health and safety, it is mandatory to install guardrails on the sides of a roof where there is a risk of falling more than three meters. Certain types of work may make installation impossible, so other equivalent means must be used. We are referring here to the wearing of a safety harness connected to an anchoring system by a fall arrest link for the worker, in addition to the use of another means to limit access to the work area. In these circumstances, it could be the presence of a warning line. It’s up to the employer to provide personal protective equipment, and to ensure that workers use it correctly.
In reality, whether we’re talking about guardrails, anchoring systems, harnesses, fall-arrest links, warning lines, securing lanyards, reels, energy absorbers, nets or other devices, there are many elements to take into account when selecting the right equipment and means of protection. Among other things, you’ll need to determine what’s appropriate depending on the slope of the roof on which the work is being carried out, the duration or frequency of the work, the size of the area or surface on which the work is being carried out, the number of workers, the nature of the work, and so on. Don’t forget to consult the standards applicable to your equipment.
Fall with safety harness
A safety harness is a piece of personal protective equipment worn by a worker and attached by a fall-arrest link to an anchorage point. The aim is to restrain a worker who has fallen, but the worker cannot remain suspended in the void indefinitely thanks to this equipment. You need to be aware of the possibility of suspension trauma for suspended workers. The way the harness surrounds the worker’s thighs and pelvis will eventually deprive vital organs of blood as a build-up occurs in the worker’s legs. This trauma develops within 15 minutes of the fall, and can lead to serious consequences, including death. Planning a rescue procedure is the way to prepare workers for such a situation, and to enable them to know the procedure for rescuing a worker suspended by his or her safety harness. By being prepared, everyone involved will be able to act quickly, within the short 15-minute timeframe, and won’t be taken by surprise.
Whether you’re an employer or a building owner, if you have any questions about safety measures, don’t hesitate to contact our Human Capital team. We can also help you draw up policies and procedures for occupational health and safety, and for human resources in general.
This article was written by Alice Cloutier, CRIA
