Alert First Aid

BC Legistation

British Columbia - Colombie-Britannique

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 © 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Copyright Workers' Compensation Board of British Columbia
Richmond, B.C., Canada. All rights reserved.
Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Regulation

 

11.2 Obligation to use fall protection
(1) Unless elsewhere provided for in this Regulation, an employer must ensure that a fall protection system is used when work is being done at a place
(a) from which a fall of 3 m (10 ft) or more may occur, or
(b) where a fall from a height of less than 3 m involves a risk of injury greater than the risk of injury from the impact on a flat surface.
(2) The employer must ensure that guardrails meeting the requirements of Part 4 (General Conditions) or other similar means of fall restraint are used when practicable.
(3) If subsection (2) is not practicable, the employer must ensure that another fall restraint system is used.
(4) If subsection (3) is not practicable, the employer must ensure that a fall arrest system is used.
(5) If the use of a fall arrest system is not practicable, or will result in a hazard greater than if the system was not used, the employer must ensure that work procedures are followed that are acceptable to the Board and minimize the risk of injury to a worker from a fall.
(6) Before a worker is allowed into an area where a risk of falling exists, the employer must ensure that the worker is instructed in the fall protection system for the area and the procedures to be followed.
(7) A worker must use the fall protection system provided by the employer.
       [Amended by B.C. Reg. 420/2004, effective January 1, 2005.]

11.3 Fall protection plan
(1) The employer must have a written fall protection plan for a workplace if
(a) work is being done at a location where workers are not protected by permanent guardrails, and from which a fall of 7.5 m (25 ft) or more may occur, or
(b) section 11.2(5) applies.
(c) Repealed. [B.C. Reg. 420/2004, effective January 1, 2005.]
(2) The fall protection plan must be available at the workplace before work with a risk of falling begins.
(3) Repealed. [B.C. Reg. 420/2004, effective January 1, 2005.]
       [Amended by B.C. Reg. 420/2004, effective January 1, 2005.]

11.4 Selection of harness or belt
(1) A worker must wear a full body harness or other harness acceptable to the Board when using a personal fall protection system for fall arrest.
(2) A worker must wear a safety belt, a full body harness or other harness acceptable to the Board when using a personal fall protection system for fall restraint.
       [Enacted by B.C. Reg. 420/2004, effective January 1, 2005.]

11.5 Equipment standards
Equipment used for a fall protection system must
(a) consist of compatible and suitable components,
(b) be sufficient to support the fall restraint or arrest forces, and
(c) meet, and be used in accordance with, an applicable CSA or ANSI standard in effect when the equipment was manufactured, subject to any modification or upgrading considered necessary by the Board.
       [Enacted by B.C. Reg. 420/2004, effective January 1, 2005.]

11.6 Anchors
(1) In a temporary fall restraint system, an anchor for a personal fall protection system must have an ultimate load capacity in any direction in which a load may be applied of at least
(a) 3.5 kN (800 lbs), or
(b) four times the weight of the worker to be connected to the system.
(2) Each personal fall protection system that is connected to an anchor must be secured to an independent point of anchorage.
(3) In a temporary fall arrest system, an anchor for a personal fall protection system must have an ultimate load capacity in any direction required to resist a fall of at least
(a) 22 kN (5 000 lbs), or
(b) two times the maximum arrest force.
(4) A permanent anchor for a personal fall protection system must have an ultimate load capacity in any direction required to resist a fall of at least 22 kN (5 000 lbs).
       [Enacted by B.C. Reg. 420/2004, effective January 1, 2005.]
       [Amended by B.C. Reg. 19/2006, effective May 17, 2006.]

11.7 Temporary horizontal lifelines
A temporary horizontal lifeline system may be used if the system is
(a) manufactured for commercial distribution and installed and used in accordance with the written instructions from the manufacturer or authorized agent, and the instructions are readily available in the workplace,
(b) installed and used in accordance with written instructions certified by a professional engineer, and the instructions are readily available in the workplace, or
(c) designed, installed and used in a manner acceptable to the Board.
       [Enacted by B.C. Reg. 420/2004, effective January 1, 2005.]
       [Amended by B.C. Reg. 19/2006, effective May 17, 2006.]

 

11.8 Certification by engineer
The following types of equipment and systems, and their installation, must be certified by a professional engineer:
(a) permanent anchors,
(b) anchors with multiple attachment points,
(c) permanent horizontal lifeline systems, and
(d) support structures for safety nets.
       [Enacted by B.C. Reg. 420/2004, effective January 1, 2005.]

11.9 Inspection and maintenance
Equipment used in a fall protection system must be
(a) inspected by a qualified person before use on each workshift,
(b) kept free from substances and conditions that could contribute to its deterioration, and
(c) maintained in good working order.
       [Enacted by B.C. Reg. 420/2004, effective January 1, 2005.]

11.10 Removal from service
(1) After a fall protection system has arrested the fall of a worker, it must
(a) be removed from service, and
(b) not be returned to service until it has been inspected and recertified as safe for use by the manufacturer or its authorized agent, or by a professional engineer.
(2) Subject to subsection (3), subsection (1) (b) does not apply to a personal fall protection system designed and intended for reuse by a performer in the entertainment industry for conducting a planned fall sequence.
(3) The following conditions must be met before a personal fall protection system described in subsection (2) will be exempt from subsection (1) (b):
(a) the system must be designed and used in accordance with a standard acceptable to the Board;
(b) each use of the system must be carried out in accordance with the plan for the conduct of the fall;
(c) the peak arrest forces generated in the system during each use must be at or below both the planned limits and the maximum forces allowed for the system;
(d) after each use of the system no part of the system, including the anchorage, may be reused until a qualified person has inspected it and determined it is in serviceable condition and safe for reuse.