with Gabriele Fusco P.Eng., President Peakworks Inc.
In the development of laws and regulations, there is always a pivotal moment that makes governments, industry and regulating bodies spring to action and formulate a law.
The most influential incident that I can remember in my career that changed the standard was the development of the CSA standard for a “Panic Rope Grab”. The incident took place approximately 12 years ago when a tower climber was climbing a structure during the winter. The worker was wearing a full body harness attached to a rope grab and a vertical lifeline. All the PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) were CSA approved products and the user was certified to work at heights. As he was climbing up the structure at the 112 ft level, he lost his footing. The worker was found at the bottom of the tower with the full body harness and rope grab still connected.
The coroner’s report revealed that the injuries the worker suffered to his hand were consist with a worker grabbing on to something as he was falling in attempt to gain his balance. This phenomenon was known in the fall protection industry as a “panic” grip on the rope grab. The Ministry of Labour (MOL) lobbied the CSA technical committee to have the CSA Standard Z259.2.1 for fall arrester revised to include a design requirement that would ensure that in the event the worker tries the grab onto the eye of the rope grab, that the rope grab would still function and arrest the user’s fall. This single accident changed the way all rope grabs were designed going forward, thus creating the Panic Rope Grab classification. Now all rope grabs in the industry are a safer product stemming from this single accident.
Did You Know? Anyone that is working at heights should be properly trained and have the certificate to prove their competency. Also a fall protection plan is a requirement from the MOL for any work that is to take place at heights, which should include a rescue plan.
Fines: An employee caught at heights without the proper equipment or training is would be subject to a min. fine of $250.00. An employer may be criminally responsible and could serve time for an injury or death due to a fall.
Ask the Experts: Understanding how a fall protection system should be used is sometimes not as simple as it looks. The ABC’s of fall protection are not clear and simple for all applications. Using a Fall Protection expert to analyze and assess your fall protection hazards is a simple way to ensure your workers are properly protected and the system will safely arrest their fall without injury.
PeakWorks also provides training, recertification programs, audit, and productivity gains, decreased down time and a cost-benefit analysis in order to facilitate compliance with law C21.
PeakWorks can help you reduce incidents at your facility and reduce the cost of safety.
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