Working at heights is by nature a risky business. Nonetheless, construction workers, painters, window washers, firefighters, scaffolders and live performance workers are among those whose jobs require them to work at elevations. The question of safety is paramount in their performance. Prevention is the goal, but if falls do occur, a method of arresting or stopping and cushioning the impact is necessary.

Much research has focused on the best methods of fall prevention. The obvious one is simply to eliminate the risk of a fall by eliminating the need to work at heights. In the construction and other trades, however, this is impractical. Several studies have looked at the effectiveness of various safety devices for workers who are at risk of falling more than 2.4 meters (8 feet). These devices include:

• guardrails
• safety decking
• fall arrest mats
• safety netting
• various types of fall arrest systems, including full-body safety harnesses and lanyards
.

All of these have their benefits and disadvantages and appropriate uses.

Guardrails are structures, often made of wood, positioned at the edges of construction sites, roofs, and scaffoldings. Standards for the dimensions of guardrails may vary from province to province.

Safety netting can be used effectively in construction of industrial framed buildings. Trained personnel are required to install, dismantle and inspect the netting, and no worker should work above nets without proper training.

Safety harnesses, also called fall protection harnesses, are widely used, and are effective if fitted properly. The one-size-fits-all harness is obviously wishful thinking. A 70 kg worker will not get the same protection from the same harness as a 110 kg worker. An ill fitting harness will certainly still stop a fall, but can injure the worker who is dangling in mid-air if the straps and metal supports are not contoured to the individual's shape.

Just as important as the harness are the lanyard or line that stops the fall, and the anchor point for the lanyard. Even a short-distance fall by a worker will generate substantial forces - sometimes compared to suspending an automobile in mid-air. Anchor points must be carefully planned, usually in consultation with an engineer. And the length of the lanyard must allow for the stretch in the material resulting from the fall. Manufacturers provide data so you can choose the correct length and avoid contact with the ground or other objects.

A word on suspension trauma
When fall arrest systems are used, the possibility of suspension trauma is a serious concern. This condition, which is potentially fatal, occurs when a person is suspended motionless in a vertical position in the harness while awaiting rescue.

Normally, muscle contractions during walking and other movement help push circulating blood back up to the heart. However, if a person is vertical, motionless and perhaps in shock, blood tends to pool around the legs, putting extra pressure on the heart while it attempts to pump blood to the brain. The situation can be made worse by the constrictions of the harness. Suspended workers with head injuries or who are unconscious are particularly at risk. The person must be rescued quickly (under ten minutes) and gradually brought to a horizontal position. Otherwise, cardiac arrest may occur.

For these reasons, it is important that managers develop and implement an on-site rescue plan. Co-workers must be trained and practiced in rescue procedures, so they can act quickly and knowledgeably in an emergency. Smaller companies may contract for assistance from rescue organizations such as the local fire department. Coordination with local medical personnel is essential to support on-site efforts.

People working at heights must be trained in practical fall prevention and fall arrest techniques. Whenever personal protective equipment is used, the worker needs to know how to properly use and maintain the gear. The manager is responsible to provide appropriate training, and safety equipment that complies with safety standards. Managers should be aware of new developments to keep up with the ongoing research in fall prevention and arrest. Creating a culture of safety that includes all workers, whether on short or long-term projects, is the underlining net you really need.

More on fall protective equipment from OSH Answers

Health and safety bulletin from OSHA on suspension trauma

Will Your Safety Harness Kill You? CDC (From Occupational Health and Safety Magazine)

Harness Suspension: Review and Evaluation of Existing Information Health and Safety Executive (UK)

A New Brunswick worker who was completing repairs in a chipper machine left one of his tools inside the conveyor. When he descended into the conveyor to retrieve the tool, someone started the conveyor at the operator's console. The worker was crushed to death in the machine.

Too many workers lose their limbs or their lives from working on machinery that is not properly locked out. New Brunswick's Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission (WHSCC) has issued a hazard alert, "Lock Out -- Your Life and Limbs Depend On It" to raise awareness of the importance of lockout procedures for all potentially hazardous machinery.

The WHSCC recommends the following preventive action:

• Employers must ensure that a machine has a properly identified, lockable means of isolating the energy source, in a location familiar to all employees. The employer must also provide a safety lock and key to employees who may have to lock out a machine.
• A written lockout procedure is necessary for each machine being cleaned, maintained, adjusted or repaired. Each procedure must state that :
  • No employee can work on the machine until a competent person has put the machine in a zero energy state (see the full document for details);
  • Each employee working on the machine must verify that all potential energy sources have been made inoperative, lock out the machine using the safety lock and key provided by the employer, and attach a tag to the lock;
  • A lockout device or tag on a machine must never be removed, except by the person who installed it (unless that person cannot be contacted).
• Employers are responsible for ensuring that any worker using a machine has been trained in its safe and proper use and understands the hazards associated with the task.
• Where lockout is inappropriate, employers must establish a code of practice in consultation with employees, to ensure their safety on the job.

Worker burned from methyl hydrate
An another hazard alert from WorkSafe BC explains how a worker who was using methyl hydrate (methanol) to score laminated glass in an auto shop ended up severely burned.

The methyl hydrate was stored in a plastic jug with a nail hole punched near the top. The worker - who had 20 years' experience working in an auto glass shop - squirted the chemical onto the cut line, then moved the jug a short distance aside. After he ignited the methyl hydrate on the cut line, the flame followed the fluid back to the jug. The jug caught fire and exploded and the auto shop caught on fire.

WorkSafe BC suggests the following to perform this task safely:

• Decant the methyl hydrate with a funnel - in a well-ventilated area - into a safety bottle that is specially designed so that the fluid or flame cannot be sucked back into the bottle.
• Apply only the necessary quantity, in a controlled stream, and put the safety bottle on a separate surface before lighting the methyl hydrate on the glass.
• Light no more than the score line at one time.
• Ensure that safety bottles are free of leaks or other signs of wear or damage, and keep a spare on hand.
• Store the original container of methyl hydrate in an area away from any ignition source.

Read the full hazard alerts:

WorkSafe BC- Worker burned working with methyl hydrate
New Brunswick's WHSCC - Lock out

CCOHS will be releasing a new Lockout e-course in March 2006.

If you, like most working Canadians, are hearing a lot about WHMIS but aren't exactly sure what it's all about, the following Q&A; might shed light on the beloved acronym.

What is WHMIS?
The Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) is Canada's comprehensive way of providing information on the safe use of hazardous materials used in workplaces. That information comes in the form of hazard identification and classification through product labels, material safety data sheets (MSDS) and worker education programs.

What is the purpose of WHMIS training?
The overall goal is to give workers knowledge and information that will protect their health and safety every day on the job.

Do I have to be educated and trained in WHMIS?
Yes. All Canadian jurisdictions require that employers develop, implement, and maintain a worker education program that will enable workers to work safely with hazardous chemicals. The first step is classification (i.e. is it a controlled product?) of the products used in your workplace. You are required to learn how to use product labels and data sheets, how products may affect a person's health or safety, and what the necessary safety and emergency response procedures are in the workplace.

What do you mean by 'controlled product?'
Controlled products are what we call products, materials, and substances that are regulated by WHMIS legislation. (Products that are not controlled don't need labels, MSDS's or training). All controlled products fall into one or more of six WHMIS classes that consider the product's health, fire and reactivity hazards.

What, in general, does a WHMIS training program include?
Very simply, training typically has two parts:

1. Education about labels, MSDSs, and other identifiers. You will learn about the information printed on labels and MSDSs - such as the type of chemical product, its location, and the colours, numbers and abbreviations that identify it -- and understand what it all means.
2. Training in work procedures such as storage, handling, use, disposal, emergencies, and what to do in unusual situations.

When will my WHMIS training come in handy?
WHMIS is about enabling workers to work safely with hazardous chemicals to prevent incidents or respond effectively to them when they do occur. In the event of a chemical incident, you'll have the confidence of knowing more than just that the MSDS suggests a particular type of respirator for protection against certain products. As a WHMIS-trained worker, you will know where to get the respirator, where its use is mandatory in the plant, how to test it for fit, and how to maintain and store it. If your WHMIS program is successful, you'll know how to safely use a controlled product and understand why such procedures are necessary.

What makes a WHMIS program successful?
At the end of the education and training program, you should be able to answer four general questions:

1. Where can I get hazard information?
2. What are the hazards of the controlled product
?
3. How am I protected from those hazards?
4. What do I do in the case of an emergency?

How do I get more information?
Visit OSH Answers for more on WHMIS and links to additional resources.

Find out more about CCOHS' WHMIS e-learning courses: WHMIS for Workers and WHMIS for Managers and Supervisors

Find out more about CCOHS' free WHMIS Classifications Database, or search it.

A team of sixteen researchers from eight different universities is pooling their expertise at a new facility to prevent and raise awareness of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). A common source of work-related disability, these disorders are also known as repetitive strain injuries (RSI), cumulative trauma disorders (CTD) or musculoskeletal injuries (MSI).

The Centre for Research Expertise in the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (CRE-MSD) is based at the University of Waterloo, within the faculty of Applied Health Sciences, and under the direction of Dr. Richard Wells, a professor of kinesiology. The Centre focuses on applied research that targets musculoskeletal disorders and disabilities, from acute back injuries to the slow onset of back and upper limb disorders.

"Musculoskeletal disorders are common in Ontario workers and workplaces, and have a high personal, social and economic consequence," says Wells. "The focus of the Centre is to reduce this terrible burden and produce evidence-based research that will improve the design of work and the systems within workplaces that will minimize the adverse health effects that are being experienced by workers."

The researchers at CRE-MSD represent a wide array of disciplines: muscle physiology and biochemistry, ergonomics, kinesiology, disability assessment, spinal biomechanics, occupational and orthopedic medicine, mechanical and industrial engineering, occupational biomechanics, economics, sociology and adult education. They work in collaboration with consultants and ergonomists from Ontario's Health and Safety Associations, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, the Ministry of Labour, and union and employer representatives. These relationships help ensure that the research is relevant and directly transferable to workplaces, both at the worker level and at the organizational level.

"The Centre's role is to fund, launch and support a broad range of relevant research in the area of musculoskeletal injury," says Wells. "Everything from learning more about the biological changes that occur with these injuries to implementing and evaluating workplace interventions in different work sectors and environments." Research topics already under discussion include:

• The development of practical tools for workplace practitioners;
• Methods of analyzing combined tasks;
• Who is the best person to coordinate return-to-work, and what is the role of the ergonomist in this process?
• How will jobs have to be adapted to the aging workforce?
• Evaluation of participatory ergonomics approaches in medium sized industries.

The Centre has already funded twelve small seed grants that will help researchers formulate longer-term, more comprehensive research projects and establish relationships with stakeholders.

Visit the CRE-MSD website: www.cre-msd.uwaterloo.ca

People who fall down don't always fall from a great height. In fact the majority, approximately 60 percent, fall because they have slipped or tripped at ground level. These same-level falls are a common cause of injury and disability in the workplace.

A new online e-course from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) offers guidance on how to prevent same-level falls in the workplace. It contains practical information, tips, and examples to help workers, managers, supervisors and health and safety committees understand the causes of falls and take preventive action. The information applies to all work environments, including offices, the service sector, manufacturing and construction.

Users will learn the basic causes of slips, trips and falls. The course explains how factors such as floor surface, stairs, walkways, housekeeping, obstructions, spills, and outdoor slip/trip hazards can all determine whether or not a workplace is a safe place to walk. It focuses on injury prevention, and outlines the responsibilities of workers and employers under occupational health and safety law.

The content of "Preventing Falls from Slips and Trips" is suitable for managers, supervisors and workers who may encounter slip and trip hazards in the workplace, and for facilities managers, workplace committee members, safety professionals and human resources staff who are responsible for safety training and compliance. Anyone who needs to improve their awareness of same-level fall hazards can benefit from this course.

The course on average takes 45-50 minutes to complete. A certificate of completion is issued after the learner passes the exam. The user-friendly, online e-learning format allows users to learn at their own pace, in their own environment.

E-learning courses from CCOHS are unique in that they provide the user with course content that is:

• Credible - developed by CCOHS subject specialists
• Accurate, current and written in clear language - reviewed by other CCOHS subject specialists to ensure quality standards are met
• Unbiased - reviewed externally by representatives of government, employers and labour
• Available in English and French

"Preventing Falls from Slips and Trips" does not cover falls from heights - falls off ladders, off roofs, or down stairs. These topics will be addressed separately in future e-courses from CCOHS.

Registration and pricing information is available on the CCOHS website.

More information about the benefits of e-learning