A local Toronto company was recently fined $100,000 for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act after a worker was killed. The worker was walking backwards and tripped and fell through a skylight. The worker fell approximately 5.5 metres (18 feet) on to the concrete ground below and the injuries proved to be fatal. The Ministry of Labour determined that there was no means of fall protection provided (or used) which led to the death.
There are many
solutions for protecting workers from falling through skylights. These systems include:
- cables systems,
- guard rails, and
- localized anchors
What Type Of Work Is Being Completed While Fall Protection Is A Concern?
This can include:
- washing the windows from a ladder (on the ground)
- antennas
- cooling towers
- drains
- equipment located on the exterior of the building (from a ladder on the ground)
- lights
- mechanical units
- pipes
- roofing
- satellites
- surveillance cameras
Pro-Bel recently blogged about “Workers Falling Through Skylights” on 2/27/2013. Please take a moment to read the blog (http://probelenterprises.blogspot.ca/2013/02/workers-falling-through-skylights.html) and more importantly the Ministry of Labour alert that was issued.
