Fall Protection Basics
Falls are the number one killer in construction. Not exotic accidents — routine work at height where the protection stayed in the truck because the job was 'just a few minutes.' A free talk from Blue Crane Works in Hamilton, Ontario, with a printable sign-in sheet.
How to run it
Read it through once, then talk it — don't recite it. Five minutes at the start of the shift, crew standing where the work happens. Ontario's Occupational Health and Safety Act requires every employer to provide information, instruction and supervision to protect workers (s. 25(2)(a)). A talk like this, led by a supervisor or someone they trust, is one way to do it, and the sign-in sheet is what proves it happened.
Talk through these points
- Know your site's fall protection plan — anchor points, systems in use, and rescue. If you can't name the plan, that's today's problem to fix.
- Inspect your harness before each use: webbing, stitching, D-rings, buckles, and the label. Damage or a deployed shock absorber means it's done.
- A harness only works with the right anchor. Guessing at an anchor point is not an anchor point.
- Fit matters: snug legs and chest, D-ring between the shoulder blades. A loose harness turns a fall arrest into an injury of its own.
- Guardrails beat harnesses — engineering the hazard away beats strapping into it. Ask whether the edge can be railed first.
- A suspended worker after a fall is still an emergency — rescue has to happen in minutes, which is why the plan exists BEFORE the fall.
Ask the crew
- Who inspected their harness this morning — actually looked at it?
- What's our rescue plan if someone's hanging on the east wall?
- Is there an edge on this job we could guard instead of harnessing?
The answers are the real talk. If a question lands on a live hazard, write it down and assign it a name and a date.
Paper it
A talk without a record didn't happen, as far as anyone who asks is concerned. Print these free:
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