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• 12.09 (1) If there is a risk of injury due to falling in a work place and the fall-protection plan requires that a personal fall-protection system be used, the employer must provide such a system to every person — other than a person who is installing or dismantling a fall-protection system — who is granted access to the work place.

• (2) A personal fall-protection system must meet the requirements set out in the following CSA Group standards:

  • (a) Z259.16, Design of active fall-protection systems; and

  • (b) Z259.17, Selection and use of active fall-protection equipment and systems.

• (3) The components of a personal fall-protection system must meet the requirements set out in the following CSA Group standards:

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  • (d) Z259.2.4, Fall arresters and vertical rigid rails;

  • (e) Z259.2.5, Fall arresters and vertical lifelines;

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  • (h) Z259.12, Connecting components for personal fall-arrest systems (PFAS);

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  • (j) Z259.14, Fall restrict equipment for wood pole climbing; and

• (4) The components of a personal fall-protection system must be compatible and must be used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

• (5) If more than one personal fall-protection system is secured to an anchorage, a separate anchorage connector must be used for each personal fall-protection system.

• (6) The employer must ensure that a person who is using a personal fall-protection system wears and uses a full body harness.

• (7) The employer must ensure that, before each work shift, every employee inspects their personal fall-protection system in accordance with the fall-protection plan.

• (8) The employer must ensure that a person who works on an aerial device, boom-type elevating platform, scissor lift platform, forklift truck platform or any similar personnel lifting equipment in the circumstances described in subsection 12.07(1) uses a fall-restraint system that is connected to

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  • (b) if no anchorage is specified by the manufacturer, an anchorage that is certified by a person who is authorized to exercise the profession of engineering in Canada and that meets the requirements set out in CSA Group Standard Z259.16, Design of active fall-protection systems.

• (9) If the use of a fall-restraint system would prevent the person referred to in subsection (8) from carrying out their work, the employer must ensure that a fall-arrest system is used.

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• 12.06 (1) If there is a risk of injury due to falling in any of the circumstances described in paragraphs 12.07(1)(a), (b) or (c) in a work place, the employer must, before any work activities begin,

  • (a) develop a fall-protection plan in consultation with the work place committee or the health and safety representative; and

  • (b) ensure that a copy of the fall-protection plan is readily available at the work place for consultation.

• (2) The fall-protection plan must specify

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  • (b) the fall-protection systems that have been chosen to protect against the identified hazards;

  • (c) if a personal fall-protection system is used, the anchorage to be used during the work;

  • (d) if a fall-arrest system is used, the clearance distance below each work area;

  • (e) if there are no manufacturer’s instructions with respect to the storage, maintenance, inspection, testing, fitting, installation, use or dismantling of equipment that is used in a fall-protection system and that is provided by an employer, the procedures to be followed for the purposes of paragraphs 12.05(1)(a) to (d); and

  • (f) the rescue procedures to be followed if a person falls.

• (3) The fall-protection plan must include, in annex, a copy of any manufacturer’s instructions with respect to the storage, maintenance, inspection, testing, fitting, installation, use or dismantling of equipment that is used in a fall-protection system and that is provided by an employer.

• (4) The fall-protection systems referred to in paragraph (2)(b) are to be chosen in consultation with the work place committee or the health and safety representative, as appropriate for the work area and activity in question, taking into account the following order of priority:

  • (a) passive fall-protection system;

  • (b) fall-restraint system;

  • (c) fall-arrest system; and

  • (d) fall hazard zone system.

• (5) The clearance distance referred to in paragraph (2)(d) must be sufficient to prevent a person from hitting the ground or an object or surface below the work area during a fall.

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12.01 The following definitions apply in this Part.

fall hazard zone

fall hazard zone  means a defined area bordering on an edge that is unguarded against a risk of falling. (zone de risque de chute)

fall hazard zone system

fall hazard zone system  means a system that consists of a fall hazard zone that is supervised by a fall hazard zone monitor. (système pour zone de risque de chute)

fall-arrest system

fall-arrest system  means a collection of protection equipment that attaches a person to an anchorage and is designed and configured to arrest a free fall. (dispositif antichute)

fall-protection system

fall-protection system  means a system that is designed and configured to eliminate or reduce the risk of a person falling, restrain a person who is at risk of falling or arrest a person’s fall. The system may be composed of one or more of the following:

• (a) a passive fall-protection system;

• (b) a fall-restraint system;

• (c) a fall-arrest system;

• (d) a fall hazard zone system. (dispositif de protection contre les chutes)

fall-restraint system

fall-restraint system  means a collection of protection equipment that attaches a person to an anchorage and is designed and configured to prevent the person from getting close to an unguarded edge. (dispositif de retenue contre les chutes)

passive fall-protection system

passive fall-protection system  means a system of physical barriers that is designed and installed to prevent a person from falling, including guardrails, fences, barricades or covers. (dispositif passif de protection contre les chutes)

personal fall-protection system

personal fall-protection system  means a fall-restraint system or fall-arrest system. (dispositif individuel de protection contre les chutes)

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• 12.08 (1) A fall hazard zone must be at least 2 m wide and extend the entire length of the unguarded edge.

• (2) A fall hazard zone must only be established on a surface that has a slope of five degrees or less.

• (3) If a person needs to carry out an activity in a fall hazard zone or cross a fall hazard zone to get to or from a work area,

  • (a) the employer must ensure the presence of a fall hazard zone monitor whose exclusive duties are to

    • (i) supervise the fall hazard zone whenever an activity is being carried out there, and

    • (ii) ensure that the requirements of the fall-protection plan are respected;

  • (b) the employer must install, along the border between the fall hazard zone and any other work area, a raised demarcation line at a height of not less than 900 mm but not more than 1 100 mm; and

  • (c) the employer must ensure that a personal fall-protection system is used.

• (4) If a fall hazard zone system has been established in a work place, the employer must ensure that every person who is granted access to the work place is informed of the fall hazard zone system’s existence and is familiar with the procedures to be followed for accessing, performing work in and leaving the fall hazard zone.

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• 12.07 (1) Subject to subsection (2), an employer must provide or put in place a fall-protection system if work is to be performed

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  • (c) at a height of less than 3 m if the surface onto which the person might fall would present a greater risk of injury than a solid, flat surface.

• (2) If an employee is required to work on a vehicle and it is not feasible to provide or put in place a fall-protection system, an employer must

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  • (b) make a report in writing to the Head of Compliance and Enforcement setting out the reasons why it is not feasible to provide or put in place a fall-protection system and include in that report the job safety analysis and a description of the instruction and training referred to in paragraph (a); and

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