Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations (SOR/86-304)

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:

• (a) Z259.1, Body belts and saddles for work positioning and travel restraint;

• (b) Z259.2.2, Self-retracting devices;

• (c) Z259.2.3, Descent devices;

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

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

• (f) Z259.10, Full body harnesses;

• (g) Z259.11, Personal energy absorbers and lanyards;

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

• (i) Z259.13, Manufactured horizontal lifeline systems;

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

• (k) Z259.15, Anchorage connectors.

(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

• (a) an anchorage that is specified in the instructions of the manufacturer of the lifting equipment; or

• (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.