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WorkSafeBC inspection blitz aims to stay on top of residential construction
Richmond, B.C., June 28, 2012 —WorkSafeBC is ramping up its safety inspections of residential construction worksites over the next four months to help reduce the number of serious injuries caused by falls from heights.
The aim of the Stay on Top initiative is to conduct 100 additional safety inspections per month, from now until November, at residential construction sites across B.C. During those inspections, WorkSafeBC officers will focus specifically on the slope roofing and framing areas of single-family wood frame houses under construction. This initiative will not interfere with regular inspections of construction sites, which will continue as usual.
“Falls from heights are a leading cause of serious injuries for workers in the residential construction industry,” says Al Johnson, WorkSafeBC director of Worker and Employer Services. “We hope the increased consultation, education, and enforcement provided by our safety officers will make an ongoing difference in preventing the often devastating injuries to workers falling from heights.”
Along with ensuring that proper fall prevention measures are being used, the safety officers will check to see if there is safe access to sites with things like secure walkways and ladders, and that proper planning and supervision is taking place. They will gather data on the safety measures at the sites — or the absence thereof — and use that information to develop recommendations on how to reduce falls from heights in residential construction.
For more information and resources on the Stay on Top initiative, visit WorkSafeBC’s construction portal at http://www2.worksafebc.com/portals/construction/home.asp.
WorkSafeBC is an independent provincial statutory agency governed by a board of directors that serves about 2.1 million workers and more than 210,000 employers. WorkSafeBC was born from the historic compromise between B.C.’s workers and employers in 1917. Under that agreement, workers gave up the right to sue their employers and fellow workers for injuries on the job in return for a no-fault insurance program fully paid for by employers. WorkSafeBC is committed to safe and healthy workplaces, and to providing return-to-work rehabilitation and legislated compensation benefits.
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For information, please contact: |
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| Megan Johnston |
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