Fair warning

Continued from page 13
Drop zone
If protective canopies are used, they must be designed to safely
support all reasonable loads, in no case less than 2.4 kPa
(50 pounds per square foot).
Grant McMillan, president of the Council of Construction
Associations, says falling debris is a significant concern for his
association’s 2,200 members, about 70 percent of whom are
trades’ firms. When incidents happen, they not only have the
potential to hurt people, but often draw media coverage; “and,
that paints all contractors with a pretty negative brush.”
BCCSA executive director Mike McKenna cautions employers
about the high cost of failing to plan ahead. Instead, they should
use all necessary means to protect workers against the dangers of
falling debris.
Otherwise, he says, they could face lawsuits, repair bills, an
increase in WorkSafeBC premiums, and worst of all, a devastating
worker injury.
“How much is it going to cost you — and ultimately your workers
— if something goes wrong?”
‘It’s the right thing to do’
Safety for its own sake is a message echoed by Lou Metcalf,
district health, safety and environment manager for PCL
Constructors Westcoast Inc.
The firm was the prime contractor for the massive B.C. Place roof
replacement between 2010 and 2011. Given the challenges of
having workers and cranes in close proximity, hundreds of metres
in the air, PCL implemented a rigorous safety system even before
the project began.
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March / April 2013 WorkSafe Magazine
The company’s initial assessment identified potential dangers,
and then mapped out a grid system to get a sense of where
workers would be during the various stages of construction.
With that accomplished, PCL then launched a system requiring
workers to get a permit for any site access. They met any
violations with immediate disciplinary action.
“We spent an inordinate amount of time policing the procedures,”
Metcalf says. But it was worth it. “We still had a few minor
near-misses with falling materials, despite our best efforts.
However, with the measures we had in place, the probability of
injury was very low.”
Besides, he says, “we just know that taking those precautions
was the right thing to do.”
That safety-first approach spills over onto all of the company’s
worksites, he says. Consequently, “we probably have fewer trips
to the doctor than anybody in this business.”
Other employers can follow that lead when it comes to dealing
with the problem of falling construction debris. “It’s not a
complex fix,” Schouten says. “But it does take the employer’s
willingness to commit to planning and coordinating the work,
and to strictly enforcing that plan among all contractors and
workers on the worksite.”
Schouten, who formerly worked in construction, says it’s
important to also factor in the unexpected, including keeping an
eye on weather forecasts, since gusts of wind can transform many
building materials into deadly kites.
Add to those safety steps a little due diligence, and preparation,
and Schouten says employers have little
to fear from Newton’s centuries-old
discovery.
“Like gravity, the rules for preventing
falling debris are easy to understand,” he
says. “For the most part, it’s about
planning ahead and applying the rules of
good housekeeping and safe storage and
securing of materials. In other words:
common sense.”