Safety Blitz Gets Underway

by Toolbox Staff

As the busy construction season comes to an end throughout Alberta, provincial government officials are assessing their stepped-up efforts making sure workers were staying safe on residential job sites.

Starting in July, provincial Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) officers increased their inspections on residential construction sites over weekends and outside regular working hours to ensure safety remained at the forefront of workers’ and employers’ minds at all times.

“Building a new home is an exciting time. Each summer, work ramps up on residential construction sites as crews take advantage of the good weather and longer daylight hours,” said Labour Minister Christina Gray in a press release. “OHS officers were out in force making sure employers and workers were taking their workplace safety responsibilities seriously.”

OHS officers have the authority to issue stop-work and stop-use orders during inspections, and can write tickets on the spot if they observe non-compliance issues. Between April 1, 2015, and March 31, 2016, officers issued 1,605 orders on residential work sites in Alberta, more than half of which were related to fall protection.