BRITISH COLUMBIA REGULATION 296/97

Occupational Health and Safety Regulation

under the

Workers Compensation Act

Includes Amendments up to:
B.C. Reg. 73/2005, February 25, 2005

Part 11 - Fall Protection


Note: This is not the official version. The full text and most current version of this regulation is
available by visiting the Revised Statutes and Consolidated Regulations of British Columbia website.


Definitions
Obligation to use fall protection
Fall protection plan
Selection of harness or belt
Equipment standards
Anchors
Temporary horizontal lifelines
Certification by engineer
Inspection and maintenance
Removal from service
Sections Repealed

Definitions
11.1
In this Part

"anchor" means a secure point of attachment for a lifeline or lanyard;

"fall arrest system" means a system that will stop a worker’s fall before the worker hits the surface below;

"fall protection system" means

(a)
a fall restraint system,
(b)
a fall arrest system, or
(c)
work procedures that are acceptable to the Board and minimize the risk of injury to a worker from a fall;

"fall restraint system" means a system to prevent a worker from falling from a work position, or from travelling to an unguarded edge from which the worker could fall;

"full body harness" means a body support device consisting of connected straps designed to distribute the force resulting from a fall over at least the thigh, shoulders and pelvis, with provision for attaching a lanyard, lifeline or other components;

"horizontal lifeline system" means a system composed of a synthetic or wire rope, installed horizontally between 2 anchors, to which a worker attaches a personal fall protection system;

"lanyard" means a flexible line of webbing, or synthetic or wire rope, that is used to secure a safety belt or full body harness to a lifeline or anchor;

"lifeline" means a synthetic or wire rope, rigged from one or more anchors, to which a worker’s lanyard or other part of a personal fall protection system is attached;

"personal fall protection system" means a worker’s fall restraint system or fall arrest system composed of

(a)
a safety belt or full body harness, and
(b)
a lanyard, lifeline and any other connecting equipment individual to the worker

that is used to secure the worker to an individual point of anchorage or to a horizontal lifeline system;

"safety belt" means a body support device consisting of a strap with a means for securing it about the waist and attaching it to other components.

[am. B.C. Reg. 420/2004, s. 2.]

Obligation to use fall protection
11.2
(1) Unless elsewhere provided for in this Regulation, an employer must ensure that a fall protection system is used when work is being done at a place
(a)
from which a fall of 3 m (10 ft) or more may occur, or
(b)
where a fall from a height of less than 3 m involves a risk of injury greater than the risk of injury from the impact on a flat surface.

(2) The employer must ensure that guardrails meeting the requirements of Part 4 (General Conditions) or other similar means of fall restraint are used when practicable.

(3) If subsection (2) is not practicable, the employer must ensure that another fall restraint system is used.

(4) If subsection (3) is not practicable, the employer must ensure that a fall arrest system is used.

(5) If the use of a fall arrest system is not practicable, or will result in a hazard greater than if the system was not used, the employer must ensure that work procedures are followed that are acceptable to the Board and minimize the risk of injury to a worker from a fall.

(6) Before a worker is allowed into an area where a risk of falling exists, the employer must ensure that the worker is instructed in the fall protection system for the area and the procedures to be followed.

(7) A worker must use the fall protection system provided by the employer.

[am. B.C. Reg. 420/2004, s. 4.]

Fall protection plan
11.3
(1) The employer must have a written fall protection plan for a workplace if
(a)
work is being done at a location where workers are not protected by permanent guardrails, and from which a fall of 7.5 m (25 ft) or more may occur, or
(b)
section 11.2 (5) applies.
(c)
Repealed. [B.C. Reg. 420/2004, s. 5 (a) (iii).]

(2) The fall protection plan must be available at the workplace before work with a risk of falling begins.

(3) Repealed. [B.C. Reg. 420/2004, s. 5 (b).]

[am. B.C. Reg. 420/2004, s. 5.]

Selection of harness or belt
11.4
(1) A worker must wear a full body harness or other harness acceptable to the Board when using a personal fall protection system for fall arrest.

(2) A worker must wear a safety belt, a full body harness or other harness acceptable to the Board when using a personal fall protection system for fall restraint.

[en. B.C. Reg. 420/2004, s. 6.]

Equipment standards
11.5
Equipment used for a fall protection system must
(a)
consist of compatible and suitable components,
(b)
be sufficient to support the fall restraint or arrest forces, and
(c)
meet, and be used in accordance with, an applicable CSA or ANSI standard in effect when the equipment was manufactured, subject to any modification or upgrading considered necessary by the Board.

[en. B.C. Reg. 420/2004, s. 6.]

Anchors
11.6
(1) In a temporary fall restraint system, an anchor for a vertical lifeline, or for a lanyard used without a lifeline, must have an ultimate load capacity in any direction in which a load may be applied of at least
(a)
3.5 kN (800 lbs), or
(b)
four times the weight of the worker to be connected to the system.

(2) Each vertical lifeline used for fall arrest must be secured to an independent point of anchorage.

(3) In a fall arrest system or permanent fall restraint system, an anchor for a vertical lifeline, or for a lanyard used without a lifeline, must have an ultimate load capacity in any direction required to resist a fall of at least

(a)
22 kN (5 000 lbs), or
(b)
two times the maximum arrest force.

[en. B.C. Reg. 420/2004, s. 6.]

Temporary horizontal lifelines
11.7
A temporary horizontal lifeline system may be used if the system is
(a)
manufactured for commercial distribution and installed and used in accordance with the written instructions and drawings from the manufacturer or authorized agent, and the instructions and drawings are readily available in the workplace,
(b)
installed and used in accordance with written instructions and drawings certified by a professional engineer, and the instructions and drawings are readily available in the workplace, or
(c)
designed, installed and used in a manner acceptable to the Board.

[en. B.C. Reg. 420/2004, s. 6.]

Certification by engineer
11.8
The following types of equipment and systems, and their installation, must be certified by a professional engineer:
(a)
permanent anchors;
(b)
anchors with multiple attachment points;
(c)
permanent horizontal lifeline systems;
(d)
support structures for safety nets.

[en. B.C. Reg. 420/2004, s. 6.]

Inspection and maintenance
11.9
Equipment used in a fall protection system must be
(a)
inspected by a qualified person before use on each workshift,
(b)
kept free from substances and conditions that could contribute to its deterioration, and
(c)
maintained in good working order.

[en. B.C. Reg. 420/2004, s. 6.]

Removal from service
11.10
After a fall protection system has arrested the fall of a worker, it must
(a)
be removed from service, and
(b)
not be returned to service until it has been inspected and recertified as safe for use by the manufacturer or its authorized agent, or by a professional engineer.

[en. B.C. Reg. 420/2004, s. 6.]

Sections Repealed

11.11 to 11.40 Repealed. [B.C. Reg. 420/2004, s. 6.],
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