The Alberta government is stepping up its safety inspections of residential construction work sites during the busy summer construction season.
Until the end of September, occupational health and safety officers will be increasing inspections on work sites over weekends and other periods outside regular working hours to ensure safety remains a priority, said the provincial government. Officers have the authority to write orders, including stop work and stop use orders, as well as tickets on the spot if they see non-compliance issues.
Between April 1, 2015, and March 31, 2016, OHS officers issued 1,605 orders on residential construction work sites. More than one-half were related to fall protection, a statistic that has remained constant over the past two years.
“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. OHS officers will be out in force to make sure employers and workers are taking their workplace safety responsibilities seriously,” said Minister of Labour Christina Gray.
Jim Rivait, CEO, Canadian Home Builders’ Association - Alberta, says his organization is committed to worker safety.
“We are helping companies build certified health and safety programs, developing new training courses for the residential construction industry, testing innovative ways to prevent falls and raising awareness among industry members and high school students,” he said.
He also welcomes the inspections saying they will reinforce the message that everyone must strive to make safety the top priority.
Until the end of September, occupational health and safety officers will be increasing inspections on work sites over weekends and other periods outside regular working hours to ensure safety remains a priority, said the provincial government. Officers have the authority to write orders, including stop work and stop use orders, as well as tickets on the spot if they see non-compliance issues.
Between April 1, 2015, and March 31, 2016, OHS officers issued 1,605 orders on residential construction work sites. More than one-half were related to fall protection, a statistic that has remained constant over the past two years.
“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. OHS officers will be out in force to make sure employers and workers are taking their workplace safety responsibilities seriously,” said Minister of Labour Christina Gray.
Jim Rivait, CEO, Canadian Home Builders’ Association - Alberta, says his organization is committed to worker safety.
“We are helping companies build certified health and safety programs, developing new training courses for the residential construction industry, testing innovative ways to prevent falls and raising awareness among industry members and high school students,” he said.
He also welcomes the inspections saying they will reinforce the message that everyone must strive to make safety the top priority.
