Working at Heights

Working from heights training is valid for 3 years from the date your certificate is issued. Once your working from heights training certification expires, you will be required to take a refresher course in order to remain compliant. If you or your employees need to get re-certified for working from heights training, contact Advanced Consulting & Training today.

Working from heights training is required for those who work on construction projects and use any of the following methods of protection:

• Travel restraint systems
• Fall restricting systems
• Fall Arrest systems
• Safety nets
• Worker belts or safety belts

If you work from elevated heights and require equipment to prevent falls or injuries from falls, you will require working from heights training.

Simply put, a fall hazard is something that may cause someone to fall while working at heights. Examples of fall hazards on a construction site are: missing guardrails, misused or complete absence of protective equipment, improper raining, an unclean work environment (ex. An unclean spill or debris lying around the workplace). Working from heights training aims to reduce and eliminate fall hazards from your work environment to make doing your job safer and more effective.

It is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that all workers complete a Chief Prevention Officer (CPO) approved Working at Heights Training before they can work on site. In addition, employers must take all reasonable precautions to protect a workers’ health and safety.

While regulations vary from province to province, in Ontario working at heights higher than 3 meters (10 feet) are considered to be working at heights. That said, fall protection might be required at different heights depending on the industry. In construction, fall protection is required for heights at 6 feet and above, whereas general industry workplaces require fall protection at 4 feet.

Proper harness hit should be snug enough to be able to fully support your bodyweight in the event of a fall, while also not hindering the range of motion you need to comfortably and safely complete your work. Wearing a faulty or improperly fitted harness can be extremely dangerous, so ensuring proper fitting is essential.

In order to work at heights, an employee must be deemed “competent to work at height”. This means that the employee has passed sufficient education and training programs which give them the ability to safely work from heights. Upon successful completion of this course, workers will be considered to be competent to work at height.

Yes. Advanced Consulting and Taining’s Working at Heights program has been approved by the Chief Prevention Officer of the Ontario Ministry of Labour.