CONSTRUCTION SAFETY ASSOCIATION OF MANITOBA
Stay informed, Stay safe
Stop-work orders due to serious incidents
are on the rise in Manitoba
By Ross Jardine, NCSO®, client services advisor, Construction Safety Association of Manitoba (CSAM)
From March 2020 to March 2021,
Manitoba’s Workplace Safety and
Health (WSH) branch issued
close to 300 stop-work orders
against construction companies. Of these
stop-work orders, 140 cases were for fall
protection, 63 were related to asbestos and
44 for excavations.
When WSH officers observe an imminent
hazard and/or believe activities are
being undertaken, or are about to be undertaken,
at a workplace that could present an
imminent risk of serious injury or illnesses,
they may order work to stop immediately
and remain stopped until the hazard has
been appropriately dealt with. In essence,
stop-work orders are meant to control
imminent hazards before they result in a
serious or fatal incident.
Companies can prevent receiving a
stop-work order at their jobsites – and
moreover, they can work to prevent incidents
from occurring. It is important that
supervisors and workers are prepared to
identify, communicate and control all hazards
– and this is critically important for
high-risk hazards which pose an imminent
risk of serious injury or illness.
Those who subscribe to the CSAM’s
Serious Incident Report, which is a
monthly report of the actual serious incidents
reported to the Manitoba WSH
branch, will notice that in recent months,
tasks involving asbestos, fall protection and
excavation – three tasks which were given
some of the most stop-work orders in the
past year – resulted in serious incidents.
Preparedness is important.
As mentioned before, it is critical that
workers stop to identify, communicate
and control hazards on every jobsite prior
to beginning work. As per Manitoba’s
legislation, a hazard assessment must be
completed as the hazards change, as the job
progresses or as locations are moved. This
will also help supervisors fulfill their duties
to advise all workers of any known or foreseeable
risks to safety in the area where
work is being performed, as per Section
4.1(b) of the WSH Act. It also helps workers
to fulfill their duties, to take reasonable
care to protect the safety and health of
Ross Jardine
themselves and all other persons who may
be affected by their acts at work, as per
Section 5(a) of the WSH Act.
When encountering high-risk hazards,
such as those involved with working at
heights, asbestos removal and excavations,
it is also key that workers have the knowledge
and resources available to them to
conduct their hazard assessments properly
and to work safely moving forward.
In the case of fall protection, CSAM
offers toolbox talks – including new virtual
toolbox talks – to help workers better
understand the different types of fall protection
available to them. These resources
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