March 16, 2015 – Ontario’s IHSA announced that all of its one-day Working at Heights: Fundamentals of Fall Prevention courses will meet the requirements of the Working at Heights Training Standard released by the Prevention Office of the Ontario Ministry of Labour (MoL) as of April 1, 2015.

Infrastructure Health & Safety Association says this new working at heights training requirement was mandated into legislation by amending Regulation 297/13: Occupational Health and Safety Awareness and Training. According to Sections 6 and 7 of the regulation (which come into effect April 1, 2015), workers on construction projects must complete a working at heights training program that has been approved by Ontario’s Chief Prevention Officer if they are required to use any of the following methods of fall protection:

• travel restraint system
• fall restricting system
• fall arrest system
• safety net
• work belt
• safety belt

The training will be valid for three years from the date of completion. Workers who have already received training that meets the current requirements set out in Section 26.2 of the Construction Projects Regulation (213/91) will have two years (until April 1, 2017) to complete an approved working at heights training program.

You are automatically a member of IHSA if you pay premiums to the WSIB in one of the 28 rate groups in the industries it serves, including electrical.