Owning quality safety harnesses and straps are absolutely vital if you are an employer that employs individuals that work at heights high above the ground. In the construction industry alone, the majority of construction workers spend many hours suspended high in the air, performing various tasks that require them to be securely strapped into different safety devices. As an employer, it is absolutely critical that you provide high-quality safety equipment to your employees at all times. It is also critical that each one of your employees knows exactly how the equipment works, because it can mean all the difference in the world.
Safety equipment training for employees should always be a big part of any company. While it is of course great to provide quality safety equipment to all of your workers, it will only be useful if your workers know exactly how to use such equipment in the proper manner. This is why safety equipment training for your employees should be an absolute must for your company. Your employees need to know exactly how each individual safety equipment item works before they try to use it. This is especially the case for workers that spend the majority of their time suspended high in the air. It is absolutely vital that they know how each item of safety equipment works, and that they receive the proper training in order to ensure that they do. Here are some good tips for when it comes to training your workers as it pertains to the proper use of safety equipment:
- Make sure that each individual employee has been properly trained
- Ensure that each employee knows exactly how to use every piece of safety equipment you offer
- Teach employees how to properly inspect equipment to make sure that it will work without fail when they go to use it
- Make sure that workers never try to misuse any safety equipment item
Other factors to take into account as it pertains to safety equipment training:
There are some other factors that you should always consider when training your employees on how to properly use the safety equipment that you provide to them. The first is to make sure that none of your employees ever tries to alter or change the way that a certain item of safety equipment is used. All safety equipment items are designed and manufactured for a specific purpose, and must always be used to serve that exact purpose. Do not ever try to use a piece of safety equipment in a way that it was not specifically designed and manufactured for.
It is also vital that your workers know that proper emergency procedures should something ever go wrong while using safety equipment. Accidents can happen, even when the best safety equipment items are being properly used, so make sure a part of your safety equipment training program for employees deals with exactly how to respond to any emergencies that may arise. This is something that you will certainly want to do, and also something that should always be a part of any safety equipment training that you directly provide to your workers.
William Neijer is a content creator and writer for Safety Company, a safety and emergency supply company.
Additional Safety Knowledge
Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Framework
Alberta’s workplace safety system is built on the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the OHS Regulation, and the OHS Code (which contains the detailed technical requirements). The three-legged framework applies to virtually all Alberta workplaces except federally regulated industries (which follow Canada Labour Code Part II). Workers have three fundamental rights: the right to know about hazards, the right to participate in safety decisions, and the right to refuse unsafe work without reprisal.
Employer, Supervisor, and Worker Responsibilities
- Employers must ensure the health and safety of workers, provide instruction and training, maintain equipment, and prepare a health and safety program (mandatory for workplaces with 20+ regular workers).
- Supervisors must take all reasonable steps to protect workers, ensure workers use required equipment and follow procedures, and advise workers of hazards.
- Workers must protect their own health and safety and that of co-workers, use required equipment, cooperate with the OHS system, and report hazards or incidents.
Failure to fulfill these duties can result in administrative penalties, orders, prosecution, and in severe cases criminal charges under the federal Criminal Code (Bill C-45).
Hazard Assessment — The Foundation of Workplace Safety
Every task should begin with a hazard assessment. Formal assessments identify hazards, evaluate risk (probability multiplied by severity), and prescribe controls following the hierarchy: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, and PPE. Field Level Hazard Assessments (FLHAs) are completed for each shift or task change. Job Safety Analyses (JSAs) document safe procedures for repetitive or non-routine work.
Employers Should Always Provide Good Safety Equipment To Their Workers — Ongoing Competency
Safety competency is not a one-time event. Workers require initial training before first exposure to a hazard, refresher training when procedures change, and periodic competency verification. Employer records must include worker names, training dates, course content, trainer identification, and assessment results. Alberta OHS inspectors routinely review training records during inspections and incident investigations.
Content reviewed by Arliss Levine, CRSP, CHSC — lead safety instructor at Safety Mom · Allstar Enviro Safety Calgary, an Energy Safety Canada Authorized Training Provider.
