Amendments to the Health and Safety Regulations (RSST)
Working conditions play a vital role in the safety and productivity of employees. There are also safety and health measures that must be put in place by employers and governed by specific regulations. These include the RSST or Regulation of Health and Safety at Work which is constantly undergoing reforms in order to optimize the welfare of workers. Changes have recently been implemented.
Occupational Health and Safety Regulations Reforms
Since January 2019, changes have been made to the RSST, the modifications concern more particularly the prevention of falls on work at height.
This area requires a constant update on safety provisions, as it is a major cause of workplace accidents every year. Based on findings, events and statistics, the regulations are updated.
The measures concerning the layout of the workspace and individual and collective protections have been updated.
Optimization of fall prevention in height
The main reforms related to the prevention of falls from height include walls and floors acting as horizontal or vertical openings, guardrails, employee lanes such as service stairs, walkways or fixed ladders.
Access routes such as lifting workers through cranes or forklifts, fixed or flying scaffolding and confined spaces are also areas that have undergone extensive or minor alterations in the regulations.
Other minor but important provisions are still listed, such as the provision of a warning line for people on the ground to prevent them from frequenting an area where the risk of falling objects is high or replace the guardrail under certain conditions.
VSS Safety Line or warning line: an important reform
The warning line is one of the reforms made to the regulations on securing work at heights. If the distance between two posts was previously 3.8 meters, it is now reduced to 2.5 meters with a 50-lb recycled rubber base. This optimizes the safety of the steel cable already embellished with a yellow flag.
Be careful, the warning line cannot replace a guardrail unless you eliminate any risk of falling within two meters of the edge of the roof.
