Worksafe BC is seeking feedback regarding changes to the Province’s ladder and asbestos standards.
The proposed changes to the asbestos standard, Section 20.112 of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, are designed to clarify the responsibilities of employers, owners, and abatement contractors.
Responsibilities and tasks added in the standard revision include:
- Employers responsible for asbestos work, and the owner, must ensure a qualified person inspects the machinery, equipment, building or structure, and the worksite to identify any hazardous materials.
- When conducting an inspection, a qualified person must collect samples of potential hazardous materials from worksite, determine if those samples are hazardous, and file a report on those findings.
- Employers may not disturb the hazardous materials, other than work necessary to safely contain or remove the hazardous materials, is carried out until the hazardous materials are safely contained or removed.
Read the full changes of the asbestos requirements or provide feedback at:
Proposed changes to the ladder standard, Section 13.5 of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, outline the requirements for positioning and use of portable ladders.
These requirements state a non-self-supporting ladder must:
a) Be positioned so the horizontal distance from the base to vertical plane of support is approximately ¼ of the working length of the ladder
b) If the ladder provides access to or egress from an upper landing,
i. Project approximately 1m (3 ft) above the upper landing
ii. Be sufficiently secured in place to ensure the stability of the ladder during access to or egress from the upper landing
c) Be sufficiently secured in place to ensure stability during use if
i. Conditions exist that are likely to cause the ladder to be unstable
ii. The ladder is not already secured
Read the full text of the change and provide feedback at: