Fall Protection Guidelines: Understanding the "Unusual Risks" When Working at Heights

Work at height requirements vary across Canada, depending on the province. For example, in Alberta, employers must provide fall protection systems for workers at heights of 10 feet or more. Managing other “unusual risks” is also an important part of effective fall risk management.

Some of our clients ask, "What constitutes an unusual risk?"
This is a valid question! Let’s see if we can help shed some light on this topic.

An unusual risk is anything that could put a worker in danger, even if they’re working below the minimum height requirements set by each province. These situations are still covered under OH&S and fall protection guidelines

For example, if there were no fall protection system in use and a worker was working 4 feet off the ground with the potential to fall onto a sloped or uneven surface, this type of scenario could be deemed an unusual risk. It’s an unusual risk simply because if the worker were to fall, even from this distance, onto the sloped or uneven surface below, serious injury or even death could result.

This means that when an organization is looking at options for fall protection systems to protect their workers, they also need to give due consideration not only to the provincial minimum height requirements but also to the fall protection guidelines that address unusual risks faced by their work-at-height employees.