Fall From Height Fatality Statistics in Canada– What the Data Tells Us

At Height Works, we care deeply about safety when working at heights. As experts in fall prevention safety, we work, breathe, and sleep every day to keep people from falling while they are working at heights, especially with fall-from-height fatality statistics continuing to highlight the serious risks involved.

In Canada, falling from heights is a major workplace danger that causes serious injuries and deaths every year. We examine the facts and reasons behind these accidents, highlighting the crucial role of safety measures in preventing them.

The Numbers

In Canada, falling from heights is one of the most common ways that people get hurt or killed at work. According to the Labour Program, there were 16 deaths in the federal jurisdiction between 2010 and 2014 because people fell from heights. These numbers contribute to the broader fall-from-height fatality statistics. There were also 48,891 lost-time injury claims connected to falls at work in 2017, and 63 of these instances led to death.

Common Situations

People who work in a lot of different fields are at risk of falling from heights. These situations are:

• Construction Sites: Workers often work on roofs, ladders, and scaffolding, where they could easily fall.
  
• Telecommunications: Climbing towers and poles is very dangerous since you could fall.
  
• Agriculture: Large buildings like grain elevators are common.
  
• Cleaning and maintenance: Jobs like cleaning windows and taking care of buildings typically demand operating at heights.
  

Things that help

Several things make falling from heights more likely:

• Not Enough Training: Workers may not get enough training on how to work safely at heights.
  
• Not enough safety gear: Not having or not using safety harnesses, guardrails, and other protective gear properly raises the danger of falls.
  
• Weather conditions: Rain, snow, and ice can make surfaces slick and dangerous, which is when falls are most likely to happen.
  
• Human Error: Accidents at work can happen when people make mistakes or don't think things through.
  

Steps to Stop

We can take several steps to reduce the frequency of falls from heights.

• Comprehensive instruction: Making sure that all workers get complete instruction on safety rules and how to use fall protection gear correctly.
  
• Regular Equipment Inspections: Have a third party check all of your safety gear to be sure it's in excellent shape and working properly.
  
• Setting up safety rules: Set up and implement rigorous safety rules for working at heights.
  
• Environmental Controls: Taking steps to reduce environmental risks, like utilizing anti-slip coatings and making sure that water drains properly to stop ice from forming.

Falls from heights are still a major safety problem in Canadian workplaces. Understanding fall-from-height fatality statistics can help employers better grasp the risks and take meaningful steps to reduce them. Employers can greatly lower the incidence of injuries and deaths by knowing the dangers and putting in place good ways to avoid them. Keeping your workers safe not only saves lives, but it also boosts productivity and morale among your employees.

If you or your organization would like to learn more about the different Height Works services that can help you find risks, you can do so through our Consulting Services or Annual Inspection and Testing Services. These services are all meant to help your organization manage its risk while keeping your employees safe.

Contact Height Works today for more information.