With more than 700 falls in Quebec in the construction and construction sector, high-rise work is now highly regulated legally, and that is the role of the Occupational Health and Safety Commission (CNESST) to monitor and implement safety standards to protect professionals.
Removable equipment is essential for all work that is located in height such as:
- Washing windows,
- Facelift,
- Repairing the roof,
- Replacing and caulking windows...
Regulations stipulate that a worker may not spend more than one hour on a ladder per day
When a worker is on a ladder, he must be insured on a fixed point and have three contact points.
These special equipment include suspended and lift platforms, harnesses, aerial pods and scaffolding. All of these facilities are subject to strict safety standards under the law defended by CNESST lawyers.
A compliance plate must also be affixed to each equipment dedicated to a work at height.
A round-up of the various CNESST secure equipment…
Lift platform and aerial gondola
Like the window washer, the work of a professional caulker often requires specific equipment, including a gondola. The application of seals and sealants on the front windows cannot be done without removable equipment at height.
The lift platform or gondola mounted on a truck equipped with an expandable or articulated mast is used for buildings less than 43 meters high (135 feet). These devices are in most cases supplied by rental companies, which maintain them. Caulking owns its own pods and actually rents it.
Suspended platform or harness
The platforms are held by steel cables securely attached to beams on the edge of the roof. Its movement is done by manual or electric winches.
Each professional working at height must wear personal protective equipment in case of a fall (safety harness, strap coiler, rope, musket…). If the anchor points are not sufficiently secure or defective, the use of a platform or harness is prohibited.
Installing equipment
Only a certified engineer is authorized to check and certify the installation because technical skills are required so that the platform does not tip over due to overload, excessive movements or wind.
In addition, each installation and removal of equipment must be approved by an engineer.
The main risks associated with the use of these devices are the fall of the professional due to the tipping and contact with electrical cables (electrocution).
Rent of articulated pods
The company rents its pods by day, week, month. Please visit the“renting pods in Montreal”page.
Safety standards in force
The equipment is subject to the safety standards ofASME, ANSI and the LRQ and complies with sections 261 and 348 of the Quebec Occupational Health and Safety Act. In addition, a compliance plate is affixed to each device.
Elite Calfeutrage on the North Shore uses this secure equipment. These experienced professionals intervene on your high-rise facades and affix quality seals and seals to your windows to avoid infiltration of rain, air,dust, insect… for perfect waterproofing.
Read also these sources:
- http://www.apsam.com/theme/appareils-de-levage/levage-de-personnes
- http://www.csst.qc.ca/prevention/secteur/construction/hauteur/Pages/ne_pas_tomber.aspx
and these articles
- The contribution of the gondola to comfort and safety
- Caulking at the end of a rope
- CSST safety rules for working at heights