Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations (SOR/86-304)

3.10 (1) The erection, use, dismantling or removal of a scaffold shall be carried out by or under the supervision of a qualified person.

(2) The footings and supports of every scaffold shall be capable of carrying, without dangerous settling, all loads that are likely to be imposed on them.

(3) Every scaffold shall be capable of supporting at least four times the load that is likely to be imposed on it.

(4) The platform of every scaffold shall be at least 480 mm wide and securely fastened in place.

3.11 (1) Commercially manufactured portable ladders shall meet the standards set out in CSA Standard CAN3-Z11-M81, Portable Ladders, the English version of which is dated September, 1981, as amended to March, 1983 and the French version of which is dated August, 1982, as amended to June, 1983.

(2) Subject to subsection (3), every portable ladder shall, while being used,

• (a) be placed on a firm footing; and

• (b) be secured in such a manner that it cannot be dislodged accidentally from its position.

(3) Where, because of the nature of the location or of the work being done, a portable ladder cannot be securely fastened in place, it shall, while being used, be sloped so that the base of the ladder is not less than one-quarter and not more than one-third of the length of the ladder from a point directly below the top of the ladder and at the same level as the base.

(4) Every portable ladder that provides access from one level to another shall extend at least three rungs above the higher level.

(5) Metal or wire-bound portable ladders shall not be used where there is a hazard that they may come into contact with any live electrical circuit or equipment.

(6) No employee shall work from any of the three top rungs of any single or extension portable ladder or from either of the two top steps of any portable step ladder.

3.12 (1) Before the commencement of work on a tunnel, excavation or trench, the employer shall mark the location of all underground pipes, cables and conduits in the area where the work is to be done.

(2) Where an excavation or trench constitutes a hazard to employees, a highly visible barricade shall be installed around it.

(3) In a tunnel or in an excavation or trench that is more than 1.4 m deep and whose sides are sloped at an angle of 45° or more to the horizontal

• (a) the walls of the tunnel, excavation or trench, and

• (b) the roof of the tunnel

shall be supported by shoring and bracing that is installed as the tunnel, excavation or trench is being excavated.

(4) Subsection (3) does not apply in respect of a trench where the employer provides a system of shoring composed of steel plates and bracing, welded or bolted together, that can support the walls of the trench from the ground level to the trench bottom and can be moved along as work progresses.

(5) The installation and removal of the shoring and bracing referred to in subsection (3) shall be performed or supervised by a qualified person.

(6) Tools, machinery, timber, excavated materials or other objects shall not be placed within 1 m from the edge of an excavation or trench.