Ontario Working at Heights

Here are the top things that you need to know about Ontario Working at Heights training. Click on the individual links to learn more about each point.

1. According to Ontario law, anyone working on a construction project who uses fall protection equipment must take working at heights training.
2. Ontario Working at Heights training must be taken from a trainer that has been approved by Ontario’s Chief Prevention Officer.
3. Working at Heights training should include both a theory component and a practical component using a variety of learning methods.
4. Ontario Working at Heights training usually takes about 8 hours to complete and will cover a wide range of material and techniques.

Ontario Working at Heights training is mandatory for construction workers using fall protection

1. Ontario Working at Heights: Why It’s Required & Who Needs It

According to the requirements set out in O. Reg. 297/13: Occupational Health and Safety Awareness Training, anyone working on a construction project who uses fall protection equipment must take working at heights training.

Here is the criteria for your training as set out by the Ontario government:

• Your training must be approved by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development’s Chief Prevention Officer
• Your training needs to be delivered by a training provider who has been approved by the Chief Prevention Officer
• Your training needs to be completed before you can use fall protection

If you work on a construction project that is covered by O. Reg. 213/91 and you need to use any of the following fall protection methods, you need to take working at heights training:

• Travel restraint system
• Fall restricting system
• Fall arrest system
• Safety net
• Work belt
• Safety belt

There are, however, limited exemptions if you are a worker who is directly employed by an automobile manufacturer or assembler.

Purpose of Ontario Working at Heights Training

In addition to being a legal requirement, the purpose of a Working at Heights training program is to:

• Strengthen your workplace safety culture by elevating the profile and importance of preventing falls from heights.
• Provide workers who may be exposed to the hazard of falling with knowledge about fall hazards and general safety practices to work safely at heights.
• Provide workers who use personal fall protection equipment with sufficient knowledge about its purpose and use.
• Reduce the number of fall-from-heights incidents, injuries and fatalities

Workers who use personal fall protection equipment will greatly benefit from WAH training

2. Ontario Working at Heights: Why you need a CPO (Chief Prevention Officer) approved trainer

You need to receive your Working at Heights training from a trainer that has been approved by the CPO (Chief Prevention Officer).

The CPO is appointed by the province of Ontario. The CPO has a number of responsibilities within the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, which include:

• Helping to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities by working in conjunction with Ontario’s health and safety system
• Implementing province-wide training and safety programs standards
• Establishing a provincial occupational health and safety strategy
• Reporting on the performance of Ontario’s occupational health and safety system to the Minister of Labour

Instructor Qualifications

In addition to the requirement that your training provider must be CPO approved, the instructors delivering your Working at Heights training need to have the following qualifications:

1. Technical occupational health and safety knowledge and experience obtained through at least one of the following methods:

• “A professional occupational health and safety designation
• Completed at least 30 hours of occupational health and safety training over the last two years
• 5 years of recent occupational health and safety experience
• A degree, diploma, or certificate in occupational health and safety from a recognized post-secondary institution
• 3 continuous years of experience as a certified joint health and safety committee member”

2. A combination of adult-education delivery experience and knowledge of principles learned through at least one of the following:

• “More than 100 hours of adult education delivery experience in the last five years,
• A degree, diploma, or certificate in adult-education principles from a recognized post-secondary institution,
• A professional training and development designation
• Successful completion of an instructor training program based on adult learning principles.”

3. Knowledge of the approved working at heights training program topics obtained through at least one of the following:

• “More than five years of recent delivery experience on the approved training program topic(s),
• Successful completion of a train-the-trainer session for an approved training program as evaluated by the approved training provider, or
• Successful co-facilitation of a minimum of two sessions of the approved training program as evaluated by the approved training provider”

For a complete list of the qualifications you need in order to be an Ontario Working at Heights instructor, click here.

Ontario Working at Heights instructors need to have the proper qualifications

3. Ontario Working at Heights: What You Will Learn

A thorough Working at Heights training program will include both a theory component and a practical component and will use a variety of learning methods.

Theory Component:

The theory component should take about 3 hours to complete and cover topics such as WAH legislation, safe work plans, and fall prevention strategies.

You should be given a written evaluation to ensure that you fully understand everything that you have learned during the theory portion of your training.

Practical Component:

The practical portion of your Working at Heights Training will last about 3.5 hours and it should provide you with the necessary experience using the techniques that you learned in the theory module.

You should also be given a written evaluation at the end of your practical module to ensure that you have learned everything you have been taught.

Learning Methods:

An effective training course will include a variety of different learning methods, including:

• Classroom interaction with experienced instructors
• Tabletop scenarios and hands-on exercises
• Demonstration and hands-on training in the care and use of equipment
• Detailed handouts, videos and quizzes
• Practical performance evaluations

Having a variety of learning methods will give you a better, more well-rounded experience that will help you retain all of the information and techniques that you covered during your course.

Working at Heights training is good for 3 years from the date you complete an approved training program delivered by an approved training provider. A Working At Heights Refresher course must be taken every 3 years in order for you to remain compliant.

A variety of learning methods will help you retain information better

4. Ontario Working at Heights: ACUTE’s Course Outline

Duration: 8 Hours

ACUTE’s Working at Heights course lasts a full day, starting at 8:30 in the morning and finishing at 4:30 in the afternoon with a half-hour break for lunch.

Cost: $225.00 CAD

At the time of writing, the cost of our course is $225 CAD plus applicable taxes.

Prerequisites: None

ACUTE’s Working at Heights Theory Course Outline

• Working at heights [WAH] and legislation
• WAH hazards
• Safe work plans & assessing and controlling WAH hazards
• The hierarchy of controls – application to WAH
• Fall prevention strategies and systems
• Fall protection systems
• Ladder safety

ACUTE’s Working at Heights Practical Course Outline

• Fall prevention/protection system requirements and limitations
• A-B-C component selection, inspection and use
• Harness inspection, fitting exercise and evaluation
• Lanyard inspection exercise and evaluation
• Travel restraint, fall arrest set-up exercise and evaluation
• 100% tie-off exercise and evaluation
• Ladders, scaffolds and elevating work platforms
• Rescue plan – components and purpose
• Safe work strategies and safe anchor exercise

ACUTE’s Ontario Working at Heights Course

Watch the following video to get a great overview of ACUTE’s Ontario Working at Heights Course.

Get Your Working at Heights Training From Acute

You can trust ACUTE for the best safety training possible, including working at heights training. ACUTE’s experienced team members have been serving safety professionals for over 20 years.

You can rely on ACUTE for hands-on, physically distanced, practical safety training to keep your employees safe in the workplace. ACUTE is dedicated to workplace safety and understands the importance of course and training provider approval.

Why get workplace safety training with ACUTE? Here are just some of the benefits of working with ACUTE:

• Open Door Instructor-Student Partnership – ACUTE’s training services emphasize client participation. Staff foster relationships with clients and serve as a touchstone for advice anytime moving forward.
• Serving Your Team and Industry – With a vast array of clients in the manufacturing, construction, health, academic, and government sectors, ACUTE brings the best safety practices from across the spectrum to your workplace.
• 100 Years Combined Experience – ACUTE provides comprehensive health and safety training, on-site safety services, and consulting services. With over 100 years of combined experience, our company staff offer more than theoretical or abstract ideas. ACUTE offers solutions.
• Track Record of Success – ACUTE is rated 4.9/5 stars on Google reviews, demonstrating a commitment to our clients, quality, and passion for training.

Check out our course calendar for times and dates of our courses.

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