Increase in falls at Nova Scotia construction sites prompts new safety campaign

Across Nova Scotia, construction remains one of the most dangerous sectors to work in, making safety protections all the more important when on site.

Construction Safety Nova Scotia is launching its newest awareness campaign with a focus on fall prevention — one of the leading causes of injuries in the sector.

“We’re involved in too many tragedies, where we know something was preventable, to not get out and implore people to work safely and to provide safe workplaces so that people can go home safely every night,” says the safety association’s CEO MJ MacDonald.

In 2022, 26 per cent of time-loss claims in construction involved falls.

That’s an increase of nearly 50 per cent from 2021, accounting for more than 15,000 days lost to workplace injury from falls.

“We know that people often do wear their harnesses and they put them on,” MacDonald says. “They might get busy and they forget to tie off or it gets in the way. So, our message is: tie off. Please tie off.”

Vardy’s Construction owner, Bryson Vardy, says safety is his number one priority when completing a job.

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“I want everyone to go home at the end of the day safe to their family and friends and I take every measure that I can to ensure that that happens and everyone goes home at the end of the day.”

Through providing proper safety equipment like scaffolding and pump jack staging while on a job, Vardy looks to make his work sites as safe as possible.

“Working in this industry, it’s not a sprint it’s more of a marathon if you want to stay in the industry for a long period of time and work safe everyday,” Vardy continues.

“It’s not always about getting the job done as fast as possible, it’s about getting the job done as safe as possible and with also a high quality of workmanship.”

Fourteen organizations from across Nova Scotia make up the Construction Safety Coalition, collectively calling for safe practice awareness throughout the sector.