Worksite Checklists
Manage workplace health risks by pinpointing opportunities for improvement and things you need to be aware of or have in place.
General Worksite Checklist
Anticipate, recognize, evaluate, and control workplace exposures on a construction site.
There are 14 separate workplace occupational health and safety regulatory jurisdictions in Canada. Each jurisdiction sets down the legal requirements about what employers need to do to minimize the risk to the health of their employees from exposure to hazardous substances at work. The legal requirements to control workplace substances hazardous to health are determined under specific regulations for the applicable jurisdiction of work.
Specific Worksite Checklists
Lead
What tasks cause lead exposure?
Exposure to lead can occur in almost any trade. Workers at the highest risk for lead exposure include those involved in iron work, construction, demolition, painting, plumbing, welding, heating and air conditioning, building maintenance and repair, electrical, carpentry, renovation, and remodelling.
Operations with the potential to expose workers to lead include
- abrasive blasting
- demolition, renovation, repair, welding, cutting, burning, application or removal (e.g., by scraping, sanding, heat gun, etc.) of lead-containing paints and surface coatings
- lead burning
- removing, repointing, or disturbing mortar that contains lead
- soldering, and
- installing or removing lead products (such as lead panels, lead sheeting and lead bricks used for shielding radiation sources).
Source: CCOHS
Asbestos
What to know
In the construction industry, disturbing asbestos-containing materials during building renovations or demolitions is a concern for being exposed.
In general, anyone working with asbestos must be educated and trained on:
- The hazards of asbestos exposure
- How to identify asbestos-containing material
- Personal hygiene and work practices, including the specific work procedures to be followed
- The operation of the required engineering controls
- The use, cleaning, maintenance and disposal of protective equipment and clothing
- Disposal procedures for asbestos-contaminated materials
- The purpose and significance of any required health monitoring
Silica
Good to Know
CAREX estimates that approximately 380,000 Canadians are occupationally exposed to silica; 93% of these workers are male. The largest occupational groups exposed to silica were construction trades labourers, heavy equipment operators, and plasterers and drywallers. Tasks such as abrasive blasting, cutting, sawing, demolishing, drilling, grinding, jackhammering, milling, mixing, polishing, roofing, sanding, and sweeping can also be a risk for workers and to those working around them.
The lungs are constantly exposed to danger from the dust we breathe. At high concentrations, Silica can irritate the nose and throat. Silicosis is an incurable lung disease caused by inhaling dust that contains free crystalline silica. Silicosis is the result of the body’s response to the presence of silica dust in the lung.
Source: CAREX