In Ontario, steel erection safety is governed by the Occupational Health and Safety Act and its Construction Projects regulation, O. Reg. 213/91, not by the American OSHA rules that most online checklists are written for. The core requirements are fall protection wherever a worker may fall more than 3 metres (and in some cases at any height), guardrails at open floor edges, safe connections and progressive flooring as the frame goes up, controlled hoisting, and a structure that is braced so it cannot move or collapse during erection.
This guide summarizes the rules that apply most directly to structural steel. It is an overview for contractors and owners, not a substitute for the regulation, your employer's safety program or a competent person on site.
The legal framework in Ontario
- Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). Sets the duties of constructors, employers, supervisors and workers.
- O. Reg. 213/91, Construction Projects. The detailed rules for construction sites, including fall protection, temporary structures, hoisting and cranes.
- O. Reg. 297/13. Mandatory working at heights training for workers who may use fall protection.
- CSA S16. The steel design standard referenced by the Ontario Building Code. It includes erection-related requirements, such as the minimum number of anchor rods at column bases.
If you search for steel erection rules, most results describe OSHA 1926 Subpart R. Those rules do not apply in Ontario, and some of the trigger heights and procedures are different. Work from the Ontario regulation.
Fall protection: the 3 metre rule and the hierarchy
Section 26 of O. Reg. 213/91 applies fall protection rules wherever a worker may be exposed to:
- Falling more than 3 metres.
- Falling more than 1.2 metres, if the work area is used as a path for a wheelbarrow or similar equipment.
- Falling into operating machinery.
- Falling into water or another liquid.
- Falling into or onto a hazardous substance or object.
- Falling through an opening on a work surface.
The first choice is a guardrail system. Where a guardrail is not practicable, the regulation ranks the alternatives, and the highest practicable one must be used:
- Travel restraint (prevents the worker reaching the edge)
- Fall restricting system (limits free fall to 0.6 metres)
- Fall arrest system (full body harness and shock-absorbing lanyard, with a peak arrest force no greater than 8 kN)
- Safety net
Connectors working on beams and columns usually end up on travel restraint or fall arrest, which makes anchorage a planning issue. A temporary fixed support for fall arrest must be able to take a static force of at least 8 kN, or 6 kN where a shock absorber is used, and a travel restraint anchor at least 2 kN. Before anyone uses fall arrest or a net, the employer must have written rescue procedures for a worker whose fall has been arrested.
Guardrails are required at the perimeter or open side of a floor (including a mezzanine), a work platform, runway or ramp where a worker may fall 2.4 metres or more. The regulation sets the details: top rail 0.9 to 1.1 metres high, an intermediate rail, a toe board at least 89 mm high, and set loads the system must resist. Openings in a work surface need a guardrail or a secured, marked cover able to carry at least 2.4 kN/m².
Connections, flooring and working height
Several sections of O. Reg. 213/91 speak directly to how a steel frame goes up:
- Double connections (s. 31(2)). Where two steel columns or beams connect to a common column or beam, the connection must be a clipped double connection, or the first member must be secured in a seated connection. The point is that the first piece is never left hanging on bolts that will be pulled out to install the second.
- Bracing (s. 31(1)). Every part of a project, including temporary structures, must be designed for the loads it will see and adequately braced to prevent movement that could affect its stability or cause collapse.
- Progressive flooring (s. 32). Temporary or permanent flooring is installed progressively as the building goes up. Temporary flooring must carry at least 2.4 kN/m² and cover the whole area where work is going on above or on it.
- Working height above flooring (s. 33). Work is not carried out higher than two storeys, or the first column splice, above the temporary or permanent flooring, whichever is higher, unless workers are on a scaffold, protected by a safety net, or using a fall arrest system attached to the project.
- Overhead protection (s. 34). Where material may fall on workers, overhead protection is required at entrances and over work areas.
Hoisting and rigging
Steel erection is crane work, and the hoisting rules apply in full:
- No loads over workers. A crane may not carry a load over a worker unless that worker is receiving the load, with a narrow exception for engineered multi-tiered lifts.
- Multi-tiered loads (s. 103.1). Lifting two or three individually rigged steel pieces at once is allowed only under written procedures prepared by an engineer, with no more than three pieces, each slung independently, no bundling and power-controlled lowering. Only workers directly engaged in the lift may be in the area.
- Tag lines (s. 179). Where rotation or uncontrolled movement of a load may endanger a worker, guide ropes or tag lines must be used, and they stay on until the load is landed and stable.
- Signallers (s. 106). Where a signaller is required, they must be a competent worker who does nothing else while signalling.
- Power lines. Material to be moved by a crane must not be stored under or close to energized overhead conductors.
Stability and temporary bracing
A steel frame is at its weakest before it is complete: columns standing on anchor rods, beams with partial bolting, no deck to act as a diaphragm. Stability during erection is a design question as well as a site question.
- Anchor rods. CSA S16 (Clause 25.2 in the 2014 edition, as CISC notes) requires columns to have at least four anchor rods, arranged non-collinear, to give columns a lever arm against overturning during erection. Where that is not feasible, special precautions are needed.
- Temporary bracing and guying. The erector plans bracing, guy cables and the order in which bays are made stable. Where temporary works carry significant load, they should be designed by an engineer, consistent with the regulation's requirement that temporary structures be designed and braced for the loads on them.
- Erection sequence. Building a stable braced bay first, then extending from it, is the usual way to keep the frame stable as it grows.
What a steel erection safety plan covers
A steel erection safety plan (or risk assessment) turns these rules into a job-specific document. A useful one covers:
| Hazard | Typical controls |
|---|---|
| Falls from height | Guardrails, travel restraint or fall arrest, anchor points, rescue plan, trained workers |
| Struck by loads | Lift plans, tag lines, exclusion zones, no loads over workers |
| Frame instability | Erection sequence, anchor rods, temporary bracing and guying, engineer's input |
| Falling objects | Overhead protection, tool lanyards, controlled access below |
| Crane and rigging failure | Qualified operators and signallers, inspected rigging, ground conditions |
| Openings in floors | Guardrails or secured, marked covers |
| Weather | Stop-work criteria for wind, ice and lightning set in advance |
The plan also records who does what: the constructor's overall coordination, the erector's supervisor and competent persons, the engineer responsible for temporary works and engineered lifts, and the crane provider. Before work starts, each employer completes the registration form required by the regulation, and larger projects need a notice of project filed with the Ministry.
How fabrication supports safe erection
Safe erection starts in the shop. Clear shop drawings, piece marks that match the erection drawings, connections detailed for the erection sequence and accurate piece weights all reduce the time ironworkers spend at height working things out. A good fabricator and erector coordinate on details such as seated connections and bracing before the steel is cut.
Every structural piece that leaves our shop is cut, fitted, welded and marked to match the drawings, so it goes up quickly and cleanly on site. We also provide supply and installation of structural steel. If you are hiring separately, our guides on hiring steel erectors in Ontario and the difference between steel fabrication and erection explain how the work is usually split.
Planning a steel job
Safety requirements shape the schedule, the crane and the cost of erection, so raise them at the quote stage, not on the day the crane arrives. Send us your structural drawings for a free take-off and quote, or see our services for fabrication, delivery and installation.
Frequently asked questions
Does OSHA apply to steel erection in Ontario?
No. OSHA's steel erection standard is a US federal rule. In Ontario, steel erection falls under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and its Construction Projects regulation, O. Reg. 213/91.
At what height is fall protection required for steel erection in Ontario?
O. Reg. 213/91 requires fall protection where a worker may fall more than 3 metres, and in several other situations at any height, such as falling into operating machinery, into water, onto a hazardous object or through an opening in a work surface.
What training do steel erectors need for working at heights?
Workers who may use a fall protection system need training and instruction from a competent person under O. Reg. 213/91, and they must also meet the working at heights training requirements of O. Reg. 297/13. Training records must be available to an inspector.
What is a clipped double connection?
Where two steel beams or columns connect to a common column or beam, O. Reg. 213/91 requires either a clipped double connection or a seated connection for the first member, so the first piece is not left hanging when the second is bolted up.
Who is responsible for steel erection safety on a project?
The constructor has overall responsibility for the project. Each employer, including the steel erector, is responsible for its own workers, and supervisors must ensure work is done safely. Some items must be engineered, such as multi-tiered lift procedures and horizontal lifeline systems.
