Safety Rules for the Quebec Film and Video
Industry
Guideline 6.1
2nd edition
Written by the Technical Committee of the Film and Video Industry’s Joint Sector-based
Working Group, and produced by the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du
travail du Québec (CSST).
Scaffolds
2. Diagonal cross braces must be
installed as the scaffold is built up
in height. Never use them to access
the scaffold. All scaffolding frames
must be connected to each other
using vertical safety latches, commonly known as banana clips.
3. If tie-backs and stabilizers are not
used, rule 3.1 must be followed: the
total work platform height must not
exceed 3 times the smallest dimension of the base (measurement to
include the screw jack if present).
4. Using a ladder, stepladder or any
other similar accessory on a platform
is prohibited. Therefore lighting
equipment on stands must not be
more than 1.8 m high, so that they
can be adjusted at eye level. Also,
the platform must be at least
470 mm wide, and fit perfectly on
the scaffold.
5. The scaffold and all its components
must be able to support 4 times
the maximum load to which it is
likely to be subjected. It must be
designed, built, trussed and maintained so as to withstand gusts of
wind and support the loads and
limitations to which it is subject.
Remember that having canvas
sheets, tarpaulins etc. fixed to the
scaffold significantly affects how it
reacts in gusts of wind.
Figure 1
Fixed scaffold
Guardrail
beginning
at 3 metres
Double looped no 9
metal wire
Top rail plank 38 mm x
140 mm laid flat
Middle rail plank, optional with
the cross brace
Toe board 30 mm x 100 mm
3
Note: No 1 grade spruce
Vertical safety latches
Conventional
steel frame
Screw jack
1
Diagonal
cross brace
Base
support
Adjustable
screw jack
1/
3
Screw jack
with steel
base plate
2/
3
Source: CSST, Les échafaudages sur cadres métalliques, DC 200-1703.
DC400-1364-6.1A (2012-07)
1. The scaffold must be erected on firm
ground, with mudsills (planks) and
base supports used to ensure
stability. It must always be level
(use a water level). If the ground is
loose and uneven, adjustable screw
jacks must be used to keep the scaffolding perfectly level (see Figure 1).
2nd edition
Safety Rules for the Quebec Film and Video Industry
6. The scaffold must be installed according to the
manufacturer’s instructions. Assembly and dismantling instructions — signed and certified by an engineer — must be available when, for instance:
• the height of a metal scaffold exceeds 18 m;
• the height of a wood scaffold exceeds 9 m;
• an overhanging or a suspended scaffold extends more than 2.4 m from the building facade;
• the scaffold is mounted on a vehicle or on
movable equipment.
7. No worker may be on a rolling scaffold while it is being
moved. Material must be well attached to a rigid scaffold member. When a rolling scaffold is in use, its locking system (brakes) must be engaged.
•On rolling scaffolds, the wheels or castors must be
securely attached by the appropriate device (screw,
bolt, nut, etc.). The base of a rolling scaffold must
have horizontal cross bracing to ensure the scaffold
maintains its shape (see Figure 2).
• All types of scaffolds must have horizontal cross
bracing every third frame tier from the ground up.
Figure 2
Rolling Scaffold
Guideline 6.1
8. Someone must ensure that the work surface is stable
and level, and that nothing could cause it to tip or
become unstable. Before using the equipment, any
anticipated movement must be studied in order to
locate aerial obstructions, vehicle and pedestrian
traffic, holes in the asphalt, slopes, etc.
9. Hoisting apparatus must be used in accordance
with the manufacturer’s instructions, particularly on
sloping surfaces. On sloping surfaces, the equipment
must never be left unattended, unless wheel chocks
have been used to immobilize it. If the hoisting apparatus has a braking mechanism, it must be applied
when personnel are being lifted.
10.Members of the production crew on the platform
must wear individual fall protection equipment, namely
a safety harness connected by a lanyard with an
energy absorber to an anchor on the platform.
11.In planning the filming or recording, the department
head that will be using the hoisting apparatus must
choose it according to the weight to be lifted.
12.The producer or his agent must suspend the work
when a component or part of a scaffold could come
to within the following minimum distances from a
power line:
Line voltage (volts)
Distance
Support rail
Middle rail
Guardrail
Toe board
Prefabricated
platform
3m
de 125 000 à 250 000
5m
de 250 000 à 550 000
8m
12 m
> 550 000
13.The producer or his agent must foresee a fall protection system when the scaffold height exceeds 3 m.
The system may be:
• a guardrail;
Diagonal cross
brace
Access
< 125 000
• individual fall protection equipment meeting the
following standards:
Vertical
safety latch
(banana clip)
Wheel locking system
(bakes)
- Full Body Harness (CAN/CSA Standard Z259.10-M90);
- Shock Absorbers for Personal Fall-Arrest Systems (CAN/CSA Standard Z259.11M92);
- Fall-Arresting Devices, Personnel Lowering Devices and Life Lines (CSA Standard Z259.2-M1979);
- The anchor of a fall-protection system shall be capable of withstanding a force of 18 KN;
Horizontal cross
bracing
Source: CSST, Les échafaudages sur cadres métalliques, DC 200-1703.
Written by the Technical Committee of the Film and Video Industry’s Joint Sector-based
Working Group, and produced by the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail
du Québec (CSST).
•a restricted-movements system (CAN/CSA Standard
Z259.1-95 Safety Belts and Lanyards).
DC400-1364-6.1A (2012-07)
2nd edition
Safety Rules for the Quebec Film and Video Industry
Guideline 6.1
Fall Protection Equipment
Figure 4
Horizontal Lifeline
Figure 3
Vertical Lifeline
1
2
3
5
4
1. Fall arrest device (rope grab)
2.Lanyard
3.Harness
4. Vertical Lifeline
5. Shock Absorber
14.During the assembly and dismantling of a scaffold
more than 3 m high, the use of a fall protection
system is necessary. If a harness is used, this must be
connected by a lanyard (or a retracting belt) with a
shock absorber to an anchor point devised
specifically for this. The anchor point may be a rope
grab that moves along the length of a vertical lifeline
(see Figure 3), a horizontal lifeline or a safety rail (see
Figure 4). All components must comply with current
standards, prevent a free fall of more than 1.2 m and
withstand a load of 18 KN.
15.If a chain hoist is used accessories must be fitted with
hoist brakes, which must be designed and installed
in such a way as to stop a load of at least one-and-ahalf times the rated load. Ensure that the hoist does
not destabilize the platform.
Source: CSST, Les échafaudages sur cadres métalliques,
DC 100-9032-1.
References
Canadian Standards Association. Shock Absorbers for
Personal Fall-Arrest Systems. Rexdale, Ontario. CSA,
1992. (CAN/CSA Standard Z259.11M92).
Canadian Standards Association. Safety Belts and
Lanyards. Etobicoke, Ontario. CSA, 1996. viii,
(CAN/CSA Standard Z259.1-95).
Canadian Standards Association. Fall-Arresting Devices,
Personnel Lowering Devices and Life Lines. Rexdale,
Ontario, CSA, 1983, (CSA Standard Z259.2-M1979).
Canadian Standards Association. Full Body Harnesses:
(CAN/CSA Standard Z259.10-M90).
Quebec. Safety Code for the Construction Industry.
RRQ, c S-2.1, r 6
Quebec. Règlement sur la santé et la sécurité du travail
Note – The information contained in this guideline is not
exhaustive and does not replace current standards,
laws and regulations.
Written by the Technical Committee of the Film and Video Industry’s Joint Sector-based
Working Group, and produced by the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail
du Québec (CSST).
DC400-1364-6.1A (2012-07)