Spring Construction Safety Startup Checklist: 7 Steps Before Your Crew Hits the Field

Spring mobilisation moves fast. Ground conditions change overnight. Workers who have been off for weeks or months return to the job with habits that may have grown rusty. Equipment that sat in storage through a Western Canadian winter needs more than a visual check before it goes back into service.

In the background, the regulatory landscape has shifted. Alberta's OHS Code amendments from December 2024 introduced changes that safety managers need to capture in their documentation before day one on site. The updated WHMIS standard is now enforceable in 2025. Ground disturbance obligations in Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan carry pre-season requirements that cannot be met on the morning the crew arrives.

The window to close these gaps is now. This is the seven-step spring construction safety startup checklist On-Track Safety Solutions uses with construction, oil and gas, pipeline, and trades clients across Western Canada every year before mobilisation begins.

Step 1: Review Your Safety Manual Against Current Legislation

A safety manual that does not reflect current legislation is more than a documentation gap. It is a liability in a WCB investigation, a point loss in a COR audit, and a clear signal to a regulator that safety management is not actively maintained.

Alberta's December 2024 OHS Code amendments introduced modifications in several areas relevant to construction operations, including fall protection requirements, excavation and trenching standards, and general site safety obligations. If a company's safety manual has not been reviewed since before December 2024, it needs attention before the season begins.

In British Columbia, WorkSafeBC updates the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation on a rolling basis. In Saskatchewan, the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 1996 (as amended) govern construction and oil and gas operations. Companies operating across multiple provinces need documentation that reflects each jurisdiction's current requirements.

What to check:

• Does the manual cite the current edition of the applicable OHS regulation for each province where the company operates?

• Are Safe Work Practices current and relevant to this season's scope of work?

• Do contractor requirements, site visitor protocols, and emergency response procedures reflect current operations?

On-Track Safety Solutions provides custom safety manual updates with a draft delivered in 3-5 business days. Visit on-tracksafety.com/safety-manuals-documentation

Step 2: Verify Training Records and Close the Matrix Gaps

Spring is when training gaps surface most visibly. Certifications that were current last fall may have lapsed over winter. New seasonal workers arrive without orientation records. Returning crew members may not have documentation for requirements that were added or clarified in the previous year.

A training matrix maps every role on the worksite to every training requirement for that role. Checking it in March or early April, before mobilisation, gives enough time to close gaps before a worker arrives on site without required certification.

What to verify:

• Are certifications current for every returning worker?

• Have all new seasonal hires been enrolled in site orientation, equipment-specific, and role-specific training?

• Do training records include the course name, completion date, and a verifiable certificate?

• Are supervisor and safety officer training records current? Supervisors carry specific obligations under Alberta, BC, and Saskatchewan OHS legislation.

On-Track's online training platform carries courses for construction, oil and gas, pipeline, and trades operations across all provinces. The Leadership in Safety course is available Canada-wide for supervisors who need to lead safety culture in the field. Access the Leadership in Safety course.

Companies with five or more workers to train can set up a Corporate Training Portal to manage records, assign courses, and pull completion reports from one platform. Use code ONTRACK10 for 10% off individual course purchases. Corporate Training Portal details.

Step 3: Complete Pre-Season Equipment Inspections

Equipment that sat through a Western Canadian winter needs a structured re-commissioning inspection before it returns to service. Cold temperatures affect hydraulic seals, battery systems, undercarriages, and structural components in ways that may not be visible until the machine is under load on a job site.

Pre-use inspection is a regulatory requirement under OHS legislation in Alberta, BC, and Saskatchewan. The annual pre-season inspection, completed before equipment is commissioned for the new season, is where major defects must be identified and corrected before an operator climbs into the cab.

What to inspect:

• Hydraulic systems: seals, hoses, fluid condition and levels

• Braking systems on all mobile equipment

• Safety systems: backup alarms, lighting, ROPS, emergency shut-offs

• Tires or tracks: wear, pressure, condition after freeze-thaw cycles

• Load-bearing components on cranes, aerial lifts, and telehandlers

• Cab integrity: door latches, windows, seat belt condition

• Fire suppression equipment and extinguisher dates

Every inspection must be documented with the inspector's name, date, equipment identification, findings, and corrective actions required. Equipment flagged for repair does not return to service until the repair is documented and closed out.

Step 4: Assess Site Conditions Before Mobilisation

Ground that was stable at freeze-up is a different environment in April. Spring melt, frost heave, surface water accumulation, and softened subgrades create conditions that were not present when the site was last assessed. A site condition assessment completed before crews arrive is required under hazard assessment obligations in Alberta, BC, and Saskatchewan.

What to assess:

• Access road conditions: load limits, soft ground, wash-outs, drainage issues

• Ground stability near excavation zones, embankments, and cut slopes

• Surface water and accumulation near work areas and stockpiles

• Overhead hazards: dead trees and branches near work corridors, electrical clearances

• Underground utility markers: frost may have shifted markers or affected depth assumptions

• Temporary structures from the previous season: portable offices, fuel storage, laydown areas

Where site conditions have materially changed from the previous fall, the site-specific hazard assessment must be updated before work begins.

Step 5: Complete Ground Disturbance Pre-Season Preparation

Ground disturbance carries some of the highest regulatory requirements and greatest incident risk of any construction activity. Pre-season preparation is not optional.

In Alberta

Ground disturbance activities are governed under the Pipeline Act and Alberta's Damage Prevention Program. Before breaking ground, a locate request must be submitted to Alberta One-Call. The minimum advance notice period is three full working days. Spring volumes mean longer wait times. Submit locate requests early. Worker training is a specific requirement under Alberta's Excavation Code of Practice. Access Ground Disturbance 201 for Alberta.

In British Columbia

Ground disturbance locate requirements are managed through BC One Call. Workers must be qualified and documentation must be in place before excavation begins. BC Ground Disturbance 201 available here.

In Saskatchewan

Notification through Saskatchewan One Call is required before any ground disturbance activity. Employers are responsible for ensuring workers have documented training appropriate to the risk of the work.

National Requirement

Ground disturbance near federally regulated pipelines requires compliance with CSA Z247, Damage Prevention for the Protection of Underground Infrastructure, regardless of province. Use code ONTRACK10 for 10% off all course purchases.

Step 6: Update the Emergency Response Plan for the New Season

An emergency response plan that names people who have left the company, lists outdated phone numbers, or describes procedures for operations no longer in scope is a safety management failure. It will also cost points in a COR audit. Spring start-up is the right time to review and reissue the ERP before the season begins.

What to update:

• Emergency contact list: site supervisors, nearest medical facilities, emergency services, H2S response contacts, spill response contacts

• Muster point locations for each active site this season

• Evacuation procedures reflecting the current season's site layout and scope of work

• Regulatory contacts: provincial OHS authority, energy regulator, environmental authority, local emergency services

• First aid resource inventory: number of certified first aiders, first aid kit locations, AED locations

The updated ERP must be reviewed with all workers before work begins. Sign-off that this review occurred is the expectation under COR audit frameworks through both ACSA and ESC.

Step 7: Confirm WHMIS 2025 Compliance

Canada's WHMIS standard has been updated to align with the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS), Revision 7. This update carries enforcement implications that safety managers need to address before the new season begins. Suppliers were required to transition to GHS Revision 7-compliant Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and labels by established deadlines. Employers are responsible for ensuring SDS documents on their sites reflect current product information under the updated classification requirements.

What to confirm:

• Are SDS documents current and GHS Revision 7 compliant for all products used on site?

• Are labels on site-decanted or transferred products current and compliant?

• Have workers who handle hazardous products completed WHMIS training under the current standard?

• Are WHMIS training records captured in the training matrix and signed off?

On-Track's WHMIS 2025 course covers the current standard and is available across all provinces. Use code ONTRACK10 for 10% off. Access the WHMIS 2025 course.

Book a COR Audit While Spring Availability Exists

Companies targeting COR certification or annual COR re-audits in 2025 should book now. Audit availability across Alberta fills quickly once construction season is underway. On-Track Safety Solutions conducts COR audits through ACSA in Alberta, and through ESC in Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan. For companies where documentation is not yet audit-ready, On-Track's pre-audit documentation review service identifies the gaps before the auditor does. Book a COR audit or pre-audit review.

Download the Spring Safety Compliance Checklist

All seven steps from this post are available as a printable checklist on On-Track's free safety downloads page. Use it in pre-season planning meetings, share it with supervisors, or keep it on file for reference throughout the mobilisation process. Download at on-tracksafety.com/free-safety-downloads

Get Started Before the Crew Does

Closing safety gaps after the crew is already in the field is harder, more expensive, and sometimes impossible without stopping work. Closing them before mobilisation takes a few hours of structured review and the right resources.

On-Track Safety Solutions has supported construction, oil and gas, pipeline, and trades companies across Western Canada since 2008. Whether the priority is a safety manual update, training for the crew, ground disturbance training, or booking a COR audit, contact On-Track before the season starts. Visit on-tracksafety.com/contact