Ladder Safety
Employees must understand how to properly set up, use and climb a ladder for safe work.
- By Sydny Shepard
- May 01, 2022
Every household in America probably has a ladder in it, maybe it's a step stool or a ladder that extends eight feet or more into the air. Either way, there is a right and there is a wrong way to use ladders, especially when it comes to industrial facilities or construction sites.
In fact, improper ladder use is so widespread that OSHA’s construction industry standard for ladder safety has been part of its Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Standards list for years, topping out at number three in fiscal year 2021 with over 2,000 violations for the standard.
CDC statistics show that 43 percent of fatal falls in the last decade involved a ladder. On the construction side, falls from ladders made up 81 percent of all fall injuries since 2012. Understanding how to choose, set up and use a ladder will be the difference in safe work with this popular tool.
Choosing the Right Ladder
Some of the most horrific incidents involving ladders stem from incorrect choice of equipment. Issues will crop up if you choose a ladder that is too short, or even too tall for the job you are trying to complete.
When choosing a ladder, you should keep a few things in mind: style, height, performance and material. There are a few different kinds of ladder styles: a stepladder, extension ladder, telescopic ladder and multi-function ladders. Each of these styles serves the worker in different ways to create safe work, but there are other factors to consider.
When it comes to the height of the ladder, it is not as simple as figuring out how high the work is. You must consider the angle of the ladder, the highest standing point on the ladder (which is four rungs from the top), the required overlap of ladder sections and the extension above the roofline. Later, we will talk about these requirements in specifics.
In addition to the style and height of the ladder, you will also have to think about the weight capacity. As you would expect, ladders are designed to hold a specific amount of weight. This includes the weight of the person climbing plus any materials they may need to bring up with them. Ladders have different duty ratings to identify the weight load limits they can handle. This is very important to take into consideration, as you would not want uneven weight distribution during work.
The last thing you’ll want to take into consideration is the type of material the ladder is made out of. Ladders used to be made of wood and metal, but technology has changed and there are ladders on the market made from aluminum and fiberglass. Advances in technology have also made ladders more lightweight, decreasing the amount of work it takes an employee to get the ladder from place to place.
This article originally appeared in the May 2022 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.