The second most common cause of occupational fatalities in the United States are falls, slips and trips. Often overlooked in the falls category, ladders remain a serious cause for concern, remaining one of the top OSHA violations year after year. The largest barrier to ladder safety is often complacency. With ladders being a routine item, they begin to seem harmless, especially if they are shorter.
It seems simple to remain safe, but it is easy to become careless, especially if you are a seasoned worker. However, ladder safety requires vigilance – one wrong step or slip can cause a serious back injury, neck injury or worse. Improper use, damaged equipment, improper setup or the wrong ladder for the job can all result in a fall. Let’s dive deeper into some important ladder safety tips.
Just like it is essential to choose the right tool for the job, it is important the ladder you use is up to the task. Ladders are rated based on the weight the ladder can hold; it is important to remember it is the combined weight of the user and any equipment the user is holding.
Household ladders are light-duty ladders with a load capacity of 200 pounds or less. They are designed to only bear the weight of a person and do not account for the additional weight of equipment or tools.
Commercial ladders are medium-duty ladders with a load capacity of no more than 225 pounds, and can accommodate small equipment, like Christmas lights.
Industrial ladders are heavy-duty ladders, supporting up to 250 pounds, and suitable for a person and a tool belt.
Both commercial and industrial ladders come in higher grades of heavy-duty builds, supporting up to 375 pounds. It is important to remember OSHA regulations require a ladder to be able to support several times its rated weight-bearing capabilities depending on how it is used.
Having selected the right ladder for the job, inspect it for damage. Once the ladder is confirmed to be safe, use the following proper ladder practices to prevent injury:
It is just as important to understand what not to do when you are on a ladder to best protect yourself from injury. Here are some things to avoid:
If using a ladder means you can not meet any of these conditions, you may need a different setup, like scaffolding.
Before anything else, employers must provide ladder training by a competent person. Employees should fully understand the hazards, proper use, placement and load-bearing capabilities. Under prescribed OSHA standards, fall protection training and systems may need to be implemented. If safety training is needed, you can reach out to a safety consultant to ensure you keep your employees safe and remain OSHA compliant.