The Dos and Don’ts of Ladder Safety

Matt Savin, Safety Consultant, FRSA Self Insurer’s Fund

Falls are one of the leading causes of serious injuries and deaths in the construction industry and many of them happen to be from ladders. There are many ways a person can be injured from a ladder, whether it’s from inappropriate use, improper set up, malfunction or a lack of knowledge and training. Here are some basic Dos and Don’ts for working on ladders but, of course, these are no substitutes for proper safety training.

Dos

Set the ladder up at a 4:1 ratio. This can usually be checked by placing your feet at the bottom of the ladder and reaching out to touch a rung. If you bend your arms or lean into it, it is at the wrong angle.

Ensure the ladder is three feet above the landing area on the roof. Three rungs is not high enough, as most employees will have the third rung at the eave of the home or building.

Always tie the ladder off to ensure that it does not slip or slide.

Be certain to fully open all folding step ladders and make sure the spreaders are properly in place. Avoid setting the ladder up too close to energized power sources.

Select the proper ladder for the job to be done. Not every ladder is made for every task.

Maintain three points of contact while on a ladder. Two hands and a foot or two feet and a hand must be in contact at all times while climbing.

Inspect your ladder for bent rungs or rails.

Ensure the ladder is free of debris and of slippery substances on the rungs and rails.

Place your ladder on a level surface or shore it up to level it.

Make sure the locks on extension ladders are fully locked in place.

Don’ts

Step on the top step of a stepladder or step above where an extension ladder meets the roof. Have more than one person on the ladder at any time. Exceed the maximum weight rating for the ladder. Use a folding stepladder in the folded position. Use unstable materials to gain more height.

Use sections of an extension ladder separately as two ladders.

Move a ladder while someone is on the ladder. Work with your body weight outside the rails of the ladder. This is commonly called the “belt buckle rule,” once your belt buckle is outside of the side rails of the ladder, you are effectively pushing the ladder away from you.

Conclusion

Of course, proper training and hands-on examples are always needed to keep your employees safe. Please use this brief list of Dos and Don’ts as a guide for safe ladder handling.

There are many ways to attain ladder safety training for your employees. If you are a member of the FRSA Self Insurers Fund, your safety consultant is available to provide ladder safety training as well as many other types of trainings.

The FRSA Self Insurer’s Fund (FRSA-SIF) has professional safety consultants throughout the state who will provide SIF members with safety training at no additional cost. To find out if you qualify for FRSA-SIF membership, please contact Alexis at 800-767-3772, ext. 206 or email alexis@frsasif.com. To learn more about the FRSA Self Insurers Fund, please visit www.frsasif.com.