Ladder Safety Toolbox Talk

Welcome to another episode of Safety Toolbox Talks with me, Shannon Smith, from Safer Me. Hi there. In today’s Safety Toolbox Talk we’re going to be talking about ladder safety. Ladder-related incidents led to more than 150 worker fatalities and more than 20,000 non-fatal injuries in 2015, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics data. And it’s also likely that ladder injuries are under-reported in our workplace like so many injuries are. In this Toolbox Talk we’re going to cover some of the basic things you should cover in a Ladder Safety Toolbox Talk. First up, we’re going to talk about choosing the right ladder for the job.

Ladder choice is an essential you should cover in your safety talk. What you don’t want is workers climbing any old object to accomplish a task at height. Not only does that violate occupational safety and health administration rules, but it puts all crew members at risk, especially when working at height. If a ladder is necessary, here’s what workers should consider before making a final selection. Number one, our ladder material. Ladders are typically made from wood, fiberglass or aluminum. If you’re on a construction site, you’re better off with a ladder made from aluminum or fiberglass. One of the advantages of aluminum ladders is that they’re lighter and easier to move around.

That makes a big difference when you’re walking back and forth between people around the work site. However, if you’re working in a place with electrical sources, thinking about overhead wires, then you’re going to be better off with a fiberglass ladder since they don’t conduct electricity. Number two, we need to have a think about our ladder height. You want to make sure that that ladder is tall enough for the task at hand. It’s better to have a ladder that is the correct height versus trying to make do with whatever ladder you can locate on the work site. So if you’re going to use an extension ladder, pick one that gets at least seven feet higher than the maximum contact point.

That way your workers can set the ladder up at the correct angle. If you’re using a step ladder, then reach height should be about four feet above the height of the step ladder in use. We also need to consider our ladder duty rating. So we need to make sure that ladder can hold any necessary weight by checking its duty rating. Any ladder used on a work site should have a sticker highlighting its duty rating attached to the side. In addition, workers should account for factors like body weight, clothing, any protective equipment, and any tools that they will have. With them whilst using the ladder. We also want to have a look at setting up the ladder.

So you should be talking about things like checking for any structural defects, looking for broken or missing rungs, cracked side rails, corrosion components, or other defective components. If you notice any issues that could impact the safety of workers, remove the ladder from the work site and have it sent for repairs or disposal. You don’t want anyone using a ladder that could lead to serious injury or even death. You should be reminding your workers to set ladders up in places where there isn’t a lot of traffic. However, if it is a busy site, they should set up barricades that prevent anyone from accidentally jostling them whilst using the ladder.

Crew members must position ladders at an angle most conducive to providing them with stability as they finish the task at hand. The rule for extension ladders is to set the base one foot away from the structure for every four feet of ladder height. That way workers can achieve a 75 degree working angle. Make sure your crew members understand the importance of setting up ladders on a level stable surface. If that’s too hard to do, then they should use a leveling device instead of stacking objects beneath the ladder legs. That’s a pretty big no-no. When they’re actually working on the ladder, another point to note in our ladder safety toolbox talk is how to handle working on that ladder.

So our crew members should maintain three points of contact while working on the top of our ladder. They can achieve this using body parts like hands, knees and feet. In addition, crew members should face the ladder whenever they climb up and down. Workers should never stand any higher on a step ladder than two steps down from the top. For an extension ladder, they should never go higher than four rungs from the top. In addition, crew members should avoid using ladders if the current weather conditions are including rain, strong winds or the possibility of lightning. We should be reminding workers to position step stools as close as possible to the object the worker needs to reach.

A worker can tell whether a step stool is suitable for the job by how much they have to strain to reach an object. If the crew member is constantly on their toes, they should be switching out to a ladder instead. Finally, we never want to be leaning or reaching away from the ladder when we’re using it as it’s going to allow us to get off balance. As you can see, there’s quite a bit to cover there when it comes to ladder safety. Even for the most experienced, construction professionals, it’s pretty handy to make a ladder safety part of one of your regular toolbox talks and help protect your workers. You’ve been listening to the safety toolbox talks by SaferMe.

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