Safety Tips to Prevent Ladder Injuries

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CPSC Offers Safety Tips to Prevent Ladder Injuries

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Each year there are more than 164,000 emergency room-treated injuries in the U.S. relating to ladders. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) offers the following safety precautions to help prevent these injuries.

Make sure the weight your ladder is supporting does not exceed its maximum load rating (user plus materials). There should only be one person on the ladder at one time.

Use a ladder that is the proper length for the job. Proper length is a minimum of 3 feet extending over the roofline or working surface. The three top rungs of a straight, single or extension ladder should not be stood on.

Straight, single or extension ladders should be set up at about a 75-degree angle.

All metal ladders should have slip-resistant feet.

Metal ladders will conduct electricity. Use a wooden or fiberglass ladder in the vicinity of power lines or electrical equipment. Do not let a ladder made from any material contact live electric wires.

Be sure all locks on extension ladders are properly engaged.

The ground under the ladder should be level and firm. Large flat wooden boards braced under the ladder can level a ladder on uneven ground or soft ground. A good practice is to have a helper hold the bottom of the ladder.

Do not place a ladder in front of a door that is not locked, blocked or guarded.

Keep your body centered between the rails of the ladder at all times. Do not lean too far to the side while working.

Do not use a ladder for any purpose other than that for which it was intended.

Do not step on the top step, bucket shelf or attempt to climb or stand on the rear section of a stepladder.

Never leave a raised ladder unattended.

Follow use instruction labels on ladders.

(From CPSC

one more.......

Don't leave tools etc on top of ladders......

[Linked Image]

Thanks to Bryan Haywood for Photos www.Safteng.net

And just last week I had to put my 18 foot extension ladder on the tailgate of my truck to reach a dusk-to-dawn photo cell.

It was either that or buy another ladder for $300 that I will rarely use...

Hey, do as I say, not as I do!

Good Post.. very informative and I would say everyone should go under a safety training as listed above before using a ladder.

Originally Posted by Webmaster

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CPSC Offers Safety Tips to Prevent Ladder Injuries

Use a wooden or fiberglass ladder in the vicinity of power lines or electrical equipment.

(From CPSC

Using wooden ladder near live HV is not a good idea!

When I worked at Ford the only ladders allowed were ones that were made of wood.

Another great rule there was that the ladders were coated with clear varnish to make them last longer and easier to clean. Any ladder that was painted was thrown out; paint could hide a crack or rot.

It depends on voltage level and it depends on ladders.

New ladder and LV line is fine.Old ladder contaminated with water and dust and 35 kV+ line is playing dice with a devil.I saw the consequences.

Lest I contradict the infinite wisdom of the folks at the CPSC. OSHA, and everywhere else:

Could someone please explain to me how an aluminum ladder is inherently any more dangerous near electricity than an aluminum scaffold or steel lift?

do rubber wheels count?

~S~

Originally Posted by sparky

do rubber wheels count?

~S~

Not much if they are dirty (and one must assume they are always dirty).

Originally Posted by Vlado

Using wooden ladder near live HV is not a good idea!

I beg to differ there.
Wooden pole ladders are used over here as a matter of course, by most Lines Companies on voltages of anywhere between 400V and 66kV.

Besides, if you're going to be climbing a pole ladder that will bring you within access distance of bare live lines (of any voltage), you'll be wearing gloves and outers.
And more than likely even fitting line hose over the conductors you aren't actually working on, but are in your immediate vicinity.

I'm not talking about special wooden ladders used by line companies but about ordinary wooden ladders.Couple of years ago man carried such ladder and ,as he passed below 110 kV power line, he was shocked when top of the ladder reached wires.

Things react differently when working at higher voltages.

At 480V, wood is an insulator; at 69kV, wood is a conductor.

I had this very discussion with a lineman around here about wooden hotsticks. I said that I thought they were non conductive, his answer, you just have to put enough voltage on it then it will conduct. Guess you learn something new every day.

I have stories about wooden ladders but the strongest punctuation on maintaining ladders comes from a friends recent experience. He was putting on siding on his house using a rather ancient extension ladder. Some ways up the lock broke and the extension slid down. His ankle got in between the two sections and some 3 months later he is walking and allowed to ride a wind trainer for exercise. His foot was all but torn off and it was only a couple of rather persistent tendons that saved his foot.

Another experience. The wooden extension ladder on my truck broke right where the wire reinforcing goes through the side rails, up some 4 to 6 inches from the bottom of the rail. I was told to cut the other rail off at the same height. I asked the boss if I should put feet on it as the wire rail is now right at the bottom.
Frugal as my boss was, he suggested that the wire is fine and we never need feet. Fine words, and not 3 months later his son in law had the same ladder on a polished concrete floor and the metal wire reinforcement acted like skates and allowed the ladder to slide away from the wall. The son in law missed a few days or weeks of work and I installed feet on 3 extension ladders the next day.
Lessons learned. The cheaper the ladder the better your maintenance program better be. Wood ladders weaken with weather and age and hardware rusts especially on the roof of a service van or hanging from the fence in the back yard. electrical resistance of a wooden ladder is also effected by the number of days it has rained.
On an unrelated to ladders note, I can tell you that wood, even a very dry hardwood broom handle conducts electricity very well