Safety Bulletin: Ladder Safety

Incident Description: Lower leg injury

Location: North Dakota

What happened: 2 Carpenters were working in a unfinished hotel room installing sheet rock. Carpenter #1 working from a ladder installing a piece of rock, moved his foot from his ladder utilized a drywall storage rack in the center of the room as a leverage tool. The drywall storage rack with 19 sheets sheet rock collapsed and fell on Carpenter #2, injuring his legs.

Lesson Learned: Understand the correct way to work from a ladder. Always have sufficient contact with the ladder and never utilize a non- approved work surface or structure as a leverage tool. Always be aware of your surroundings and understand where your co-workers and fellow tradesmen are located when you a performing work. It only takes 1 second of complacency to injury yourself or another.

Follow the safe work rules below while working from a ladder:

Fall protection: Fall protection is required for fixed ladders that are longer than 24 feet. This can include cages, wells, ladder safety devices, or self-retracting lifelines.

Ladder use: Ladders should only be used for the purpose they were designed for. Single rail ladders are not permitted.

Three points of contact: Maintain three points of contact with the ladder at all times, such as two hands and a foot, or two feet and a hand.

Face the ladder: Always face the ladder when climbing or descending.

Keep inside the side rails: Keep your body inside the side rails of the ladder.

Avoid tools in hands: Never carry tools in your hands while climbing or descending the ladder. Instead, use a tool belt or hand line to raise tools.

Extend above landing: Extend the top of the ladder at least three feet above the landing.

Avoid slippery materials: Keep ladders free of slippery materials.

Avoid overreaching: Avoid leaning to the side or overreaching.

Don’t use top step: Never use the top step of the ladder.

Training: Employees who use ladders should receive training.