Ladder Accidents this summer

[Brian Kent]

If there is any wisdom on ladder safety, please pass it on.

This summer at our church:

1) John is on a ladder on the side of his house. Reaches far to the side. The ladder tips. He jumps off and lands on his feet - onto concrete and crushes his heal. No surgery possible, just 4 months plus of no foot use, followed by a lifetime of orthopedic shoes, as the bag of bone chips forms a new heel.

2) Sylvia thinks she is on the bottom rung, steps off the second rung, falls against the ladder and breaks 2 ribs.

3) Mary sprains an ankle when the ladder tips.

4) Harold asks for prayer as his cousin just died while cleaning his church steeple in another part of the country.

In addition to throwing away all ladders and becoming wealthy enough to hire professionals to climb ladders for us… any safety rules?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Brian......check this out: http://www.osha.gov/Publications/por...ladder_qc.html

Safety isn't an accident.

1. Don't over exend reaching while on a ladder.

2. Make sure the ladder is on a stable level surface.

3. Use a safety harness if working at extremely high elevations.

4. Look where you are stepping.

5. An extension ladder with a base that is wider than the main part of the ladder is more stable.

[Ed Griner]

Brian, My first suggestion is rent a lift or a bucket truck! Ladders are dangerous!

[Dick Strauss]

3 points of contact at all times...

[Dave Anderson NH]

My first stop Brian would be the link that Ken has just posted. Ladders scare me and I am hyper careful when working off of one or climbing one. I was a rockclimber and mountaineer for most of my life and on stable rock height has never bothered me. Ladders are a different matter entirely, they can fall down while rock faces rarely do.

I would comment that you should always overbuy in both weight capacity (strength) and in length. Extra weight capacity means a ladder than is of better quality, stiffness, and far exceeds the minimum standards. Extra length means you can angle the ladder a little more safely, don't always have to go to the top on a steplader, and you can have greater length of an extension ladder overlapping increasing stiffness. You would also have a longer section of ladder extending above a roofline making the transition from ladder to roof or vice versa a lot safer.

[Joel Goodman]

And most important on a step type ladder don't forget to make sure that the device that holds it open is fully engaged. Don't ask me how I know this, but a 12' fall gave me enough time to think about how stupid I was. Fortunately no broken bones resulted!

[Jim Rimmer]

I'm a safety manager for a large company on the Ship Channel in Houston. We cover ladder safety a couple of times a year. The advice given already is good. In addition, check the weight rating - unfortunately people in the US a getting bigger. Cheap ladders are usually rated around 200 to 250 lbs. That will barely hold a lot of men I know and you have to add in the weight of the tools and materials they have. Which brings up the next thing - don't go up or down a ladder with items in your hand; raise or lower them in a bucket. Someone already mentioned 3 points of contact - 2 hands and 1 foot or 1 hand and both feet. When using an extension ladder, tie it off - I would bet that not one homeowner ever does this. Already mentioned but don't over reach; move the ladder. On step ladders, pay attention to the label that says "Do Not Stand On or Above This Step"'. It's there for a good reason; if you don't abide by it you put the majority of the weight too high and the ladder is unstable.

If there is a Home Depot near you that rents equipment, they have (at least in my area) self propelled bucket lifts for $150/day. May sound high but probably about the same as your co-pay at the emergency room.

[Stephen Tashiro]

I wonder what percent of ladder accident victims are overweight or over sixty. People who work on ladders should be realistic about their current physical body rather than working like they did when they were in better shape.

[Jason Roehl]

Having spent countless hours on ladders, I can add a couple, though I do disagree with some of the conventional, OSHA-approved advice.

1. Not over-reaching means that you keep your hips (and your center of gravity/mass) between the rails of the ladder.
2. Stand with your feet touching the outer rails--as far apart as possible.
3. When setting up a ladder, climb one step up and bounce on it a little. If it's going to move, it will do it here.
4. Wear thick-soled boots--this will greatly reduce foot fatigue. Also, the high arch on boots will cradle the rungs of the ladder helping prevent your foot from slipping off.
5. Don't climb with your arms, use your legs--they're much stronger. Also, climb with your hands sliding along the back side of the rails, not grabbing rungs. This way, you can't grab and miss a rung with your hands. (My one exception to this is when I have a bundle of shingles on my shoulder, also rare!)
6. Use a ladder stabilizer. They do make a ladder a little more top-heavy, but far more stable against a building, and increase the area you can safely work on above the ladder. They also put you a little farther from the building which allows you to lean into/against the ladder while you work (less tiring/safer).
7. I've been to hundreds of houses. There is no such thing as a firm, level surface. People like to build their houses in the sides of hills, in the woods, next to creeks, etc. Leg levelers and stakes are your friends.

As for my disagreements, I don't generally tie off a ladder unless I am going to leave it in one place all day. Most of the time I am up and down quickly and only at the top in one location for 10 minutes or so max. For that same reason, I don't mess with buckets and ropes to pull my tools up. I also don't extend a ladder much above a roof. I'm much more comfortable climbing over the top of the ladder than trying to step around it over the abyss.

[Jerry Bruette]

Careful with the bucket lifts folks. They bring about a whole new set of hazards.

You should be wearing a full harness and fall arrest equipment when using a lift. If you do use a harness and the fall arrest make sure you tie off at the manufacturer's designated tie off point. Any where else may not support you if you fall. And even with the fall protection you can hang from the harness and laynard for only about five minutes before you start to damage tissue from lack of blood and oxygen.

Our training at work tells us that most serious injuries from ladders happen from about 12 feet or less. The message that you're falling doesn't travel from your brain to your muscles as fast as you do from the ladder to the ground. In other words you can't react fast enough to protect yourself.

Jerry

[Brian Kent]

Keep 'em coming. These words of advice are good for me, and hopefully for others also.

I had never heard of a ladder stabilizer, leg levelers, or using stakes.

Thanks.

[Matt Meiser]

I sprained my wrist pretty badly about 10 years ago falling off the second step of a step ladder while siding my garage. One leg slipped off the concrete into dirt and I went over. Like Jerry says, its not just heights that will get you.

The real bummers were a) I was literally an hour or two from finishing and it took another month and b) we bought our first camper right after and the tent fabric was so strong that they offered $250 off if you could rip a sample. I know I could have done it if I didn't have a bum wrist. That was way more than my ER co-pay at the time.

[glenn bradley]

… any safety rules?

Just the same ones our dad's dads, our dad's and we have all been taught. Oh, and you have to follow them too.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Keep 'em coming. These words of advice are good for me, and hopefully for others also.

I had never heard of a ladder stabilizer, leg levelers, or using stakes.

Thanks.

Brian.....you have probably seen the stabilizers and leg levelers.....even in the Borgs....they are accessories that most people don't want to purchase.....do a search on Little Giant Ladders and go to their home page. You will see stabilzers and leg levelers....

[ray hampton]

all good points but a bucket-cherry picker or scaffold would be better and safety for me