Each year, numerous people fall from ladders. Some escape with hardly a scratch, but others suffer serious injuries, and some even die.
Therefore, if your employer wants you to climb up a ladder, there are a few things to consider. While shooting up a ladder may be a quick way to carry out a task at height, that time saving will be a false economy for you and your employer if you end up injured and unable to work.
Do I know how to use it?
You might feel that of course you know how to use a ladder. Yet each year, people show that they do not know how to use them as well as they thought when they get injured falling from them. Tips include:
- Knowing how to extend and secure it
- Knowing how to shorten it without trapping a finger
- Understanding when someone should hold it
Am I appropriately dressed?
Putting up decorations for the Christmas party is the sort of event where someone inappropriately dressed could use a ladder. Party shoes probably do not have sufficient grip for metal rungs.
Is it safe to use it here?
Many external factors could affect ladder safety. For example:
- Soft ground could cause one foot to sink in, spilling you off
- Power cables above you could expose you to a fatal shock
- A gust of wind on a windy day could blow you off
- People working above you could drop something on your head
- Passerbys or vehicles could knock the base of the ladder causing you to fall
There are other options available to work at height. If your employer prefers you use a ladder, they should ensure it is safe for you to do so.
If you fall from a ladder at work, seek legal help to claim workers’ compensation.