Ladder safety

Between 3 to 4 thousand admissions to hospitals each year can be attributable to falls from ladders and on average, more than 20 to 30 Australians die each year after suffering such a fall.

Ladders have been and will continue to be a necessary piece of equipment to get the job done, both in the workplace and at home.

The number of injuries resulting from falls from ladders in Australia however is staggering. Between 3 to 4 thousand admissions to hospitals each year can be attributable to falls from ladders and on average, more than 20 to 30 Australians die each year after suffering such a fall.

• Falls from ladders accounted for the greatest number of falls from height related fatalities surpassing falls from roofs, buildings under construction etc.
• You only have to fall from 1–2 metres off a ladder to suffer serious injuries or death.
• Most people who died or were injured after falling from ladders were over 50 years old.
• Most ladder-related injurious falls occurred in the home

You can eliminate or significantly reduce the risk of these incidents occurring by properly planning fall protection and providing the necessary supervision.

Causes:

What are the reasons people fall from leaning ladders and stepladders?

• A leaning ladder slipping either at the top or bottom;
• Person overstretching;
• A fault with the ladder
• Slipping or losing your footing;
• Stepladder wobbles due to standing too high or straddling, missing feet or not being correctly open;
• Stepladder being used side-on to the work task.
• Distraction or lack of attention

Actions:

While ladders are often considered to be the first option when working at heights, they should only be used if safer alternatives have been assessed first and are not reasonably practicable for the task. Before using ladders therefore the first step is to ensure the work is done from one of the following hierarchy of controls (controls from lower on the list may only be used where it is not reasonably practicable to use controls from higher on the list):

• Perform the work from ground level (eg using long-handled tools to work from the ground although care must be taken to ensure this does not introduce new risks such as hazardous manual handling).
• Use passive fall prevention eg secure handrails (including mid rail and toe/kick board).
• Use an elevated work platform or portable scaffold with secure handrails.
• Use travel restraint systems.
• Use fall arrest systems (eg safety harness, industrial safety net or catch platform).
• Use step platforms.
• Ladder – light duty and short duration tasks where higher order controls are not reasonably practicable.

What you should do:

Is a ladder the right tool for the job?

Before choosing to use a ladder, you must identify whether a ladder offers the highest level of protection that is reasonably practicable. This is performed by following the hierarchy of control for prevention of falls.

When working in construction, if there is a risk of a person falling more than two metres, by law employers must:

• follow the prescribed hierarchy of control when selecting fall control measures
• prepare and follow a safe work method statement (SWMS) as this work is defined as high risk construction work.

Employers must also consult with employees when making decisions about risk controls and employers also need to provide employees with appropriate training in the safe use of ladders.

Training does not have to be classroom based or extensively detailed on site. Training can consist of a simple discussion at a toolbox meeting around the safe use of ladders. A ten minute discussion should be more than adequate provided it covers how to select the right ladder, what to look for when doing a pre-use inspection and how to safely set-up, use and maintain a ladder.

Position the ladder correctly:

• Use a step platform ladder, where possible, as they provide a larger, more stable work surface than ladders.
• Inspect ladders regularly. Repair or replace ladders where rungs, steps or treads or top plates are missing, worn, damaged or loose.
• Do not use ladders on balconies or other areas that increase the potential fall distance for the user.
• Ensure ladders are placed squarely on firm, non-slip surfaces.
• Ladder tops must rest against a secure surface and extend approximately 1 metre above a safe landing or parapet wall. Secure ladders by tying them to a support at the top and/or blocking off at the bottom. Alternatively, have another person ‘foot’ the ladder.
• Ladders must be set with a 4 vertical to 1 horizontal slope.
• Watch for overhead power lines when erecting a ladder.
• Metal including wire reinforced wooden ladders, must not be used near energised electrical conductors.
• If the ladder is in front of a swinging door then the door should be locked.

When using a ladder:

• Ensure footwear is free of grease, mud or other slippery substances.
• Always face the ladder and maintain ‘three points of contact’ while going up, down or working from a ladder: when going up or down, always have two feet and one hand, or one foot and two hands on the ladder.
• When working from a ladder, have two feet and one other point of contact with the ladder, such as a hand or thighs leaning against the ladder.
• Always have two hands free when climbing up and down (eg a tool belt can be used to free hands).
• Do not over-reach. Over-reaching can lead to the ladder tipping sideways. Work with your belt buckle within the ladder stiles.
• Do not use tools that require a high degree of leverage such as stillsons or pinch bars, or do not use equipment or tools primarily designed to be used with two hands such as hammer drills, circular saws, chain saws etc.
• Always stand on a rung that is at least 900mm from the top of a single or extension ladder.
• Never stand higher than the second tread below the top plate of any stepladder
• Never straddle a ladder.
• A second person or a physical barrier (eg witches hats) may be necessary to ensure the ladder is not knocked by passing traffic or pedestrians. A second person may be required for assisting with the raising or lowering of plant or materials.
• Do not allow anyone else to be on the ladder at the same time.
• Make sure that no one works underneath the ladder.