Ladder Destruction
I have spent many hours on ladders. I was the ladder inspector for a facility that owned dozens of ladders: step, extension, fixed, and rolling. It was my responsibility to certify, red tag, and/or call for the destruction of a ladder that did not meet the safety criteria.
You should be doing regular ladder inspections because falls from ladders are one of the highest OSHA recordable injuries. I would guess that in half these cases, the fall was caused by the condition of the ladder, and not by the worker.
I see ladders that should be tagged out or destroyed in just about every workplace I inspect. That's because workers will adjust to the tools they work with. They will tolerate flaws like a wobbly step, a brace that does not always lock, or other imperfections, because they know what to expect. But when a quality ladder comes along, people will fight over who gets to use it.
Every ladder has a limited life. Wood, aluminum, fiberglass, and steel ladders each have different characteristics that either extend or shorten their useful lives. Usage and storage will dramatically affect ladder life. When you inspect a ladder for certification do you take the time to set it up and climb it? If you do, it has a positive effect on the workers who use that equipment.
Ladder inspection criteria are readily available on the internet. Good examples to use, or perhaps to calibrate your existing inspection process, can be found on the following links:
1.) http://issuu.com/louisvilleladderinc/docs/climb_inspection
2.) http://www-ehs.ucsd.edu/shop/pdf/Ladder_Inspection_Form.pdf
Look at this example using the second PDF., inspection form downloaded from UC San Diego. The questions to concentrate on:
1. Are any steps loose, cracked, bent or missing? (Pic 1)
2. Labels missing or not readable? (Pic 2)
3. Shoes, worn, broke, or missing? (Pic 3)
4. Other, bracing rivets? (Pic 4a) and (Pic 4b)
You should be doing regular ladder inspections because falls from ladders are one of the highest OSHA recordable injuries. I would guess that in half these cases, the fall was caused by the condition of the ladder, and not by the worker.
I see ladders that should be tagged out or destroyed in just about every workplace I inspect. That's because workers will adjust to the tools they work with. They will tolerate flaws like a wobbly step, a brace that does not always lock, or other imperfections, because they know what to expect. But when a quality ladder comes along, people will fight over who gets to use it.
Every ladder has a limited life. Wood, aluminum, fiberglass, and steel ladders each have different characteristics that either extend or shorten their useful lives. Usage and storage will dramatically affect ladder life. When you inspect a ladder for certification do you take the time to set it up and climb it? If you do, it has a positive effect on the workers who use that equipment.
Ladder inspection criteria are readily available on the internet. Good examples to use, or perhaps to calibrate your existing inspection process, can be found on the following links:
1.) http://issuu.com/louisvilleladderinc/docs/climb_inspection
2.) http://www-ehs.ucsd.edu/shop/pdf/Ladder_Inspection_Form.pdf
Look at this example using the second PDF., inspection form downloaded from UC San Diego. The questions to concentrate on:
1. Are any steps loose, cracked, bent or missing? (Pic 1)
2. Labels missing or not readable? (Pic 2)
3. Shoes, worn, broke, or missing? (Pic 3)
4. Other, bracing rivets? (Pic 4a) and (Pic 4b)
The pictures of this ladder clearly show that it is unfit for use. It is over 30 years old. It was a “throw away” ladder I repaired by re-drilling and bolting to salvage it. Like your workers in the field, I knew and learned to adjust to its particular deficiencies. I was aware that when I stepped on the top step there was a tendency for the ladder to shift or wobble slightly under my weight.
Last month I agreed to install window blinds for a friend. I still had the same 30 year old 2 foot aluminum step ladder pictured. Like the field worker, over time I have adjusted to the ladder's faults. But when I left the room to get some tools, I returned to find my friend had moved the ladder and was using it to retrieve something off a high shelf. I worried about what could have happened if she had used the ladder and -- not expecting that tricky shifting step -- fallen off. So when I got back home, I immediately destroyed that ladder and replaced it with a new version that meets OSHA safety requirements. It is a quality tool that will last for a long time.
Take stock of your personal equipment, your tools, ladders, and practice what we as safety professionals preach to our workers. Taking a piece of equipment out of service could prevent an injury.
Last month I agreed to install window blinds for a friend. I still had the same 30 year old 2 foot aluminum step ladder pictured. Like the field worker, over time I have adjusted to the ladder's faults. But when I left the room to get some tools, I returned to find my friend had moved the ladder and was using it to retrieve something off a high shelf. I worried about what could have happened if she had used the ladder and -- not expecting that tricky shifting step -- fallen off. So when I got back home, I immediately destroyed that ladder and replaced it with a new version that meets OSHA safety requirements. It is a quality tool that will last for a long time.
Take stock of your personal equipment, your tools, ladders, and practice what we as safety professionals preach to our workers. Taking a piece of equipment out of service could prevent an injury.