What should you do when using a stepladder? – Back to top

Conduct a risk assessment when working at heights. It may be necessary to use fall protection equipment while working on a ladder. Check the load rating that is marked on the stepladder. The rating should cover the person’s weight and the weight of tools that will be used. Use a stepladder that is about 1 m (3 ft) shorter than the highest point you have to reach. This length of ladder gives a wider, more stable base and places shelf at a convenient working height. Check the ladder for racks, lose or corroded rivets, defective braces, or parts (including the slip resistant feet) that are in poor condition. Make sure it is free of grease or oil or other slippery substances. Open the stepladder spreaders and shelf fully and lock the braces. Check stability. Make sure that all ladder feet are on a firm, level, and non-slippery surface. Place a stepladder at right angles to the work, with either the front or back of the steps facing the work. Keep the stepladder close to the work.

Lift and carry the ladder when moving it. Do not push or pull stepladders from the side. Repeated sideways movement can make ladders unstable since they are weaker in those directions. Face the stepladder when climbing up or down. Keep your body centered between side rails. The ladder can become unstable if your body or equipment you are holding move beyond the side rails. Work at an appropriate height for the ladder. Generally speaking, you have climbed too high if your knees are above top cap of the stepladder or if you cannot maintain a handhold on the ladder. Maintain a firm grip. Use both hands when climbing. Keep both feet on the ladder. Do not stand on a ladder and other object at the same time (for example, 1 foot on the ladder and 1 foot on anther object).

What are the safety precautions of using a ladder?

Maintain a 3-point contact (two hands and a foot, or two feet and a hand) when climbing/ descending a ladder. Stay near the middle of the ladder and face the ladder while climbing up/down. Use a barricade to keep traffic away from the ladder. Keep ladders free of any slippery materials.

What are three 3 safety precautions when using a ladder?

Leaning ladders – When using a leaning ladder to carry out a task:

Only carry light materials and tools – read the manufacturer’s labels on the ladder and assess the risks Don’t overreach – make sure your belt buckle (or navel) stays within the stiles Make sure the ladder is long enough or high enough for the task Don’t overload the ladder – consider your weight and the equipment or materials you are carrying before working at height Check the pictogram or label on the ladder for any advisory information To help make sure the ladder angle is at the safest position to work from- you should use the 1-in-4 rule. This is where the ladder should be one space or unit of measurement out for every four spaces or units up (a 75° angle) Always grip the ladder and face the ladder rungs while climbing or descending – don’t slide down the stiles Don’t try to move or extend the ladder while standing on the rungs Don’t work off the top three rungs. Try to make sure that the ladder extends at least 1 metre or three rungs above where you are working Don’t stand ladders on movable objects, such as pallets, bricks, lift trucks, tower scaffolds, excavator buckets, vans or mobile elevating work platforms Avoid holding items when climbing (consider using a tool belt) Don’t work within 6 m horizontally of any overhead power line, unless it has been made dead or it is protected with insulation. Use a non-conductive ladder (eg fibreglass or timber) for any electrical work Maintain three points of contact when climbing and wherever possible at the work position. Where you cannot maintain a handhold, other than for a brief period (eg to hold a nail while starting to knock it in, start a screw etc), you will need to take other measures to prevent a fall or mitigate the consequences if one happened Secure the ladder (eg by tying the ladder to prevent it from slipping either outwards or sideways) and have a strong upper resting point (ie do not rest it against weak upper surfaces such as glazing or plastic gutters) Consider using an effective stability device (a device which, if used correctly, prevents the ladder from slipping, some types of ladders come with these)

What is the 3 to 1 ladder rule?

Most ladder injuries occur when getting on or off a ladder. To use ladders safely, always maintain three points of contact. That means two hands and one foot or two feet and one hand on the ladder at all times.

What is one thing you should do before using a ladder?

Safe use of ladders and stepladders

Before using a ladder, you should have access to user instructions from the manufacturer in case you need to refer to them. You should always carry out a ‘pre-use’ check to spot any obvious visual defects to make sure the ladder is safe to use.A pre-use check should be carried out:

by the person using the ladder at the beginning of the working day after something has changed, eg a ladder has been dropped or moved from a dirty area to a clean area (check the state or condition of the feet)

The check should include:

the stiles – make sure they are not bent or damaged, as the ladder could buckle or collapse the feet – if they are missing, worn or damaged the ladder could slip. Also check the ladder feet when moving from soft/dirty ground (eg dug soil, loose sand/stone, a dirty workshop) to a smooth, solid surface (eg paving slabs), to make sure the actual feet and not the dirt (eg soil, chippings or embedded stones) are making contact with the ground the rungs – if they are bent, worn, missing or loose, the ladder could fail any locking mechanism – does the mechanism work properly? Are components or fixings bent, worn or damaged? If so, the ladder could collapse. Ensure any locking bars are fully engaged the stepladder platform – if it is split or buckled, the ladder could become unstable or collapse the steps or treads on stepladders – if they are contaminated, they could be slippery; if the fixings are loose on the steps, they could collapse

If you spot any of the above defects, do not use the ladder and tell the person in charge of the work. : Safe use of ladders and stepladders

What are the main hazards of using ladders?

Common Hazards Climbing the ladder while carrying items. Standing on the very top step or rung when the ladder is too short for the task. Placing an extension ladder at the wrong angle. Using a worn or damaged ladder.

What is the biggest cause of ladder accidents?

Four (4) Causes of Ladder Accidents FREE Ladder Accident Case Consultation 1-866 INJURY 2 or 1-866-465-8792 The use of a ladder to get to out of reach heights is common in the home and in the workplace. Ladder accidents happen all the time and serious injuries or death can result from these types of falls.

Selecting the Wrong Type of Ladder When using a ladder, it is important to consider the ladder’s weight capacity. Different ladders are specifically designed to support different weights. If the weight limit is exceeded, the ladder can break, causing the user to fall and sustain injuries. In addition, consider the height of the job and the appropriate height of the ladder to do that job. Many ladder accidents result from using ladders too short for the job. Never place the ladder on something to extend its reach or stand on the top rung of the ladder—doing so increases the chance of falling and sustaining injuries. Using Worn or Damaged Ladders Broken Ladder A common factor causing ladder accident injuries is using old, worn or damaged ladders. Like other tools, ladders have a limited safe and useful life. The amount of usage, the number of times up and down, coupled with the weight supported may cause the ladder to wear down. Using a damaged ladder can be extremely dangerous. If the ladder breaks, the user is likely to fall and suffer serious injuries or even death. For this reason, it is important to inspect the ladder for any damage before use. Incorrect Use of Ladders Human error is the leading cause of ladder injury accidents. A ladder should never be used in way that is not how the manufacturer intended it to be used for. Also, never alter the ladder or attempt to make it longer. In addition, when using ladders, always use three (3) points of contact with the ladders. This means to keep at least a total of three (3) hands and feet in contact with the ladder at all times while using the ladder. Further, never reach too far to either side; instead climb down, move the ladder to the side, closer to what was reached for, then climb back-up the ladder. This is much safer and will help prevent falls and injuries and even deaths. Incorrect Placement of Ladders Always place the ladder on level and firm ground. Failure to do so can cause the ladder to tip and fall which may result in injuries to the user. Never place the ladder in front of an unguarded door, unless it is carefully and securely locked or blocked. If you plan to use a ladder, the best thing to do is to find a helper to support the base of the in-use ladder. If no helper is available, the consider staking the feet of the ladder to provide some additional safety support. If you are injured while using a ladder, depending on the cause of the accident, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. To find out if financial compensation is available in your case, contact an experienced today!

: Four (4) Causes of Ladder Accidents

What is the correct way to set up a ladder?

Working safely on a ladder depends on proper setup. Make sure your employees know the rules. – To avoid ladder accidents, employees have to set up ladders correctly. Be sure to teach them these 10 ladder setup rules.

• Place the ladder on a firm, level surface, and check to make sure the ladder is stable. Use wide boards under the ladder to give stability if the ground is soft.
• Never set a ladder on top of a drum, stack of pallets, or other object to gain more height. Use a taller ladder instead. If you set up a ladder on such an unstable base, you’re just asking for an accident.
• Never set up a ladder in front of a door unless the door is locked or blocked—or you’ve got someone standing on the other side to keep people from opening the door.
• Never lean a ladder against a surface that isn’t strong enough to support your weight, such as a window or an object that might move under your weight.
• Never fasten two ladders together for additional height. Instead, use a taller ladder or an extension ladder designed for two-ladder coupling.
• Make sure the spreaders on stepladders are fully extended and locked in place and that locking devices on extension ladders are secured.

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• Remember the 4-to-1 rule: Place the base of the ladder 1 foot from the wall for every 4 feet between the base and the support point. For example, if it is 8 feet from the base of a ladder to its support point, the base of the ladder should be 2 feet away from the building.
• Extend extension ladders at least 3 feet above a support point such as the edge of a roof.
• Make sure that the upper section of an extension ladder overlaps and rests on the bottom section. The overlap should always be on the climbing side of the ladder. For ladders of 36 feet or more, the overlap should be least 3 feet.
• Secure ladders at the top and bottom.

What is the rule for ladder setup?

Ladder Safety

• Environmental Health & Safety
• Ladder Safety Self – Study Unit
• INTRODUCTION

The chief hazard when using a ladder is falling. A poorly designed, maintained, or improperly used ladder may collapse under the load placed upon it and cause the employee to fall. A ladder is an appliance consisting of two side rails joined at regular intervals by crosspieces on which a person may step to ascend or descend.

• VARIOUS TYPES OF PORTABLE LADDERS Stepladder – A self-supporting portable ladder, non-adjustable in length, having flat steps and hinged back.
• Single Ladder – A non self-supporting portable ladder, nonadjustable in length, consisting of but one section.
• Its size is designed by overall length of the side rail.

Extension Ladder – A non self-supporting portable ladder adjustable in length. OSHA’S REQUIREMENTS FOR PORTABLE LADDERS

1. Portable stepladders longer than 20 feet shall not be used.
2. Stepladders shall be equipped with a metal spreader or locking device of sufficient size and strength to securely hold the front and back sections in open position.
3. Single ladders longer than 30 feet shall not be used.
4. Extension ladders longer than 60 feet shall not be used.
5. Ladders shall be maintained in good condition at all times.
6. Ladders shall be inspected frequently and those which have developed defects shall be tagged or marked (Dangerous, Do Not Use) and removed from service for repair or destruction.

Proper use of ladders is essential in preventing accidents. Even a good ladder can be a serious safety hazard when used by workers in a dangerous way. OSHA standards require the following safety precautions for ladder use:

Ladders shall be placed with a secure footing, even surface when possible, or they shall be tied off at the top, middle, and bottom to prevent slipping.

Ladders used to gain access to the roof or other area shall extend at least three feet above the roof it provides a point of support when stepping on the roof.

The foot of a ladder shall have a horizontal distance from the top support to the foot of the ladder one-quarter of the working length of the ladder. Divide the length of the building from the ground to the top support by four. If the top of the ladder is at sixteen (16) feet, and the ladder extends to twenty (20) feet, the base should be four (4) feet from the building. The base of the ladder should be placed so that it is one foot away from the building for every four feet of hight to where the ladder rests against the building. This is known as the 4 to 1 rule,

The worker shall always face the ladder when climbing up or down.

Short ladders shall not be spliced together to make long ladders.

Ladders shall never be used in the horizontal position as scaffolds or work platforms.

The top of a regular stepladder shall not be used as a step.

Use both hands when climbing or descending ladders.

Metal ladders shall never be used near electrical equipment.

We would like to assess your learning and also document your participation in this self study. To do this, we have provided a short multiple choice test. To take this test, you may click on the highlighted now. : Ladder Safety

Jack Gloop