March is National Ladder Safety Month
In the United States more than 500,000 people experience ladder fall-related injuries and about 300 people die from such injuries. This year marks the third annual National Ladder Safety Month declared by the American Ladder Institute (ALI).
Construction, maintenance, and repair workers experience higher rates of ladder fall injuries and deaths. Some of the major causes of ladder falls are due to the following:
- Incorrect extension ladder setup angle
- Inappropriate ladder selection for the job or project
- Insufficient ladder inspection
- Improper ladder use
- Lack of access to ladder safety tools and information
There is a smartphone app available from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Ladder Safety designed to improve extension and step ladder safety to a wide range of ladder safety users, employers and safety professionals. The Ladder Safety app is based on the ANSI A14 ladder safety requirements. The NIOSH ladder safety app provides graphic aids, safety checklists, checklist for extension ladder selection, inspections, and referencing information to assist ladder users in making safe choices. This app is available for free download for both iPhone and Android devices. The Cohen Group encourages you to use the many resources NIOSH has created to prevent worker ladder related falls from occuring.
Feel free to contact The Cohen Group with any ladder safety questions you may have.