Ladder Safety Training Date:

1. Ladder Safety TrainingDate: Suzanne Reister – Workers’ Comp Program Manager Paula Vanderpool – Workers’ Comp Program Assistant

2. Ladder Safety • WAC 296-876 – Portable Ladders • Training • Ladder Care • Composition/Materials

3. Ladder Safety • Ladders manufactured before January 1, 2006 must meet the design and construction requirements of ANSI (American National Standards Institute). • Your ladder should have a label indicating it meets these requirements.

4. Portable Ladder Safety - Introduction • Ladders are important and essential tools that are used widely in a variety of industries.  • They help us move up and down and work at different heights. • Portable ladders, in particular, are useful tools because they can be readily moved or carried. • They are simply built and come in many sizes, shapes, and styles.

5. Ladder Safety – Condition/Inspection • Condition and inspection • Keep portable ladders in good, usable condition. • Joints between steps or rungs and side rails are tight • Rungs, cleats, or steps are not bent, broken or split • All bolts and rivets are in place and secure • Hardware, fittings and accessories are securely attached and working properly • Ropes are not frayed or badly worn

6. Ladder Safety – Condition/Inspection • Moveable parts operate freely without grinding or excessive play • Safety feet and other auxiliary equipment are not excessively worn • Metal components are not corroded • There are no other faulty or defective components

7. Ladder Safety • Ladders need to be inspected as follows:

8. Ladder Safety • Ladders need to be inspected as follows:

9. Storage • Ladder Storage • DO • Store ladders in dry, well ventilated areas with moderate temperatures. • Store ladders either vertically or horizontally with supports at each end and in the middle. • Identify unsafe ladders with tags. • Remove defective or unsafe ladders from service immediately. • DON'T • Don't store anything on a ladder. • Don't paint wooden ladders with paint, only with clear preservatives, as paint can hide wear on the ladder.

10. Portable Ladders – Use/Abuse • Although they are easy to use, they are often misused or abused, causing serious injuries and deaths. These deaths and injuries could have been significantly reduced or eliminated with proper care and use.

11. At least one of these per year, is a fatality.

12. Varieties of Ladders • To prevent injuries while using portable ladders, you need to know what kinds of ladders there are and how to use them properly.   • There are various types, shapes, and sizes of ladders to help you accomplish your tasks.  

13. Varieties of Ladders Two Way Step Ladder Extension Ladder – 2 person job Platform Ladder Orchard Ladder Combination Ladder

14. Self-Supporting Ladders • Portable self-supporting ladders can stand up on their own.   • Standard stepladders have a front section with steps for climbing and a back section with two rear legs, which give them their stability.   • They must be set up on firm, level surfaces  such as floors, platforms, and slabs.

15. Self-Supporting Ladders • The standard stepladder is non-adjustable and has flat steps and a hinged back.   • It must have a metal spreader or locking device strong enough to securely hold the front and back sections in the open position.   • The back section is cross-braced and you must not use it for climbing.

16. Self - Supporting • The ladder may also have a bucket shelf which must be able to support a load of 25 pounds. • Standard stepladders are usually intended for use by only one worker at a time, unless otherwise specified on the manufacturers' or other labels.

17. Non Self-Supporting • Non-self-supporting ladders must be leaned against a stable structure strong enough to support the weight of the ladder, user, tools, and materials being used by the worker on the ladder. • They are intended for use by only one worker at a time. • Commonly used non-self-supporting ladders include single ladders and extension ladders.

18. Non Self– Supporting • Single ladders are nonadjustable and must never be tied or fastened together to form a longer ladder. • Sectional ladders, which consist of two or more sections, are designed to be combined together to function as a single ladder

19. Portable Ladders - Falls • You don't have to fall far to get hurt.  Workers injured in falls from ladders are usually less than 10 feet above the ladder's base of support. 

20. Reasons for Falls • Why do people fall from ladders if they are so easy to use?Setting up on an unstable or slippery base surface is a primary reason ladders fall over.Falls involve portable ladders that move, tilt, or shift while a worker is climbing, descending, or performing a task.  Standing on the top two rungs, which explicitly has a warning label DANGER, do not do!

21. More Reasons for Falls •   improperly getting onto or off of the ladder •   loss of balance •   setting up the ladder improperly •   overreaching by the user •   misstepping or a slipping of the foot while climbing or descending

22. More Reasons for Falls • Being bumped by a Cart or other object • Having a vehicle run into or bump you. • People not paying attention to where they're walking.

23. Ladder Safety - Prevention • Make sure the ladder is not placed on ice, snow, or other slippery surface unless the ladder is prevented from accidental displacement by: • Securing it • Providing the ladder with slip-resistant feet

24. Make sure ladders are not placed on boxes, barrels, or other unstable bases to obtain additional height

25. Ladder Safety - Prevention • Protect ladders that are set–up in a location where they could be displaced by workplace activities or traffic by either: • Securing the ladder to prevent accidental displacement • Or • Using a barricade to keep the activities or traffic away from the ladder

26. Ladder Safety - Prevention • Protect ladders that are set-up in front of doors that open towards the ladder by doing at least one of the following: • Block the door open • Lock the door • Guard the door to keep it from opening into the ladder

27. Ladder Safety - Prevention • Make sure ladders are not placed on boxes, barrels, or other unstable bases to obtain additional height • Place a straight ladder so the side rails are equally supported by the top support, unless the ladder is equipped with a single support attachment • Make sure the top support of the ladder is reasonably rigid and able to support the load

28. Ladder Safety - Prevention • Climbing and descending: • Have both hands free to hold on to the ladder, or at least one hand. • Face the ladder when climbing or descending • Keep ladders free from oil, grease, or other slippery materials • Keep the area around the top and bottom of ladders clear. • Remove all items from ladder before moving it • Make sure single-rail ladders are not used

29. Ladder Safety – Composition/Materials •   Fiberglass •  Aluminum/Metal •  Wood • Besides having different ratings or load capacities, ladders may be constructed of various kinds of materials.  Each material has specific care, maintenance, and storage requirements and may be preferred for specific uses, or under certain conditions.

30. Types of Composition • WOOD Stability better because it is heavier Durability less – wears out faster Strength to Weight Ratio good Weather Resistance not as good Conductivity non-conductive when clean and dry

31. Types of Composition • FIBERGLASS Stability less because it is lighter Durability better – material lasts longer Strength to Weight Ratio high Weather Resistance better (not same conditions as wood) Conductivity non-conductive when clean and dry (PREFERRED)

32. Types of Composition • ALUMINUM Stability less – lightest of all Durability better Strength to Weight Ratio high Weather Resistance better Conductivityconductive – do NOT use near exposed electrical sources/in a storm

33. Composition - Aluminum •   Electrocution Hazard •   This Ladder Conducts Electricity •   Do Not Use Around Electrical Equipment •   or other equivalent wording Do not use a metal ladder when working around energy sources.  Metal ladders must be labeled with a DANGER warning sticker indicating:

34. What NOT to do:

35. Wood, metal, and fiberglass ladders may also have some specific construction requirements. For example: •  Metal or Fiberglass • must have slip or skid-resistant feet AND steps or rungs that are corrugated, knurled, dimpled, coated with skid-resistant material, or treated to minimize possible slipping

36. Ratings

37. Ratings and Labels • Although there are many different kinds of portable ladders, they all receive a rating based on their maximum intended or working load - the total weight that they can safely support.  This includes the weight of the worker, tools, and materials.   • Type I-AA - 375 lbs. • Special duty industrial use, such as CATV, utilities, contractors, and higher capacity needs • Type I-A -300 lbs. • Extra-heavy-duty industrial use, such as utilities and contractors • Type I - 250 lbs. • Heavy-duty industrial use, such as utilities and contractors • Type II - 225 lbs. • Medium-duty work, such as painting, offices for building maintenance, and light industrial use • Type III - 200 lbs. • Light duty work, such as household use

38. Ratings and Labels • These ratings must meet certain American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards and they must be indicated on the duty rating sticker or manufacturer's label.  • ANSI requires that every ladder be labeled with this information so users can determine if they have the correct type ladder for the task/job.

39. Information Contained on Labels • Besides their ratings, labels and markings found on manufactured ladders contain product information, such as: • Manufacturer's Name • Ladder's Model Number/Name • Month and Year of Manufacture • Ladder's Size/Length, Maximum Working Length, and • Highest Standing Level

40. Help Yourself & Others • Before you use a ladder, check its rating to see if you have the right ladder for the job.  Be sure not to subject the ladder to a work load greater than its rated capacity.  And, always read manufacturers' labels and follow their recommendations.Do yourself a favor and avoid a fall and injury to yourself. If you see someone doing it wrong, say something!

42. Warning labels • Manufactured ladders have warning markings and labels, such as "CAUTION" and "DANGER," which are usually in red or yellow. • They often also have  "SAFETY" labels which give information on how to use the ladders safely.

43. What NOT to do:

44. QUIZ

45. Ladder Safety Quiz • You have to fall more than 15 feet from a ladder before you get hurt. Portable Ladder Safety True False FALSE Workers injured in falls from ladders are usually less than 10 feet above the ladder's base of support.

46. Portable Ladder Safety Injuries involving falls from ladders might be: A) Reaching too far out away from the ladder. B) Misstep or slip of the foot while climbing. C) Setting up the ladder on an unstable or slippery surface. D) All of the above. D – all of the above

47. A ladder is rated according to • A) its size • B) how it is to be used • C) the total weight that it can safely support • D) the kind of material it is made of (C) the total weight that it can safely support

48. Labels You don't need to read any of the labels on a ladder for information other than to find out the ladder's Type. True False FALSE