Articles Tagged with ''ladder safety''

Falls-from-ladders are a leading cause of fall injury and death. In the US, more than 500,000 people a year are treated, and about 300 people die, from ladder-related fall injuries. The estimated annual cost of ladder injuries in the US is $11 billion, including work loss, medical, legal, liability, and pain and suffering expenses.

Ladder fall injuries are a persistent hazard both in the workplace and at home. There are five major causes for extension-ladder fall incidents: incorrect ladder setup angle, inappropriate ladder selection, insufficient ladder inspection, improper ladder use, and lack of access to ladder safety tools and information.

Employees of The Preservation Society of Newport County were exposed to lead and potentially fatal falls while scraping and abrasively removing lead-based paint from an outbuilding at the Newport mansion known as Chateau-sur-Mer, reports the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

OSHA stresses in a fall prevention fact sheet that falls from roofs can be prevented. Here’s how: DO: • Wear a harness and always stay connected • Make sure your harness fits •Use guardrails or lifelines •Inspect all fall protection equipment before use •Guard or cover all holes, openings, and skylights

• Has the most suitable equipment been selected to ensure safety, including for access and evacuation? • Are ladders only used when other equipment is not justified in view of the short length and low risk of the task? •Is the scaffold erected on a firm foundation?

Work-related falls from ladders caused 113 deaths and almost 15,500 nonfatal injuries that resulted in at least one day away from work in 2011, according to researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Ladder safety came in for a fair amount of attention during 2014. Federal agencies like OSHA and NIOSH produced ladder safety materials in several languages. Among the resources that can help safety professionals keep workers who use ladders free from injury:

OSHA has cited North Florida Roofing & Repair of Jacksonville with one willful, one repeat and two serious safety violations following an inspection at a job site on Ashbourne Trail in Jacksonville. The agency initiated the inspection in August as part of its local emphasis program on fall hazards.