Views: 59 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2022-05-16 Origin: Site
In the field of safety, falls are one of the main causes of fatal injuries. In the field of construction alone, it is the number one killer. Many people in the safety industry do not realize that in the past ten years, 43% of fall fatalities were related to ladders. However, tell employees that you are going to train them how to use ladders, and you will most likely see their suspicions.
Ladder is a very simple device and does not always work correctly. If so, the statistics mentioned before will not be that big.
Most ladder accidents occur when the ladder is used improperly. Ladder angled incorrectly, not fixed, not installed on a firm or level surface, not high enough, damaged, fixed together, used as a closed A frame, etc. are not safe. Ladders are often misused, so that when they can be replaced by lifts or scaffolding, some major construction companies almost prohibit their use.
So how do you stabilize the ladder? One of the biggest misconceptions about ladder instability is that you are protecting yourself from the ladder falling on you. In fact, the biggest danger is lateral movement. In order to properly fix and stabilize your ladder, you need to start from the bottom up.
First, your ladder needs to be in normal working condition. A quick check should confirm that the ladder is in the condition the manufacturer intends to use. If the ladder has two parts, both parts should be in place. The rungs should be straight and complete. There should be no oil, grease, or any other substances on the ladder that might cause you to slip. Ladder falls don’t just happen when the ladder itself falls—many people fall off the ladder! The safety feet should be in place and in good condition.
Where do you set up your ladder? The answer should be "on a solid, flat surface", but this is usually not the case. Ladder is installed in mud pit, covered bed or recently dug area. Other times, the ladders are installed on smooth surfaces such as waxed floors and do not have safety feet in normal working conditions to prevent them from sliding out of the workers. If the ladder cannot be erected on a firm, level surface, it should not be erected at all. This does not mean that you should grab a few cinder blocks and throw them into the mud to build a base, because although this may be sturdy and level, it is not stable.
So, suppose you have found the perfect position-firm, level and stable (and the safety feet are in place). You have set the ladder to the proper 4:1 ratio (if it is a straight/extended ladder, otherwise you have fully opened and locked the a-frame). You are very happy, right? Well, it depends (and isn't this always the case?). The next step is to look around the bottom of the ladder. Are there debris, materials, tools, hoses, wires, or anything else that might cause a trip hazard? When climbing close to a ladder, the messy ground is dangerous enough, but this is especially true for people who climb down from the ladder. Although the person going down the ladder should look at the ground, any trip hazard from the base must still be cleared.
Now that you are on a firm, level, stable surface, the safety feet are intact, and there is a clear area around your base, we will jump all the way to the top. If the lateral movement of the ladder causes you to fall, it will not come from you at the bottom, or it may not come from you being in the middle. It will most likely happen when you go to the top.
So, how do we ensure that this situation does not happen? Even with a perfect surface, your weight and movement can cause problems (we assume you haven't even used tools to overload yourself, causing you to exceed the limit of the ladder). There are a few things that can help, the most important of which is that you need to fix the top every time you set up a ladder. This should not be done using the ladder's own lanyard. This should not be done by tying something at the bottom or in the middle of the ladder. This requires fixing the top of the ladder to the structure you are climbing by using additional ladder hooks, or by other means. Assuming this is done well, the ladder should not move at all. However, it is not always possible to find something to fix the ladder. In these cases, you need to use a ladder stabilizer. The device is connected to the top of the ladder, making the area where the ladder contacts the structure wider and therefore more stable.
One last thought on the top. Many ladder accidents occur when a higher-level worker tries to install a ladder while descending. The ladder may be kicked out, moved laterally, or workers may lose their footing or balance when trying to bypass the side rails. Using a simple ladder extension can easily reduce this exposure. Remember, although we have been using ladders since we were young, they are not toys. If you only learn about ladders through statistics, you will think that they are highly dangerous tools that will bring huge risks to users. Don't be part of these statistics, treat the ladder setting with due respect.
