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Preventing Falls from Ladders in Construction: A Guide to Training Site Supervisors
65 US Hospitals
254 Ladder fall victims surveyed
- 97 were construction workers
- Reasons for the fall
- Identifying reoccurring risk factors
Brennan M, Lombardi D, Smith GS, Courtney T, Young J, Dennerlein J, Perry MJ [2008]. Falls from Ladders: Preliminary Results from a Case-crossover Study of Emergency Room Cases. 18th Annual Construction Safety and Health Conference and Expo, Rosemont, Illinois, February.
| INJURY STATISTICS |
GENERAL INDUSTRY
5,488 fatalities 835 falls (15%)
- 132 from ladders
- 88 from scaffold, staging
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FATAL
1,178 fatalities in 2007
- decline of 5% from 2006 Remains highest in private sector Construction of buildings (a sub-sector) rose 11%
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CONSTRUCTION
38% due to falls
24% of 36,360 nonfatal falls were from ladders |
NONFATAL
Recordable injury and illness incidence decreased in 2007 Total recordable cases
- 5.4 per 100 equivalent full-time workers General industry = 4.2 cases / 100 workers
- 4 million injuries and illnesses
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BLS. 2008. Workplace Injuries and Illnesses in 2007.
An extreme example of improper ladder use.
http://onemansblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/Ladder_on_Ladder.jpg
Boden LI, Galizzi M. Income Losses of Women and Men Injured at Work. J Hum Resour 2003; 38(3):722-757.
| TIME |
PERCENT CHANGE |
AVERAGE MALE SALARY
(was $50,000 before injury) |
| Injury |
-22.9% |
$38,550 |
| 3 months post |
-20.2% |
$39,900 |
| 6 months post |
-8.7% |
$45,650 |
| 1 year |
-7.4% |
$46,300 |
| 3.5 years |
-7.3% |
$46,350 |
| Workers lost earnings after being injured at work. Even after 3.5 years they were unable to attain the earnings level they had before being injured. |
The total costs of fatal and nonfatal injuries in the construction industry were estimated at $11.5 billion in 2002, 15% of the costs for all private industry. The average cost per case of fatal or nonfatal injury is $27,000 in construction, almost double the per-case cost of $15,000 for all industry in 2002.
Waehrer GM, Dong XS, Miller T, Haile E, Men Y. Costs of occupational injuries in construction in the United States. Accid Anal Prev 2007; 39(6):1258-1266
- New construction
- Behind schedule and over budget
- Injuries have plagued the worksite
- A foreman is on the top step of a 14' stepladder screwing in a light bulb 20' above the ground
- The foreman is in charge of a key group of workers and is vital for the completion of the project.
- The foreman is a hothead and has consistently given you problems, but does good work, and his journeymen and apprentices are loyal to him.
- All his workers are overworked and stressed. They are busy doing their work, so he is forced to use leftover supplies (i.e. the ladder) to do this simple task unsafely.
Ladder is placed incorrectly. Ladder should be extended out with its spreaders locked. If the work area is too small, an alternative should be used.
Photo courtesy of the Harvard Construction Group
Unsafe posture. Worker should be facing the ladder and on a lower rung. A taller ladder facing the opposite direction may be necessary.
Photo courtesy of the Harvard Construction Group
Unsafe posture. Worker should be on a lower rung; a taller ladder is needed.
Photo courtesy of the Harvard Construction Group
Extension ladder should extend past the roof by at least three feet. Worker is in an unsafe posture. He should be standing on a rung and should be wearing fall protection.
Photo courtesy of Jack T. Dennerlein
- Planning
- Alternatives
- Communication
The portable stairs on the right are able to be reused on several projects while allowing the workers a safer angle for ascent and descent compared to the gang-ladder on the left.
Photos courtesy of TJ Lyons, Turner Construction Company
The lift on the right allows a worker to reach heights while providing a safe working platform and small footprint in the hallway compared to the very tall stepladders on the left that are still not tall enough for the workers to safely reach their job tasks.
Photos courtesy of TJ Lyons, Turner Construction Company
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