Ladder Safety

Sep 21, 2010
Toby Welch

Step Ladder - Zipacna1

Ladders are one of the handiest tools to have and it's difficult to maintain a home without one. But they can be dangerous if not used properly.

Robert Wilson never imagined caterpillars would be the cause of one of his worst memories. An unattractive tent caterpillar nest hung from a big poplar tree at Wilson’s cottage in Shuswap, B.C. The nest was approximately 15 feet up and 4 feet away from the tree trunk. Wilson figured he would place his ladder against the tree, climb to the top, extend his tree pruning shears and cut the branch off. He pulled out his 12-foot wooden ladder and started climbing.

Three rungs from the top, Wilson realized that in order to reach the branch he was going to have to turn around on the ladder, lean back against the tree trunk, and cut off the branch. Almost a year later he sees this is not the wisest thing to attempt, but at the time it seemed perfectly doable. As he turned on the ladder rung, he lost his footing and fell sideways onto a bunch of boulders. Wilson suffered numerous abrasions all over his body including a huge gash on his head. Bruises covered his entire left side. Wilson believes he wasn’t more seriously hurt because he “made contact with the rocks at so many points at the same time that no one body area sustained the whole impact.”

According to SMARTRISK, a Canadian nonprofit agency dedicated to preventing injuries and saving lives, most home ladder falls occur when doing household repairs, household cleaning, removing snow from the roof and getting objects from the attic. According to the World Health Organization, for the most recent year data is available, 355 people died in the U.S. from ladder falls and 39 from Canada. Thousands more were injured.

What Ladder Should I Get?

Ladders come with a maximum load rating to indicate the amount of weight they can safely hold. Duty ratings range from Type III (200 pounds) to Type IA (300 pounds). Ladders come in different construction materials including wood, fibreglass, and aluminum.

Wood Ladders

Wood ladders feel solid. But their heaviness can make them awkward to use and hard to transport. They are the easiest on the pocketbook to purchase but can be time-consuming to maintain. Moisture can penetrate the wood, causing it to rot. The ladder will dry and crack with age. If a wooden ladder is properly maintained and if it does not have metal reinforcing rods, it won’t conduct electricity.

Fibreglass Ladders

Fibreglass ladders are the safest around electricity when dry. They are durable but can crack if dropped on a hard object. As fibreglass ladders are relatively new, no one knows how long they will last although manufacturers claim they will be good for generations.

Aluminum Ladders

Aluminum ladders are the lightest and easiest to transport. They take daily abuse well. They will not chip or crack but will dent under pressure. But salt air can corrode an aluminum ladder as fast as a wooden one can rot. They are extremely dangerous around electricity.

Ladder Safety Tips

Always take a moment to inspect your ladder before climbing it. Ensure the nuts and bolts are tight. Take a look at the rungs to see if they are firmly in place. The spreaders and safety feet should be working properly.
Never use a ladder that is damaged or has pieces missing.
Ensure you are not close to power lines before you set up your ladder.
Ensure the legs are fully extended and the spreaders are locked into place before use.
Only place your ladder on firm and level ground to avoid it sliding out from under you. All ladder feet should be securely on the ground before you start climbing.
Do not use a ladder outside on windy days.
Only one person should climb a ladder at one time.
Never stand on the top three rungs of a ladder. They are for holding onto.
Use two hands when going up and down ladders. Always keep one hand on the ladder at all times when you are working.
Avoid slips by wearing slip-resistant shoes free of water or grease.
If possible, someone should hold the ladder securely while another person is on it. If there is no one available, it should be snugly tied or otherwise secured as close to the upper point as possible.
Never overreach when on a ladder. Climb down and reposition it.
A good guideline when using a ladder is the 4-1 rule. The base of the ladder should be one foot away from the wall for every four feet it goes up, at an angle of 75 degrees.

Practice ladder safety and avoid being like Robert Wilson’s friend’s father-in-law. The 72-year-old man was standing on a ladder attempting to prune large branches with his chainsaw. He lost his footing and miraculously wasn’t injured by the flailing chainsaw, but ended up hanging upside down, caught in the ladder rungs, with a severely mangled ankle. His mishap with a ladder led to two operations, several pins and months of recovery.