Five Ways to Make Ladders Safer

Most injuries and fatalities with ladders are due to breaking the major ladder safety rules. Common examples include:

• Leaning too far to one side, rather than descending, moving the ladder, and ascending to the work location.
• Standing on the top rung.
• Using a broken ladder.

But even if you do follow those rules, you can still have an “oops moment” while using a ladder. Here are five ways to prevent such a moment.

1. Create a non-skid surface when using a ladder on a smooth surface, such as cement or tile. Of course, your first line of defense is to use the correct ladder feet if your ladder has interchangeable feet. But that modifies only the ladder. Modify the surface, too. If you’re doing a lot of ladder work, carry a roll of wide friction tape or painters tape. Simply create “ladder pads” where the feet will go. For extra security, add a double layer of tape on the edge of the “slip zone”. If the ladder starts to move, this tape will bunch up in front of the line of motion and slow the ladder’s movement.
2. A common admonition is to haul parts and tools up in buckets, rather than carry them up in your hands. This can often be impractical, if you don’t have a helper. Fall harnesses have a limited lifespan, and you should replace them at no less than 10 years even if you don’t use them. You should replace one even sooner if you actually fall with it on. If you have such a harness (and it has carabiner loops on it) you can use it instead of a bucket. If you don’t have such a harness, you can buy a climbing harness with loops. Use red tape to mark your harness as a utility harness only, and mark this on the harness with a permanent marker. Buy some carabiners and cloth bags; you’ll figure out what to do from there.
3. Most ladder steps or rungs have friction surfaces. These can become smooth over time just by being filled in with dirt. You can restore the non-slip nature of these by cleaning them with a suitable brush. If the surface is metallic, a brass brush is probably a good choice. If it’s rubberized, go for a softer material (such as nylon), and brush gently. You may need some kind of solvent if the grime is hard to remove; a spray bottle of straight white vinegar is ideal for this. Don’t use petrochemical solvents.
4. One way people fall off a ladder is they lurch to grab things (e.g., a socket) that falls off the small tray near the top. If you cable-tie a shower basket or similar device onto the top of this tray, you eliminate the source of the risk.
5. One reason multi-position ladders have become increasingly popular is each one can take the place of various lengths of ladders and thus eliminate problems associated with having too short of a ladder. There is only so much space on a truck or in a plant to store ladders, so multi-position ladders help optimize that space. Also, if you’re working on multiple heights with the same job, you can use just the one ladder. But it is easy to pinch your fingers on these or bang your head with one if you don’t have the procedure down pat. Most models now have labels that clearly show the exact steps. If you have an older model without the label, look at the ones that do have these labels. Then create your own labels, and print them out using the stick-on shipping label paper available at any office supply store. Another option is to print out the instructions, cut the paper to fit the printed area, have that laminated with a 2-inch blank area on top, drill a hole in the blank area, and cable-tie the lamination to the side of the ladder.