Safety Tips

FALLS: From scaffolds and different levels

Things to look for (be aware of):

From Scaffolds and ladders

• An estimated 2.3 million construction workers, or 65% of the construction industry, work on scaffolds frequently.
• Protecting these workers from scaffold-related accidents would prevent 4,500 injuries and 50 deaths every year.
• In a recent BLS study, seventy-two percent of workers injured in scaffold accidents attributed the accident either to the planking or support giving way, or to the employee slipping or being struck by a falling object.

REMEDIES

• Construct all scaffolds according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• Install guardrail systems along all open sides and ends of platforms.
• Use at least one of the following for scaffolds more than 10 feet above a lower level: Guardrail Systems/Fall Arrest Systems.
  
  Position portable ladders so the side rails extend at least 3 feet above the landing.
  
  Secure side rails at the top to a rigid support and use a grab device when 3 foot extension is not possible.
  
• Provide safe access to scaffold platforms.
  Make sure that the weight on the ladder will not cause it to slip off its support.
  
  Before each use inspect ladders for cracked or broken parts such as rungs, steps, side rails, feet and locking components.
  
  Use only ladders that comply with OSHA design standards [1926.1053(a)(1)].
  
• Do not use climb cross bracing as a means of access.
• Loads
  
  Self-supporting (foldout) and non-self-supporting (leaning) portable ladders must be able to support at least four times the maximum intended load, except extra-heavy-duty metal or plastic ladders, which must be able to sustain 3.3 times the maximum  intended load.
  
• Specific to Ladders
  
  Non-self-supporting ladders, which must lean against a wall or other support, are to be positioned at such an angle that the horizontal distance from the top support to the foot of the ladder is about 1/4 the working length of the ladder.  (In the case of job-made wooden ladders, that angle should equal about 1/8 the working length.)
  
  Ladder rungs, cleats, or steps must be parallel, level, and uniformly spaced when the ladder is in position for use.  Rungs must be spaced between 10 and 14 inches apart.  For extension trestle ladders, the spacing must be 8-18  inches for the base, and 6-12 inches on the extension section.    Rungs must be so shaped that an employee's foot cannot slide off, and must be skid-resistant.
  
  Ladders are to be kept free of oil, grease, wet paint, and other slipping hazards.  Wood ladders must not be coated with any opaque covering, except identification or warning labels on one face only of a side rail.