Every year the OSHA publishes or updates many standards related to occupational health and safety, and one of them (coded 1926, chapter X) is specifically dedicated to the safe use of ladders in the workplace.
The standard establishes that workers that use portable ladders must follow specific training on the safe use of these tools; the courses they attend must provide theoretical and practical information, and must be specific with reference to the typology of ladders in use. This is required because there are many different kinds of ladders for sale (extension, step, folding, platform ladders, etc.), each with different characteristics.
The main goal of the standard is preventing workers' falls from portable ladders, that are designed and used to reach high positions that can be dangerous.The most important prescriptions of the standard are therefore related to the correct placement of these tools, in order to prevent them from slipping or falling.
Ladders can be used with many types of accessories, and they are made of a lot of components; all these need to be properly checked every time a worked needs to use the device.
For any ladder, the maximum weight it is designed to support must be specified: users must avoid applying a bigger load (the standard specifies that general use portable ladders must be designed to support at least four times the maximum intended load).
When a worker is positioning a non self-supporting ladder, he must carefully consider the angle between the device and the wall it leans against; the angle shouldn't be too small or too big: a good indication is to position the ladders so that its working length is about four times the horizontal distance from its base and the wall.
A critical element of a ladder are the rungs: they may be slippery causing danger to the workers and their shape and position can cause additional hazards too. For this reason a specific section of the OSHA standard is dedicated to these components.
Dangers may arise from a passerby accidentally hitting the ladder when a worker is in an elevated position; to avoid this, the areas at the base and at the top (for ladders used to reach the top of a building or other areas where people may be present) must be kept clear.
If an activity must be performed at an exceptionally elevated position, workers must be provided with specifically designed devices: the habit of fastening together different ladders to provide an overall longer device is wrong and must be avoided; in similar situations the ladders must be offset with a platform or landing between them.
As a general rule (that applies to the usage of any working tool) workers must never use a ladder for any purpose other than the one for which it was originally designed.
A specific section of the OSHA standard is dedicated to workers training, a fundamental element of any safety program; the employer has to provide a specific training program, with practical parts, for each employee using any kind of working tools.
The training program must enable each employee to recognize hazards related to ladders, and shall cover the following topics: the nature of fall risks; the fall protection systems (characteristics and usage); the proper construction, use, placement, and care in handling of all kinds of ladders; the maximum intended load-carrying capacities of ladders.
The standard establishes that workers that use portable ladders must follow specific training on the safe use of these tools; the courses they attend must provide theoretical and practical information, and must be specific with reference to the typology of ladders in use. This is required because there are many different kinds of ladders for sale (extension, step, folding, platform ladders, etc.), each with different characteristics.
The main goal of the standard is preventing workers' falls from portable ladders, that are designed and used to reach high positions that can be dangerous.The most important prescriptions of the standard are therefore related to the correct placement of these tools, in order to prevent them from slipping or falling.
Ladders can be used with many types of accessories, and they are made of a lot of components; all these need to be properly checked every time a worked needs to use the device.
For any ladder, the maximum weight it is designed to support must be specified: users must avoid applying a bigger load (the standard specifies that general use portable ladders must be designed to support at least four times the maximum intended load).
When a worker is positioning a non self-supporting ladder, he must carefully consider the angle between the device and the wall it leans against; the angle shouldn't be too small or too big: a good indication is to position the ladders so that its working length is about four times the horizontal distance from its base and the wall.
A critical element of a ladder are the rungs: they may be slippery causing danger to the workers and their shape and position can cause additional hazards too. For this reason a specific section of the OSHA standard is dedicated to these components.
Dangers may arise from a passerby accidentally hitting the ladder when a worker is in an elevated position; to avoid this, the areas at the base and at the top (for ladders used to reach the top of a building or other areas where people may be present) must be kept clear.
If an activity must be performed at an exceptionally elevated position, workers must be provided with specifically designed devices: the habit of fastening together different ladders to provide an overall longer device is wrong and must be avoided; in similar situations the ladders must be offset with a platform or landing between them.
As a general rule (that applies to the usage of any working tool) workers must never use a ladder for any purpose other than the one for which it was originally designed.
A specific section of the OSHA standard is dedicated to workers training, a fundamental element of any safety program; the employer has to provide a specific training program, with practical parts, for each employee using any kind of working tools.
The training program must enable each employee to recognize hazards related to ladders, and shall cover the following topics: the nature of fall risks; the fall protection systems (characteristics and usage); the proper construction, use, placement, and care in handling of all kinds of ladders; the maximum intended load-carrying capacities of ladders.
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More information on ladder safety, and and overview of all kinds of ladders for sale is available in Ladders for Sale Online.
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