Each month, the National Safety Council (NSC) observes different safety campaigns to promote safety, responsibility, and well-being across the country. In March, it is officially National Ladder Safety Month, as presented by the American Ladder Institute. At McHargue & Jones, LLC, we are often called upon to help clients who have fallen off unsafe ladders, either at work or in the home, so we thought it was important to do our part and bring awareness to this safety campaign in our blog.
Why National Ladder Safety Month is Important
According to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports, falls from heights are among the most common and most dangerous accidents on construction sites and many other types of workplaces. Not coincidentally, unsafe ladder problems are among OSHA’s most commonly issued citations, year after year.
The goal of National Ladder Safety Month is to bring more awareness of these accidents and give more employers the tools they need to make sure their teams are as safe as can be whenever they use a ladder. An employer might save $200 by not buying a new ladder, but it could risk ten times that amount per year in increased workers’ compensation insurance premiums if a single worker falls off the defective, old ladder and gets hurt. In this way, taking ladder safety is not just the right thing to do from a moral standpoint, but it also appeals to a company’s money-saving instincts.
Furthermore, ladder safety goes beyond the workplace when considering ladders for sale to the general public. Oftentimes, ladders are sold with very few safety instructions, other than a note to make sure it is stable before using it. Countless ladder-related accidents could be prevented each year if the average person had more information about how to safely use one.
National Ladder Safety Month 2022 Schedule
The American Ladder Institute has four weeks of dissertations planned for National Ladder Safety Month 2022:
- Week one – Choosing Your Ladder: A webinar will be hosted to teach people and employers about how to choose the right ladder for the job at hand.
- Week Two – Safety Before the First Step (Inspection and Set Up): Webinar attendees can learn the basics of ladder inspection and how to set one up to be stable and secure.
- Week Three – Safety While Climbing: Climbing a ladder isn’t as simple as just stepping up it. Proper climbing posture and techniques will be covered this week.
- Week Four – Safety at the Top: Many ladder accidents happen when someone loses their balance at the top of the ladder, or when they try to step on the very top run or step. This webinar focuses on crucial safety information to remember when at the top of a ladder.
If you want to attend one of these events or think that your employer’s safety staff should, then you can click here to visit the official Ladder Safety Month website and webinar schedule. If you live in Chicago or Cook County, Illinois, and you fall off a ladder while at work, then please remember that our law firm can help you pursue workers’ compensation benefits. You can contact us online for more information about our services.
