Ladders

Work in elevated areas has been made easy by the use of ladders. As useful as a ladder could be, it can also contribute to serious incidents or injuries. Attention must be given to some features of a ladder when it is being inspected to ensure that it does not pose a safety hazard.

There are different types of ladders that are used in a workplace, the popular ones being metallic and wooden ladders. Though they are meant to ease the burden of work, malfunctioning ladders could cause a serious incident and even a loss of life. Ladders should be subjected to a daily inspection by employers to ensure each day starts on a safe note.

A risk assessment should identify the special features of a ladder which makes it to be labelled, a safe ladder. Wooden ladders should be free from defect, rot and cracks. A wooden ladder should not be painted because it could become slippery and cause a falling hazard. An assessment should also see to it that wooden ladders are free from paint because paint could hide cracks and the risk of breaking could be underestimated.

A faulty mounting bracket could cause an employee to fall and injure themself. Employers should get into a habit of having their portable ladders inspected by professionals on a regular basis as inspectors are trained to foresee dangers that employers could not see immediately.

If ladders start to show signs of wearing out, employers are encouraged to discontinue using them until an inspector inspects them. It is better to avoid on coming risks than take chances with employees' lives. Rust is another sign of ageing in material thus; precautions should be taken either by oiling or simply disposal of affected ladders.

It is important for an inspector to assess the safety of ladders by personally becoming practical on them. He should personally check if bolts, screws and nails are tightened using a screwdriver. He is further expected to go up the ladder to test its strength. This would ensure that fewer incidents occur because a ladder fell apart.

Extension ladders are the most dangerous ladders. The fact that they consists of many hinges and joints means they demand a thorough inspection. A single defect lock could cause the whole ladder to come crumbing down and this poses a serious threat to an employee's life if he falls from a height. The ladder could even crush on fellow employees who are working on the ground level. Inspectors should ensure that they educate employees what to look out for before using any ladder. The knowledge would ensure that employees can identify the risk and halt using that particular ladder.

Employers are advised to be discreet when purchasing ladders for their businesses. Ladders should have non-skidding bottoms, for example steel. Rubber is considered to be the best for bottoms are it ensures that, a ladder is stable when in use. The stability of a ladder would reduce risks of tripping and falling of employees.

An assessment should establish if a ladder has an identity number and is registered in the assets records of a company. This will help in identifying a broken ladder from a functioning one when a problem is reported.

Most importantly, employers should ensure that they have proper storage places for their ladders. When visiting a premise, an inspector should rule out if storage is acceptable or not. Poor storage would increase ladders' exposure to weather hazards, rotting and rusting. This would increase the number and cases of mal-functioning ladders hence risk employees' lives.

There are many ways of climbing a corporate ladder but using a faulty one won't get anyone far. Even worse, it could mean the end of the road for health and safety officials once an incident occurs.