A common reason for ladder-related injuries is the wrong ladder(s) or accessories are selected for the job. If a crew is working on a customer site, they are likely to “make do” rather than go back to the shop for the ladder feet or ladder brace the job requires. Or if the ladder they have is just a few inches shorter than it should be, they may “carefully” balance above the rung marked “Do not stand above this point.” Just this one time, of course.
While it is a pain to correct such seemingly minor equipment issues, management must make it clear that such correction is expected. To prevent the conundrum from arising in the first place:
- Equip all service trucks and vans with the full complement of ladder accessories, enough for at least two ladders. Then the whole question of running back to the shop is moot.
- Don’t take application knowledge for granted. Train every crew in what the accessories are for, when to use them, and how to use them. That includes ropes and buckets, not just bolt-on ladder accessories. It’s amazing how often the wrong feet are attached to a ladder. For smooth, hard surfaces, use rubber feet. For dirt, gravel or other uneven, use spurs. Exception: Ice is a smooth, hard surface, but for that, you want spurs.
- Ensure the job planning has a discreet module for analyzing work done at elevation and determining the exact equipment needs. A ladder may be a poor choice for the application (e.g., it really calls for scaffolding), but if a ladder is all you have, then that is what you are likely to use.
- When loading equipment determined necessary for working at elevation on a particular job, include some contingency equipment. For example, this job requires a 16 ft. extension ladder. What if an extra pair of hands is needed at elevation?
For that last item, a case in point was a residential vaulted ceiling light replacement job. There was room for only one extension ladder. When the electrician began to disconnect the old light, which weighed 18 lb., he found the fixture was not secured to the box but was hanging by the wires only. It seems like a miracle that light never fell. He could not hold the fixture and disconnect the wiring at the same time. So, another electrician stood on a stepladder and used a fiberglass pole that he jammed into the fixture's bottom, supporting the weight.
Once the first electrician had disconnected the wiring, he descended partway and grabbed the decorative chain attached to the fixture's top. He lowered it to his assistant, who was on the stepladder. Had they not eyeballed this job beforehand and decided to have the pole and the stepladder, they would not have handled the surprise mounting deficiency.
