Each year, 300 people in the United States die from a ladder fall. And it’s usually from less than 10 ft. More than 164,000 people get emergency room treatment for injuries sustained from a ladder fall. That’s just ladders; 25% of fatal falls are from scaffolding.
Last year, OSHA issued 11,172 citations to employers for failing to meet the requirements for four categories of elevated work (all four were among the top 10 violations). These are not citations against individual employees for working unsafely. These are citations against companies for failing to do their share of the safety job as required by federal law.
Because of OSHA resource limitations, these numbers have a “tip of the iceberg” aspect. Is your company a safety slacker for working at elevation? Is it willing to literally let you be the fall guy? If your company is not doing its part, think about how you can help management get up to speed. And if your company is doing its part, are you doing yours?