Extension Ladder Safety

A. Select the Ladder

Match the duty rating to job

Choose proper length of ladder for job

(Single-section ladder maximum length: up to 30 feet)

(2 section ladder maximum length: 48 feet)

(3+ section ladder maximum length: 60 feet)

Choose ladder of proper material (aluminum, fiberglass, wood)

Inspect ladder for damage and proper operation; tag damaged ladders: “DO NOT USE”

B. Scan the Work Area

Check for electrical hazards (e.g., overhead power lines)

Check for other overhead obstructions (e.g., tree limbs)

Note clutter and traffic patterns in immediate work area; check for tripping/slipping hazards

Locate stable surface to secure base of ladder

Locate firm and secure surface for top of ladder

Note environmental conditions (wind, rain, snow/ice)

C. Inspect the Ladder

Check that rungs, slip-resistant feet, etc. are secure

Check rungs for mud, paint, oil, or other slick/sticky substance

Check for places on ladder that could cause cuts, punctures, or abrasions (e.g., loose screws, bolts, hinges)

Check for damaged ropes and pulleys

Check that rung locks fasten securely

Tag damaged ladders: “DO NOT USE”

D. Set it Up

Use two people to carry and erect ladder whenever possible

Place bottom of ladder below point selected for top support (near base of structure)

Walk ladder up hand-over-hand

Extend ladder 3 feet above resting point on roof or rest it against wall

Verify minimum overlap of ladder sections and that rung locks are properly engaged:

(Up to 36', minimum overlap: 3 feet per section)

(Over 36', up to 48', minimum overlap: 4 feet per section)

(Over 48', up to 60', minimum overlap: 5 feet per section)

Pull bottom of ladder away from structure to set proper angle (1/4 rule: 1 foot of horizontal distance from top support for every 4 ft of ladder length to top support)

Clear clutter, level the bottom, and make sure footing is stable

Ensure that both rails at the top of ladder are supported

Secure ladder at bottom by appropriate means (e.g., staking, digging in)

Set up traffic barrier (or barricade) on ground around work area

E. Test it

Re-check set-up before or during first climb (e.g., levelness, stability of base, rung locks)

Re-check shoes for mud, paint, oil, or other slick/sticky substances

Use spotter for added security at base during first climb

Check for stability while climbing first couple rungs

Tie-off top of ladder whenever possible

F. General Ladder Handling

Use two people to carry and erect ladder whenever possible

Install a hydraulic or mechanical ladder rack on your vehicle to aid loading/unloading

When repositioning ladder more than a few feet, collapse sections before moving

If ladder becomes unstable while carrying it, drop it and get out of the way

Re-inspect dropped ladder; tag damaged ladder: “DO NOT USE”

Store and lock ladder in covered area, free of contaminants (e.g., mud, water, grease)

When lowering ladder, keep fingers away from moving or sliding parts

Note slipping, tripping, and overhead hazards before moving ladder

Arc Flash

What is Arc Flash? - Arc flash is a short circuit through air that flashes over from one exposed live conductor to another conductor or to ground. Arc flash incidents are common and costly, and the frequency of reported accidents is increasing. This is why arc flash has become a very hot topic within OSHA and the safety industry overall.

What Causes Arc Flash? - Arc flashes can be caused in a variety of ways:

· Just coming close to a high-amp source with a conductive object can cause the electricity to flash over.

· Dropping a tool or otherwise creating a spark can ignite an arc flash.

· Equipment failure due to use of substandard parts, improper installation, or even normal wear and tear.

· Breaks or gaps in insulation.

· Dust, corrosion or other impurities on the surface of the conductor.

How Common Is Arc Flash? - In the past, if someone suffered burns in an electrical accident, people thought the burns were caused by the electrical shock passing through the body. Electrical shocks can cause burns. But what research has shown is that most burns from electrical accidents actually come from arc flash.

The majority of hospital admissions due to electrical accidents are from arc flash burns, not from electrical shocks. (Taken from NFPA 70E-2004 standard) Of the approximately 350 persons killed in the work place by electricity last year, roughly 50% were related to arc flash. A report by Capelli-Schellpfeffer, Inc., estimates that 5-10 arc flash explosions happen in the USA every day, resulting in 1 to 2 deaths per day.

That figure only in takes into account incidents where victims were sent to special burn centers. The number does not include cases sent to regular hospitals or clinics, nor unreported cases or near misses.

Safety Facts

Fact: Almost 8000 electrical contact accidents occur in the U.S. each year.

Fact: At least one worker dies each day from electrical contact.

Fact: Fatalities from electrical accidents with a potential arc flash component have been trending downward since recent mandatory safe work practices have become “law.”

Training

Do you and your employees know the risks? Knowing the level of potential hazard is critical to taking the proper level of precaution.

Fact: Everyone at risk of arc flash needs a basic understanding of:

Risk Analysis; Arc Energy Theory; How to determine safe working distances; and the Required PPE. There are free video clips available on line…just go to Google, click on the video icon and type in arc flash.

What's a Near Miss / Near Hit?

Usually a near miss or hit is defined as an accident that almost happened.

For example, the situation where someone trips and almost falls down the stairs but manages to grab the hand rail just in time, or when someone is almost hit by a reversing fork lift. In these two examples no injury resulted but this was the result of good luck rather than good management.

When near misses occur they can be regarded as early warnings that something is wrong somewhere in the system. We therefore need to develop a system which allows us to take action before an injury occurs.

When a Hazard and Near Miss report is received by a supervisor, the supervisor should discuss it with the person making the report, investigate, and decide what corrective action should be taken and implement the change as soon as possible if it is within the supervisor's authority. If not, the matter should be referred to a member of management for review and correction.

All Near Misses should be reported, reviewed and recommended corrective actions implemented as soon as possible after the event. These items should also be discussed in daily tailgates and monthly safety committee meetings to ensure affected employees are apprised of the changes. The idea is to take immediate corrective action to prevent recurrence with a more serious outcome.

Below is summary of an actual near miss (not one of ours) that is quite common:
Incident Date: 1/09/2009
Task Description: Working on elevated platforms using hand tools.
Summary: A hand tool fell through a small gap in the work area and dropped and deflected from other equipment causing the hand tool to fall outside the exclusion zone identified for the process.
Cause of incident: Moving, flying or falling object
Root cause: Lack of risk assessment
Activity Type: Maintenance
Specific Equipment: Hand Tools and the lack of securing devices to ensure they are unable to fall from aloft.

Lessons Learned:

Risk assessments must be thorough…there was a gap here was the exclusion zone underneath the work area large enough?

There was no plan for the safe and controlled use of working with tools at height.

It appears there was at least one gap in the protective matting which had not been managed effectively.



Near-misses are often less obvious than accidents and are defined as having little if any immediate impact on individuals or processes. Despite their limited impact, near-misses provide insight into potential accidents that could happen. As numerous catastrophes illustrate, management failure to capture and remedy near-misses may foreshadow disaster. Notable examples where near-miss precursors have been observed but not effectively managed include:

1. The 1986 Space-Shuttle Challenger explosion. Engineers had identified and reported degraded O-ring seals on previous missions dating back to 1982 with degradation increasing as ambient liftoff temperature decreased. The night before the disaster, management had been warned of the potential for catastrophic failure when lifting off at ambient temperatures of 53 °F or below (the liftoff temperature was 36 °F) (Vaughan, 1996).

2. The 1997 Hindustan refinery explosion in India. Sixty people died and over 10,000 metric tons of petroleum based products were released to the atmosphere or burned. Written complaints of corroded and leaking transfer lines where the explosion originated went unheeded (Khan and Abbasi, 1999).

3. The 1999 Paddington train crash catastrophe in which 31 people died. From 1993-1999 eight near-misses, or ‘signals passed at danger’ (SPADS), had occurred at the location (Signal 109) where the eventual collision and explosion occurred. At the time of the crash, the signal was one of the 22 signals with the greatest number of
SPADS (Cullen, 2001).

4. The 1998 Morton explosion and fire resulting from a reactor temperature excursion. Nine people were injured, two seriously. In an accident investigation, the Chemical Safety Board concluded, “Management did not investigate evidence in numerous completed batch sheets and temperature charts of high temperature excursions beyond the normal operating range.” A disproportionate number of excursions resulted after the process was scaled-up (Chemical Safety Board, 2000).

Many accidents can be prevented by taking prompt action to prevent a hazardous situation from continuing or developing into something worse. Near Miss reporting is a key element in an Accident Prevention Program. Experiences shared and information gathered at one facility can be used at other facilities to mitigate risk and control losses. Therefore, we must continue to encourage employees to report all near misses, immediately. We need to use Near Miss reports as ‘our early warning system’ and do all we can to minimize the potential for loss.

Waiting for an injury to happen before acting just doesn't make sense! The best answer is prevention…and that takes timely, effective communication.