Explore the benefits of using ladder safety systems.
The latest in ladder safety is ladder safety systems, and how they are meant to reduce the danger of falling from a fixed ladder. Falls are one of the leading causes of injury and death in the construction industry, and falls from ladders account for a large amount of those injuries and deaths. CDC numbers from 2014 show that 81% of falls in the construction industry were from ladders.
Before 2018, OSHA standards for fixed ladders maintained that ladder cages and ladder wells offered sufficient safety measures for workers. However, evidence showed that ladder cages and wells present their own dangers, such as a worker being injured by snagging a body part on a ladder cage while falling. In 2018, a new OSHA standard went into effect, and ladder safety systems are the new standard while ladder cages are being phased out. See the advantages to using a ladder safety system and learn about Safe Climber’s ladder safety systems.
Benefits of Ladder Safety Systems: Fall Arrest is Guaranteed
With previously accepted safety measures, such as ladder cages, it was assumed that falling workers would be able to catch themselves on the cage to prevent a fall; however, even if workers did catch themselves, injuries still occurred because of the force of the fall.
With ladder safety systems, the system itself guarantees that a fall will be arrested. Ladder safety systems use a cable or rail running down the middle of the ladder. A worker is then attached to the cable or rail in a number of ways, such as a shock absorber, traveler, or arrest trolley, and body harness combination. If a worker falls, the ladder safety system works as anchorage for whatever other safety devices are being utilized.
Ladder Safety Systems Make Safety Simple
Ladder safety systems take on the majority of the responsibility for safety when climbing a ladder, allowing workers to focus on the job. Workers simply need to attach to the ladder safety system, and employers need to ensure the ladder and the structure it is attached to meet the criteria for being utilized as anchorage.
Ladder Safety Systems Meet OSHA Standards
As of the 2018 ruling, ladder safety systems must be installed on all new fixed ladders. If a ladder with a cage needs fixing, a ladder safety system must be installed as part of the repairs. All fixed ladders must be retrofitted with a ladder safety system by November 18th, 2036.
Safe Climber carries two ladder systems that meet the requirements of the new fixed ladder standard. Our stainless-steel cable system uses a permanently installed stainless-steel shock absorber, and our aluminum-alloy rail system uses a guide rail and fall arrest trolley. Each one offers all the benefits needed to ensure worker safety.
