How OSHA Deals with Ladders and Scaffolding Incidents

There is always a danger of falling when a worker is working on an elevated surface. OSHA’s statistics have demonstrated time and time again that one of the most common causes of serious injury or death is falling. In fact, four of OSHA’s top 10 most cited standards were directly related to the prevention of falls, including the rules for ladder safety and scaffolds. 

As of 2017, “workers must always be protected from falling when they are using portable or fixed ladders, as well as mobile ladder stands and platforms.”

Ladder Requirements: 

• The ladder must be capable of supporting the maximum load in which they claim to be able to support. Also, a mobile ladder stand/platform needs to have the capability of supporting four times its intended load. 

• The ladders and scaffolds must be inspected daily before each work shift. Doing this is an effort to identify any defects which could result in injury.  

For the sake of clarification, a portable ladder is a ladder that one could have at home: straight ladders, extendable ladders, and folding stepladders. 

Requirements for Portable Ladders: 

• Secured and stabilized when in use on a slippery surface

• Are not moved in any way, shape, or form whilst a worker is on one

• Have slip-resistant floor pads and steps

• Are not attached to another portable ladder for an extension

• Cannot be placed on a moveable object

• The top step or shelf cannot be used to support the weight of a person

Scaffolds

By definition, a scaffold is an elevated, temporary work platform. Scaffolds can be classified into two categories:

• Supported scaffolds - are supported by rigid supports

• Suspended scaffolds - are suspended by non-rigid means, like ropes from a structure overhead. 

Under these two categories, there are a wide array of different forms of scaffolds, each bringing to the table a set of different hazards that need to be considered. Understanding how to properly construct and dismantle scaffolding is another task on its own that can add risk to the already hazardous situation. 

Scaffolds must be: 

• Designed by someone who is properly qualified

• Able to support 4 times the maximum intended load

• Equipped with safe entry and exit points

• Fully planked, leaving no gaps greater than one inch between the planks and the uprights. 

• 18 inches wide as a whole

• Come equipped with guardrails 

Conclusion

Ladders and scaffolds are often crucial to the completion of a project and can be incredibly safe when all of the rules and regulations are met. Safety of the worker is priority number one and no steps should be skipped in the use of either ladders or scaffolding.

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Understanding and Respecting the OSHA Fall Zone

The majority of industries worldwide experience a load being lifted somewhere along the supply/production lines. To be specific, a lifted load is commonly classified as a load that is being lifted, manipulated, lowered, or carried in a way that could potentially pose a risk to workers. As of 2018, The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has stated that over 50,000 lifted load injuries are documented annually. 

The Fall Zone

According to OSHA, a fall zone is defined as “the area including, but not limited to, the area directly beneath the load.” Current regulations prohibit workers from standing in the area under any kind of raised load, other than an employee that is tasked with hooking, unhooking, or guiding. 

The Importance of Avoiding the Fall Zone

Given the nature of dealing with overhead loads, there are many different factors to take into consideration when determining what is safe and what isn’t. The biggest concern related to overhead loads is usually judging what a safe distance is to maintain from the load. 

The fall zone’s size is directly correlated to the complexity of the load itself. When evaluating the fall zone, factors such as material, weight, shape, and height need to be considered. Higher load weight and height usually result in the fall zone being larger. The shape of the load is important to take into account because a fall zone will not always be a perfect square or circle. A complex shape of the load will result in the fall zone matching the complexity of the load’s shape. 

Safety Tips for Consideration:

• Maintain a minimum of a ten-foot radius from where the load could fall. Should the load be higher, increase the radius. 

• Refrain from guiding loads over workers or commonly used walkways. 

• Understand the path that the load will follow if it moves. 

• Conduct a sufficient amount of training with any worker who is directly involved in the handling of a load or anyone who may come in indirect contact with it. 

• Maintain a level of safety through sufficient communication and warnings of potential hazards. 

• Remember that outside work can be greatly influenced by weather factors like wind and rain. 

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OSHA and the Issue of Powered Industrial Trucks

Many industries around the globe rely heavily on the capabilities of powered industrial trucks. These trucks often referred to as forklifts, are used for the vast majority of the heavy lifting in warehouses, factories, and industrial workplaces. 

Given the nature of these pieces of heavy machinery, there is a natural risk of workplace injury. In fact, the most common citation for hazards in the workplace from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is directly related to powered industrial trucks. Common accidents with forklifts in an industrial workplace are:

• Lift trucks being accidentally driven off loading docks

• Employees or pedestrians getting struck by a lift truck

• Lift trucks falling between an unsecured trailer and a dock

• People falling off of an elevated pallet

A supply chain is a moving puzzle that consists of air, land, and sea travel; however, powered industrial trucks are often found at the end of each step in the supply chain in order to load and unload cargo. All powered industrial equipment poses similar safety hazards, and forklifts are no exception. Accidents are primarily collisions, falling loads, and fire/explosion hazards. 

It isn’t a secret that OSHA has instilled a strict list of rules and regulations to be followed at every workplace. These regulations are responsible for a drastic decline in workplace incidents; however, accidents are always bound to happen. It is a collective responsibility of an employer and the employees in ensuring that the regulations are followed to ensure that the highest level of safety is being met in the workplace.

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