Working at any level above eye height may just be one of the
most important safety challenges facility or safety manager’s face.
Facility and safety managers are truly on the front lines of their companies’
operations, and need to be their employers’ safety evangelists.
For example, when a facility manager sends maintenance workers to
replace a light bulb or to perform a task at a height above a few feet,
it’s important that they be reminded about safe ladder usage. OSHA
recommends the following guidelines:
• Determine the proper ladder to use based on weight capacity and
height;
• Calculate the proper pitch of extension ladders for proper set-up,
and identify how to secure and stabilize ladders;
• Identify how to maintain a safe position when using a ladder;
• Identify safety requirements and practices for scaffolding,
including aerial lifts;
• Inspect the ladder for visible defects;
• Never use a ladder that is broken or otherwise damaged;
• Remove damaged ladders from service and tag them as damaged;
• Avoid setting up a ladder in high
traffic or barricaded areas;
• Do not use metal or aluminum
ladders near electrical lines;
• Face the ladder when ascending or
descending;
• Maintain three points of contact
at all times;
• Keep your body centered on the
ladder;
• Never let your belt buckle pass
either ladder side rail;
• When the surface is not level, use a
ladder leveler (accessory) to
provide even contact points;
• Never use a ladder on a slippery
surface, unless it is secured to
prevent movement;
• Wet or slippery surfaces may
require a cleat; and
• Ladder feet should dig into the
ground, and the ladder should be
secured at the bottom to prevent
movement/slipping.
OSHA enforces these regulations
with fines that in some cases have exceeded
$30,000. So it’s important that facility and safety managers be vigilant
about safe ladder use.
Until recently, the lack of alternatives
to ladders has forced facility and
safety managers to look the other way.
They have had few economically viable
alternatives to the traditional ladder,
with personnel lifts costing $8,000
or more. Now, however, a new generation
of smaller, lightweight aerial
work platforms offers a cost-effective
alternative.
These platforms are typically lightweight
and easily maneuverable, and
are a viable solution for plant facility
managers and building maintenance
managers in industrial plants, commercial
facilities and institutions like
schools and hospitals. These platforms
can also be used by small contractors
and painters, for everything from
changing light bulbs and running cables,
to the typical repairs that require
the use of a 10 to 12-foot ladder. And
studies show they’re 70 percent more
stable than a traditional ladder, even
when the worker is following all the OSHA safety guidelines, like working
with one hand, using a tether or keeping
their belt buckle in the center of the rung.
This new generation of lift equipment
is designed to replace the ladder and can
help facility managers avoid potentially
deadly falls while on the job. In fact,
these products were developed specifically
to increase safety in the workplace
for facility maintenance staff.
Facility managers and building owners
understand the importance of safety in the
workplace, and should enforce the proper
standards as often as possible. We all
have a job to do in promoting worker
safety, and we can each contribute to the
prevention of workplace injuries in the
future. FSM Jeffrey D.
Ford is senior
manager of Marketing Communications at JLG
Industries, Inc. Previously he served as Champion
for JLG’s LiftPod aerial work
platform and market development manager
at JLG, a manufacturer of aerial lift
equipment, scissors lifts and telehandlers.
He is a Penn State graduate and
earned his MBA from Frostburg State.
