On average 12 people a year die at work falling from ladders and over 1200 suffer major injuries. Ladders remain the most common agent involved and account for more than a quarter of all falls from height.
HSE’s key message is that that ladders should only be used for low-risk, short-duration work.
BLOW TO HEAD KILLS WORKER
A maintenance fitter lost his footing on the second rung of a ladder. His feet slipped through the rungs and he was killed when his head hit the floor as he fell backwards.
LADDER NOT SUITABLE FOR JOB
A farm worker sustained serious leg injuries when he fell from a ladder. Under supervision, the 16 -year-old trainee was trying to fix a door runner about 4.5 m from the ground. A risk assessment had shown that a fork-lift cage or a tower scaffold should be used. However, the supervisor decided to use the ladder for the short job. The young worker overreached, slipped and fell.
SUPERVISOR SETS BAD EXAMPLE
The supervisor of a team of shop fitters was concerned that the target date for completion of a project would be missed. On arriving on site to assess progress he became involved in helping to finish the job on time. He fell 2 m from an unsecured ladder after overreaching while trying to pull cabling through ductwork. He broke an ankle and a wrist in four places. The project was not completed to deadline.
CONTRACTOR FRACTURES SKULL
During refurbishment of a warehouse a contractor placed a ladder between two stands of a pallet racking so that the bottom of the ladder was resting against one rack - so that it would not slip - and the top was leaning on the other. The ladder, which was wooden, was at an angle of about 45 degrees. It broke under his weight and he fractured his skull.
INSTALLER NOW UNEMPLOYED AND NEEDING CRUTCHES
A self-employed installer fitting cavity wall insulation was working off a ladder using a heavy diamond tube drill. The ladder was not tied and was in poor condition with loose and bent rungs. He overreached and the ladder fell causing the installer to fall 3 m on to the concrete floor below. He broke his right heel and various other bones in that foot. He has subsequently undergone several bouts of major surgery but is still unable to walk without crutches and he has not worked since the accident.
LADDER SLIPPED ON WET, SLOPING GRASS
An employee of a construction and building services company was replacing house windows. He was carrying some silicon sealant up the ladder for a new window and had reached a height of about 3 m when the bottom of the ladder slipped out and the employee fell, badly fracturing his leg. The accident investigation found that the ladder had been resting on grass that sloped gently away from the building. It had been raining. The ladder was not footed as the injured man's colleague had been inside the building at the time and the ladder was not tied or secured by any other means.
HSE’s key message is that that ladders should only be used for low-risk, short-duration work.
BLOW TO HEAD KILLS WORKER
A maintenance fitter lost his footing on the second rung of a ladder. His feet slipped through the rungs and he was killed when his head hit the floor as he fell backwards.
LADDER NOT SUITABLE FOR JOB
A farm worker sustained serious leg injuries when he fell from a ladder. Under supervision, the 16 -year-old trainee was trying to fix a door runner about 4.5 m from the ground. A risk assessment had shown that a fork-lift cage or a tower scaffold should be used. However, the supervisor decided to use the ladder for the short job. The young worker overreached, slipped and fell.
SUPERVISOR SETS BAD EXAMPLE
The supervisor of a team of shop fitters was concerned that the target date for completion of a project would be missed. On arriving on site to assess progress he became involved in helping to finish the job on time. He fell 2 m from an unsecured ladder after overreaching while trying to pull cabling through ductwork. He broke an ankle and a wrist in four places. The project was not completed to deadline.
CONTRACTOR FRACTURES SKULL
During refurbishment of a warehouse a contractor placed a ladder between two stands of a pallet racking so that the bottom of the ladder was resting against one rack - so that it would not slip - and the top was leaning on the other. The ladder, which was wooden, was at an angle of about 45 degrees. It broke under his weight and he fractured his skull.
INSTALLER NOW UNEMPLOYED AND NEEDING CRUTCHES
A self-employed installer fitting cavity wall insulation was working off a ladder using a heavy diamond tube drill. The ladder was not tied and was in poor condition with loose and bent rungs. He overreached and the ladder fell causing the installer to fall 3 m on to the concrete floor below. He broke his right heel and various other bones in that foot. He has subsequently undergone several bouts of major surgery but is still unable to walk without crutches and he has not worked since the accident.
LADDER SLIPPED ON WET, SLOPING GRASS
An employee of a construction and building services company was replacing house windows. He was carrying some silicon sealant up the ladder for a new window and had reached a height of about 3 m when the bottom of the ladder slipped out and the employee fell, badly fracturing his leg. The accident investigation found that the ladder had been resting on grass that sloped gently away from the building. It had been raining. The ladder was not footed as the injured man's colleague had been inside the building at the time and the ladder was not tied or secured by any other means.
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