As someone who makes your living working on a New York construction site, you may use ladders on a regular basis to perform your typical job duties. Ladder use is common in construction. Yet, ladders are also a frequent source of injury and fatality for workers in your field. Using a ladder safely involves taking certain steps, and failing to make these efforts heightens your ladder-related injury risks.
According to the Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety and Health, almost 25% of all nonfatal falls that occur in the construction industry involve ladder use.
Ladder injury statistics and repercussions
Many construction industry ladder falls also lead to worker deaths. Almost 40% of construction deaths are the result of falls, compared to just 15% of deaths in all other sectors. If you do fall off of a ladder, your risk of experiencing a serious injury during the fall varies based on certain factors. These factors might include how far off the ground you were working and whether you took other preventative measures to prevent injuries. Common injuries that result from ladder falls in construction include back injuries and broken arms and legs, among others.
Ladder injury prevention
It is of critical importance that you and everyone else who works alongside you on a construction site know what types of ladders to use for specific efforts. Using the right type of ladder, and using a ladder of an appropriate height, goes a long way in terms of helping prevent fall-related injuries. It is also important that your employer or supervisor train you and others about how to safely use ladders on the job site.
Some construction employers are trying to reduce ladder-related injuries by reducing their reliance on ladders altogether, choosing to have their workers use lifts or similar infrastructure instead whenever possible.