Blue Door Painters offers ladder safety advice for remodeling projects in the Washington DC / Northern Virginia area.
You can’t always just paint your walls. Sometimes, you gotta paint your ceiling. Or your roof, your dormers, the upper reaches of your stairwells…
That’s where ladders come in.
The risk of falling arises whenever you are elevated off of the lowest possible surface. When you fall, you lose control of your body and gravity takes over, bringing you into an uncontrolled and often violent unintended contact with whatever is below you. Human beings can survive most falls from low heights, provided that they do not land on anything penetrating. When falling causes the body to incur more than 10 Gs of impact, however, serious damage or even death can occur. The way a person falls, and whether or not anything falls on top of them, also plays a role in the seriousness of the injuries. Since ladders are the most commonly used tools for elevation, and because ladders are mobile and are therefore capable of moving and falling over, accidents from ladders are common hazards in redecorating projects. Observing the following precautions is the best way to ensure that the upper reaches of your home get redecorated safely.
This is why ladders, in particular, are so dangerous; even when they do not elevate workers very high, the way that the worker interacts with the ladder during the fall and upon impact can greatly exacerbate the injury. Below we are going to cover several commonly found pieces of elevating equipment that introduce falling hazards, and describe how to navigate them safely.
Instructions for Safe Ladder Use
1) Set it up right:
– Use the four-to-one ration when laying the ladder up against a vertical surface; place the ladder so its feet are one foot out from the vertical support for every four feet that it rises. An eight-foot ladder, for example, would need to have its base arranged two feet away from the vertical surface.
– Do NOT use a ladder in a horizontal position, like as a runway or a scaffold
– Place the ladder where both rails have solid footing, preferably on slightly softer ground, so that the legs of the ladder sink slightly into the ground
– Lean ladders up against stable surfaces, not loose stacks or piles of material.
– Secure ladders that reach more than eight feet with ropes and/or skids to prevent the ladder from falling forward.
– Extend the rails of the ladder at least three feet above the upper landing, if you are using it to reach a second floor or ledge.
– Do NOT mount the ladder anywhere near a door or unmarked path of ingress/egress where it could be unintentionally knocked over.
– Do NOT use metal ladders around electrical circuits; they will act as conductors and pose a serious electrocution risk.
– Do NOT splice smaller ladders together; use the right ladder for the job.
– Multipart and extension ladders will have a safety lock that holds the ladder firmly in place when extended; make sure that this lock is fully engaged
2) Use it safely:
– Hold side rails with hands when ascending or descending. Do NOT hold material while climbing; secure it to a belt, or attach it to a rope and raise and lower it after you have ascended.
– Face the ladder while ascending and descending.
– Do NOT slide down a ladder.
– Do NOT climb higher than the third rung from the top on straight or extension ladders, or the second tread from the top on stepladders
– Do NOT use during strong wind or other chaotic environmental circumstances.
– Do NOT drive nails, screws, etc., into ladders.
– Place your equipment on a secure surface other than the rungs of the ladder, and try to keep one hand free for balance at all times.
– Do NOT lean or attempt to extend yourself outside of the area that can naturally be reached by standing on the ladder. This may cause the ladder to unbalance and tip over.
3) Take Care of It:
– Keep ladders free of grease, dirt, paint, solvent, and slime, which might obscure defects and negatively impact traction.
– Tag or mark defective ladders as soon as possible so that they will not be used.
– Always inspect for defects before use; loose locks or rungs, stuck hinges; even the smallest problem can make a ladder unsafe.
By following these simple tips, you should be well on your way toward safe redecorating of the highest height.