Use Ladder Safety Month to Review Your Safety Procedures
March is Ladder Safety Month, an annual public awareness campaign presented by the American Ladder Institute (ALI) and sponsored by NAHB. It’s the perfect time to review your safety policies and procedures for using one of the most dangerous pieces of equipment on a jobsite.
An estimated 81% of construction site fall injuries treated in hospital emergency rooms involve a ladder. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), 500,000 people are treated and about 300 people die from ladder-related injuries each year.
Ladders also present a financial risk to home builders as ladder-related violations came in at number four on the list of the most common OSHA violation citations in 2022.
Ladders are an integral part of residential construction and they help workers complete inherently dangerous tasks. But with proper use, the ladder can be a completely safe tool on jobsites. Rigorous training and policies ensure proper use every time.
Take this month to review your safety materials on ladders, and make sure that workers and supervisors understand the importance of proper use.
ALI has a wide selection of ladder safety resources for use at home and on the jobsite. NAHB also has numerous free materials for members to use in safety training programs for both onboarding and refreshers.
Watch the ladder safety video below and visit the ladder safety page on nahb.org for the video and other materials in Spanish and English.