The use of ladders, fixed and portable, produces safety concerns for every industry.   When should fall equipment be used? How and when are ladders cited as unsafe?  How high should fixed ladders extend beyond the landing? At what point are back guards needed?  The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has issued a fixed and portable ladder safety guide for metal and nonmetal industries.  This guide, which is available in PowerPoint and PDF versions, is a well organized descriptive resource with helpful pictures and necessary information for anyone using a ladder in any industry.

According to MSHA not only will this guide help individuals safely use ladders it will result in improved compliance to standards and more consistent enforcement of these standards as everyone will be on the same page.  Like with any safety guide, proper use and consistent regulation will hopefully produce the end result of decreased ladder injuries.

Using ladders properly is a great way to keep employees safe while accessing hard to reach places.  Workplaces can boost ladder safety even further by adding SLIPNOT slip resistant ladder rungs or ladder rung covers.  Non slip ladder rungs and covers are available in steel, stainless steel and aluminum and can be custom cut or sold in stock lengths to be cut in the field.  Welding or bolting rung covers onto existing slippery rungs can be easily done however holes should be drilled in the cover before the file hard, high traction surface is applied by SLIPNOT.  By educating employees on ladder safety and making the information in the MSHA’s guide a must in the work place as well as providing safe slip resistant ladder rungs, safety ladder use can be achieved.

PDF version of the MSHA Guide: http://www.msha.gov/MNMResources/LadderSafety22014.pdf

Some information from a blog on ehsworks1.blogspot.com: http://ehsworks1.blogspot.com/2014/03/msha-offers-ladder-safety-resource-for.html