It Really Happened: Hold On! Trailer Ladders Are Safety Matters

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Washington (State). Department of Labor and Industries
• Description:
  52-year-old general freight truck driver injured his shoulder and neck after falling off a ladder. It happened when the driver was chaining and tarping a load on his flatbed trailer. He had a rigid ladder set up alongside his trailer for accessing the five-foot high deck. In a rush, the driver launched up the ladder, barely holding on to its side rails. His hand suddenly slipped. He lost balance and fell 3 feet to the ground below. Landing hard on his left side, the driver felt instant pain in his shoulder and neck. Medical tests showed that the impact of the short fall damaged the driver's shoulder socket, which caused weakness and limited motion in his arm. The driver now needs shoulder surgery. Recovery will keep him off the job for over a year. TIPS TO LIVE BY: Management: Make sure drivers are trained to set-up, climb, and work with trailer ladders in a safe, focused manner. Make sure to provide drivers with anti-slip protective work gloves. Drivers: Don't rush, stay focused when climbing a trailer ladder. Set and angle ladder on firm, even ground, making sure it extends at least 3-feet above the top landing. Never carry a load or make movements that can make you lose balance. Always wear protective work gloves, and maintain a stable 3-point (two hands and a foot, or two feet and a hand) contact on the ladder. Keep your body near the middle of the step and face the ladder while climbing. Never lean over or stand on top step of the ladder. All Employees: Actively look for hazards and share injury prevention ideas with management. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidental Falls Accidents Accidents, Occupational Automobiles Education Environmental Exposure Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Preventive Medicine Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Safety Management Staff Development Workplace

  More +
• Keywords:
  Drivers Exposure Levels Fall Protection Falls Hazards Injuries Injury-prevention Ladders Personal Protection Personal Protective Equipment PPE Preventive Measures Risk Factors Safety-education Safety-measures Safety-practices Training Trucking Work-environment Workers

  More +
• Publisher:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20058291
• Citation:
  Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, 90-184-2018, 2019 Sep; :1
• Contact Point Address:
  SHARP Program, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, PO Box 44330, Olympia, WA 98504-4330
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• Performing Organization:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  It really happened: hold on! trailer ladders are safety matters
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:944c470f947b1120fbd1e0fbd1fe12de7ec9f4ff01116f85e70494d2d81e0c94872ee940118f8a07b57cf6b7f1baac6945fe439e898c6762c4b0a4f8df8dd808
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/221418/cdc_221418_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 372.49 KB ]