FACE Facts: Ladder Safety for Painters: Prep Before You Step

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Massachusetts. Department of Public Health
• Description:
  From 2011 through 2012, four house painters died at work in Massachusetts. All four fell to their deaths from ladders. As with most work-related fatalities, these could have been prevented. Plan ahead: Choose the right ladder for the job. Choose a ladder that can support you and your tools and check the ladder's duty rating label. A self-supporting step ladder, straight ladder, or extension ladder may be what you need to get the task done safely. If the task cannot be done safely from a ladder, use scaffolding or a lift. Ensure your ladder is in good working condition. A self-employed Massachusetts painter fell 14 feet from an extension ladder while painting the exterior of a house. The ladder was found to be damaged in several places: it had bent rungs and side rails and damaged feet. Ladders should be inspected for damage before each use. Check for cracked, loose, or slippery rungs, split side rails, or worn shoes. Make sure the rung locks are in working order. If ladders have any defects, they should be immediately removed from service and marked defective or tagged with "Do not use" so others know not to use them. At the worksite: Set up the ladder correctly - it's essential. A Massachusetts painter scraping paint on the exterior of a house fell 18 feet when his ladder slipped out from under him. The ladder was not tied off or secured and was footed on composite decking. The base should be set on dry, level ground or other secure, even surface. To avoid slip-out, the ladder must be set at a proper angle of one foot out for every four feet of ladder height, and the base and top of the ladder should be secured. See "Resources" on back of sheet for ways to secure your ladder. When using an extension ladder to access an upper level, the ladder should extend three feet above the roof edge. Use the ladder properly: A Massachusetts painter was preparing to paint the inside surface of a gutter at a home. He climbed the unsecured extension ladder holding a 2.5 gallon bucket of paint and fell from the ladder to the ground. Use a tool belt or hoist to transport your materials up the ladder and secure your paint to the ladder to keep a hand free to hold on. Face the ladder and maintain three-point contact with the ladder while climbing and while painting. Overreaching to the side or leaning away from the ladder to paint overhangs can lead to falls. Keep your belt buckle centered between the ladder side rails at all times. Climb off and reposition the ladder as needed. Do not work from the top three rugs of an extension ladder or from the top or top step of a step ladder. Also available in Portuguese. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Accident Prevention
  • Accidental Falls
  • Accidents
  • Accidents, Occupational
  • Construction Industry
  • Environmental Exposure
  • Mortality
  • Occupational Health
  • Risk Assessment
  • Risk Factors
  More +
• Keywords:
  • Fatalities
  • Injuries
  • Accident analysis
  • Accident prevention
  • Safety
  • Safety education
  • Safety practices
  • Workers
  • Worker safety
  • Work environment
  More +
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Fact Sheet
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20053367
• Citation:
  Boston, MA: Massachusetts State Department of Public Health, 2013 Oct; :1-2
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2014
• Performing Organization:
  Massachusetts State Department of Public Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  FACE facts: ladder safety for painters: prep before you step
• End Date:
  20260630
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/228893/cdc_228893_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 710.98 KB]
• Collection(s):
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:99d8b458aa98e070502c11cda8024c4c96f751a4b5706a7af941bdd51c4508218703a48d760532f6448c37049f0238cb48f2256b63fc28a539398ee52f9a949d