concretesubmarine.com/ FORUM

Ladders are the most commonly used access equipment in industry. But little, or no attention is paid to their proper usage, or the risks associated with ladders, and they are available from almost any general store which you can walk in and buy.

Looking at the incident rates in South Africa, ladders make up about one third of all work at height incidents.

Considering this, we should focus on creating a safer work environment when it comes to the procurement and use of ladders. We should also focus on training workers on the safe use of ladders and inspection procedures.

Legal Requirements:

General Safety Regulations 1986 as amended: – Regulation No 6: - Work in elevated positions

No employer shall require or permit any person to work in an elevated position, and no person shall work in an elevated position, unless such work is performed safely from a ladder or scaffolding, or from a position where such person has been made as safe as if he were working from scaffolding.

Regulation 13(A): - Ladders
(1) An employee shall ensure that every ladder is constructed of sound material and is suitable for the purpose for which it is used, and -
a) is fitted with non-skid devices at the bottom ends and hooks or similar devices at the upper ends of the stiles which shall ensure the stability of the ladder during normal use; or
b) is so lashed, held or secured whilst being used as to ensure the stability of the ladder under all conditions and at all times.

(2) No employer shall use a ladder, or permit it to be used, if it -
(a) (i) has rungs fastened to the stiles only by means of nails, screws, spikes or in like manner; or
(ii) has rungs which have not been properly let into the stiles: Provided that in the case of welded ladder or ladders of which the rungs are bolted or riveted to the stiles, the rungs need not be let into the sides; or
(b) has damaged stiles, or damaged or missing rungs.

(3) No employer may permit that -
(a) a ladder which is required to be leaned against an object for support be used which is longer than 9 m; and
(b) except with the approval of an inspector, the reach of a ladder be extended by fastening together two or more ladders: Provided that the provisions of this subregulation shall not apply to extension of free-standing ladders.

(4) In the case of wooden ladders, the employer shall ensure that -
(a) the ladders are constructed of straight grained wood, free from defects, and with the grain running in the length of the stiles and rungs; and
(b) the ladders are not painted or covered in any manner, unless it has been established that there are no cracks or other inherent weaknesses: Provided that ladders may be treated with oil or covered with clear varnish or wood preservative.

(5) When work is done from a ladder, the employer shall -
(a) take special precautionary measures to prevent articles from falling off; and
(b) provide suitable sheaths or receptacles in which hand tools shall be kept when not being used.

(6) An employer shall ensure that a fixed ladder which exceeds 5 m in length and is attached to a vertical structure with an inclination to the horizontal level of 75 degrees or more -
(a) has its rungs at least 150 mm away from the structure to which the ladder is attached; and
(b) is provided with a cage which -
(i) extends from a point not exceeding 2.5 m from the lower level to a height of at least 900 mm above the top level served by the ladder; and
(ii) shall afford firm support along its whole length for the back of the person climbing the ladder, and for which purpose no part of the cage shall be more than 700 mm away from the level of the rungs:

Provided that the foregoing provisions of paragraph (b) shall not apply if platforms, which are spaced not more than 8 m apart and suitable for persons to rest on, are provided.

Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993

The Act defines “Health and Safety Standards as meaning: - “Any standard, irrespective of whether or not it has the force of law, which, if applied for the purposes of this Act, will in the opinion of the Minister promote the attainment of an object of this Act.” thus the following standards are considered to be applicable: -

SANS 50131 - Part 2: Requirements, testing, marking
•This SANS Standard specifies the general design features, requirements, and test methods for portable ladders.
•It does not apply to step stools or ladders for specific professional use such as fire brigade ladders, roof ladders and mobile ladders.
•It does not apply to ladders used for work on or near live electrical systems or installations. For this purpose, EN 61478 applies.

6 Marking and user instructions
•Ladders should be marked with the relevant parts of SANS 50131 to which they fully comply and the year of revision(s).
•The marking shall be in accordance with SANS 50131-3.
•User instructions in accordance with SANS 50131-3 shall be provided.

SANS 50131 - Part 3: User instructions
1 Scope
•This SANS Standard advises on the safe use of ladders covered by the scope of SANS 50131-1 and fulfilling the requirements of SANS 50131-1, SANS 50131-2 and, for single or multiple hinged-joint ladders, SANS 50131-4 used as standing or leaning ladders.

4 Provision of user instructions
•The producer shall be responsible for the content of the user instructions and the provision of the instructions with each ladder.
•The distributor should ensure that the user instructions are provided with each ladder.
•The ladder owner should ensure that user instructions are available to the user.
•The instructions shall be in the language of the country where the ladder is sold.

7 User instructions - 7.1 General
•Basic instruction shall be supplied with each ladder to which they relate and shall be in the language of the country where the ladder is sold. Instructions shall be written in text that may be accompanied by diagrams or graphics. If the instructions are supplied separately to the ladder, then the information from 6.1 or 6.2 (refer to standard) shall be repeated.
•The producer shall make available the list of items to be inspected and checked along with the pass/fail criteria. Details of how to obtain the list shall be in the user instructions or marked on the ladder. Instructions can also be provided on the manufacturer's website.

Also refer to the following standards:
SANS 50131 Part 4: Single or multiple hinge-joint ladders
SANS 50131 Part 6: Telescopic Ladders
SANS 50131 Part 7: Mobile Ladders with Platforms

Risks:

Risks and hazards occur when using ladders due to the following factors:
•The correct ladder is not selected for the job being performed.
•Person is not trained in the inspection, setting up and use of the ladder.
•Ladders are used that do not conform to the correct manufacturing standard
•Ladders are not properly inspected prior to use, or the inspection criteria is unknown

Ladders are used for purposes for which they were not intended, such as a ‘bridge’, wrong selection of ladder, such as an aluminium ladder being used near exposed electrical conductors such as electric fencing.

Falls from ladder can occur due to the ladder sliding out, toppling, or collapsing, or from the user losing balance or grip. Other possible risks include tools being dropped from a ladder and electrocution.

In most cases the manufacturer will supply information with the ladder on the risks associated with the type of ladder. The safe working load (weight limitations) of the type of ladder selected must also be displayed by the manufacturer and should conform to SANS 50131 and its relevant parts.

These risks should be considered when compiling the risk assessment as part of the fall protection plan.

Selecting ladders as an access method:

Good practice dictates that ladders can be used for work at height when a risk assessment has shown that using equipment offering a higher level of fall protection is not justified because of the low risk, short duration of use, light work being done or if there are existing workplace features which cannot be altered. The concept of ‘Global risk’ is applied.

Short duration is not the only deciding factor in establishing whether a ladder would be the acceptable method of access.

All risks must be considered first. If the worker is going to perform the task for longer than 30 minutes at a time, or the task is not considered “lightweight”, it is recommended that another method of access be selected.