Picture This: Ladder Lunacy

The worker in this picture is committing at least 3 OSHA violations. Can you spot them?”

Unsafe positioning of a ladder

 Don’t try this one at home, kids.  The worker wants to get to the second floor window but his ladder isn’t long enough. So he decides to lash his short ladder to a not-so-sturdy garden gate and use a step ladder to access it. In so doing, he risks his neck and commits at least 3 violations of the OSHA Portable Wood Ladders standard:

  1. Portable ladders shall be placed so that the side rails have a secure footing (Sec. 1910.25(d)(2)(iii));
  1. Ladders shall not be placed on boxes, barrels or other unstable bases (like maybe a garden gate?) to obtain additional height (Sec. 1910.25(d)(2)(v)); and
  1. Tops of the ordinary types of stepladders shall not be used as steps (Sec. 1910.25(d)(2)(xii)).

There may even be a fourth violation if the front door of the house swings out rather than in:

  1. Ladders shall not be placed in front of doors opening toward the ladder unless the door is blocked upon, locked or guarded (Sec. 1910.25(d)(2)(iv)).

The moral: Don’t put ladders on unstable bases or use additional ladders to extend a portable ladder’s height; if a portable ladder isn’t long enough, just get a longer one.