FACTS
- Falls from ladders are the leading cause of deaths on construction sites.
- Over the past decade, the number of people who have died from falls from ladders has tripled.
- Falls from ladders are the leading cause of ladder-related injuries, followed by using a ladder improperly, using a faulty or defective ladder, and simple carelessness.
- Ladders are available in many forms ranging from: attic ladders, orchard ladders, and roof ladders to sectional ladders, cat ladders, Christmas tree ladders,
- There are 4 main types of ladder injuries. These include injuries related to: selecting the wrong type of ladder, using worn/damaged ladders, using ladders incorrectly, and placing ladders incorrectly.
- Fractures are the most common type of ladder-related injury.
STATS
- According to the World Health Organization, the United States leads the world in ladder deaths. Each year, there are more than 164,000 emergency room-treated injuries and 300 deaths in the U.S. that are caused by falls from ladders.
- Most ladder deaths are from falls of 10 feet or less.
- Falls from ladders are the leading cause of deaths on construction sites.
- Over the past decade, the number of people who have died from falls from ladders has tripled.
- More than 400 people died as a result of falls on or from ladders or scaffolding. -Liberty Mutual – Research Institute for Safety.
- Ladder-related injuries per 100,000 people rose almost 27 %
- Similarly, the journal Health & Medicine Week points out that the risk of falling from a ladder is increasing, a 2017 study demonstrated that there were 41,092 hospitalized falls from ladders.
- Approximately 20 % of fall injuries involve ladders, and among construction workers, an estimated 81% of fall injuries treated in hospital emergency rooms involve a ladder. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, U. S. Department of Labor Work-related fatal falls, by type of fall, nearly two-fifths involved falls from roofs or ladders.