VSC field safety audits conducted on project sites, at VSC vehicles, and in VSC warehouses, have revealed unauthorized portable ladders in use by VSC employees because the ladders do not meet required load capacity.
A ladders Load Capacity is normally identified by color, as illustrated here:
The weight of material, equipment, and tools used by VSC employees, combined with the average employees’ weight, exceeds 250 lbs. This subjects these light duty ladders to risk of collapse. Collapse can result in serious injury! The additional applied force of maneuvering and lifting heavy material overhead, such as lifting a 21-foot length of pipe, increases the potential for the ladder to collapse. This increases the likelihood of dropping the pipe, causing serious crushing & struck-by injuries and property damage.
PREVENTATIVE MEASURE:
VSC’s Safety policy and OSHA ladder safety standards require construction & industrial
portable ladders to be rated as EXTRA-HEAVY-DUTY TYPE 1A or Type 1AA with a load capacity of 300 lbs. or greater.
OSHA’s Standard for Ladder Load Capacity 1926.1053(a)(1)(i) states “Each self-supporting portable ladder: At least four times the maximum intended load, except that each extra-heavy-duty type 1A metal or plastic ladder shall sustain at least 3.3 times the maximum intended load. The ability of a ladder to sustain the loads indicated in this paragraph shall be determined by applying or transmitting the requisite load to the ladder in a downward vertical direction.”
When purchasing ladders all VSC division must follow these guidelines:
