BRADY, Stay on top of ladder safety

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17th February 2015

Source: BRADY

Working at heights is still one of the most dangerous activities throughout the EU. Badly maintained, positioned or secured ladders are the major reasons for falls from heights, as mentioned by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. Laddertag helps reduce falls caused by badly maintained ladders.Risk control Reducing and controlling the risks involved when working with ladders, is important for both employees and businesses. Falls from heights can demand a heavy toll in lives lost and injuries sustained, and increase the cost of business through sick leave, disrupted production, insurance premiums, early retirement and training costs for new staff. To support ladder risk control, Brady offers the Laddertag, a Visual Tagging System attached to the ladder itself that clearly communicates when it is fit for use.

Immediate prohibition

Every Laddertag holds a replaceable insert showing when the next ladder inspection is due. Whenever a ladder doesn’t pass inspection, the insert is removed leaving a clear ‘Do not use’-message on the holder. The Laddertag allows for immediate prohibition if a ladder is unfit for use by simply removing the insert. This is unlike other systems such as stickers or paint where the user needs to find some form of additional signage to quarantine the piece of equipment.

Safe ladder use

Not all accidents with ladders are related to bad maintenance. Correctly using and properly securing a ladder are two other major factors influencing falls from ladders. The bottom and top of a ladder should be locked into place using the ladder stiles and the top of the ladder should extend 1.05 metre beyond the upper exit point. To achieve optimal ladder balance, the easy to remember four-to-one rule applies: four up, one out is a safe working angle when using ladders. By applying these tips, working with ladders becomes a lot safer.

Free Poster

Brady has captured a great number of tips to safely use ladders in a free Ladder Inspection Guide poster. The poster covers inspection requirements, how to set up a ladder for safe use and 20 dos and don’ts for safe ladder use.

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