March 2017 is the First Annual #LadderSafetyMonth
Millions of people each year climb up on ladders to complete a wide range of different tasks. Whether it is a homeowner trying to fix the siding, or a construction company working on a job, ladders are an essential tool that most people will need to use at one time or another. Unfortunately, ladders also present serious risks to those who are using them, and people on the ground below them. Each year over 300 people die in ladder-related accidents, and many thousands more are seriously injured.
In an attempt to draw attention to the risks of ladders, and promote ladder safety, The American Ladder Institute is working with ladder manufacturers, government agencies, and others to create the first annual ladder safety month this March.
The month of March was chosen because of the fact that it generally marks the start of ‘home improvement season,’ which means many people will be pulling out their ladders and climbing up. In addition, it comes just a little before the National Fall Prevention Stand-Down from OSHA (which occurs in May), and the National Safety Month from NSC, which takes place in June.
Ryan Moss, who is the ALI president and CEO of Little Giant Ladder Systems released a comment to the press about this event, which said,
“Every year over 300 people die in ladder-related accidents, and thousands suffer disabling injuries. Without better training and continuous innovation in safety, planning and product design, we will continue to see far too many fatalities.”
The main focus of ladder safety month will be to accomplish the following five goals:
- Reduce the total number of injuries and fatalities caused by ladders.
- Move ladder-related safety citations down on the list of OSHA’s yearly Top 10 Citations List
- Get more people to complete ladder safety trainings
- Get more people to complete competent ladder inspector trainings
- Encourage more companies to inspect ladders, and properly dispose of those that are no longer fit for use.
Ladder safety month is a great way to draw attention to the hazards of using ladders, and especially the importance of ladder safety. To help promote ladder safety month a website has been created, LadderSafetyMonth.com. In addition, coordinators behind this event are encouraging both individuals and companies to talk about ladder safety on social media using the tags #LadderSafetyMonth and/or #LadderSafety.
Getting people talking about specific safety issues like this is a great way to draw attention to this very serious issue. While everyone knows that ladders present real hazards both in the workplace and at home, they often think that ‘it could never happen to them.’ Alerting people to the risks of improper use of ladders, using unsafe ladders, and ladder safety in general can literally save lives, which makes this whole effort very commendable.
So, this March, and every March, please join us and many others in celebrating #LadderSafetyMonth. Also, make sure to checkout Creative Safety Supply for all safety product needs.
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