Stairways and Ladders (OSHA 10-Hour Construction Outreach)

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1. Slide 1

   Stairways and Ladders

   • 10-hour Construction Outreach
2. Slide 2

   Introduction

   • Lesson Overview
   • Basic types of ladders and stairways
   • Stairs and ladders hazards
   • Methods to prevent stairway and ladder hazards.
   • Employer requirements
3. Slide 3

   Introduction

   • Falls are the leading cause of fatalities in constructions
   • Falls from ladders make up about one-third of these fatalities
   • Approximately 25,000 injuries per year due to falls from stairways and ladders
   • Falls are preventable
4. Slide 4

   Introduction

   • Percentage of ladder fall fatalities* and nonfatal ladder fall injuries treated in emergency departments,† by fall height (when documented) — United States, 2011
   • Source: CDC
5. Slide 5

   Types of Ladders and Stairways

   • Basic types of ladders
   • Source: OSHA
   • Source: TEEX
   • Harwood
6. Slide 6

   Types of Ladders and Stairways

   • Basic types of ladders
   • Source of photos: OSHA
7. Slide 7

   Types of Ladders and Stairways

   • Basic types of stairways
   • Source of graphics: OSHA
8. Slide 8

   Hazards Associated with Stairs and Ladders

   • Slips
   • Trips
   • Falls
   • Improper use of the top rung of a step ladder
   • Source of photos: OSHA
9. Slide 9

   Hazards Associated with Stairs and Ladders

   • Electrical Hazards
   • Falling Objects
   • Protruding objects, sharp edges, or rough spots
   • This is an unsafe condition.
   • Source: OSHA
10. Slide 10

    Reducing or Eliminating Hazards

    • Ladders
    • Safe practices
    • Ladder requirements
    • Structural defects
    • Source: OSHA
11. Slide 11

    Reducing or Eliminating Hazards

    • Ladder-use practices
    • Extend side rails 3 feet above the upper landing surface
    • Don’t exceed load/capacity
    • Use only as designed
    • Angle ladder so the horizontal distance of bottom is ¼ the working length of the ladder
    • Source of graphics: OSHA
12. Slide 12

    Reducing or Eliminating Hazards

    • Pitch fixed ladders no more than 90 degrees from the horizontal
    • Avoid use of ladder on surfaces that are:
    • Unstable
    • Not level
    • Slippery
    • Secure ladders to prevent movement
    • This ladder is not on a stable surface and is not properly positioned.
    • Source of photos: OSHA
13. Slide 13

    Reducing or Eliminating Hazards

    • Prevent movement/displacement
    • Secure
    • Barricade
    • Keep clear areas around top and bottom.
    • Equally support rails of non-self-supporting ladder at the top.
    • Source of photos: OSHA
14. Slide 14

    Reducing or Eliminating Hazards

    • Ascending or descending ladder
    • Maintain 3-point contact
    • Face ladder
    • Stay inside side rails
    • Never carry tools/objects in hands
    • Be extra careful getting on or off
    • Source: OSHA
15. Slide 15

    Reducing or Eliminating Hazards

    • Don’t move, shift, or extend while in use.
    • When exposed to energized electrical equipment, use nonconductive side rails.
    • Don’t use the top step of a stepladder.
    • Don’t climb the cross-bracing on the rear section of a stepladder.
    • Source: TEEX – Harwood
16. Slide 16

    Reducing or Eliminating Hazards

    • Don’t use single-rail ladders.
    • Inspect (competent person)
    • visible defects periodically
    • and after any incident
    • that could affect their safe use.
    • Source of photos: TEEX -
    • Harwood
17. Slide 17

    Reducing or Eliminating Hazards

    • Ladder requirements:
    • Provide double-cleated ladder or two or more ladders:
    • when having 25 or more employees using as only means of access to work area;
    • when serves two-way traffic.
    • Source: OSHA
18. Slide 18

    Reducing or Eliminating Hazards

    • Rungs, cleats, and steps:
    • Parallel, level, and uniformly spaced
    • Spacing
    • Along portable or fixed ladder side rails – 10 to 14 inches apart
    • Between center lines on step stools – 8 to 12 inches apart
    • Between center lines on extension trestle ladders – 8 to 18 inches apart;
    • extension section 6 to 12 inches
    • Source: OSHA
19. Slide 19

    Reducing or Eliminating Hazards

    • Don’t tie or fasten together to create longer sections, unless design allows
    • Side rail of spliced side rails must have strength equal to one-piece side rail
    • Source: OSHA
    • Stepladder must have a metal spreader or locking device to hold in open position.
20. Slide 20

    Reducing or Eliminating Hazards

    • Platforms or landings - offset two or more separate ladders used to reach an elevated work area.
    • Ladder surface - free of projections, sharp edges, or abrasive materials that could puncture or cut user, or snag clothing.
    • Wood ladders - not coated with any opaque covering, except for identification or warning labels only on one face of a side rail.
    • Source: OSHA
21. Slide 21

    Reducing or Eliminating Hazards

    • Remove defective ladders from service
    • Broken or missing parts
    • Corrosion
    • Other faulty or defective components
    • “Do Not Use”
    • Repair to original design criteria
    • Source: OSHA
22. Slide 22

    Reducing or Eliminating Hazards

    • Stairs
    • Handrails
    • Stair rail systems
    • Stair requirements
    • Temporary pan stairs
23. Slide 23

    Reducing or eliminating hazards

    • Install handrail on stairways
    • 4 or more risers
    • 30 inches of rise
    • Source: OSHA
24. Slide 24

    Reducing or eliminating hazards

    • Install stair rail system
    • Toprail, mid-rail, and sometimes a toeboard
    • Unprotected sides and edges of stairs with rise of 6 or more feet
    • Source: OSHA
25. Slide 25

    Reducing or eliminating hazards

    • Build/maintain stairs that meet OSHA requirements
    • Uniform riser height and tread depth
    • 30 to 50 degrees angle
    • Landings every 12 feet
    • Remove projections
    • Correct slippery conditions
    • ifo
    • Un
    • Source: OSHA
    • rm
    • 0 &
    • de
    • le ng
    • No more than 1/4 inch
    • variation in any stairway system
26. Slide 26

    Reducing or eliminating hazards

    • Temporary pan stairs
    • Secure in place before filling
    • Fill to top edge
    • Replace worn treads and landings
    • Source: OSHA
27. Slide 27

    Employer requirements

    • Comply with OSHA standards related to stairs and ladders
    • Training
    • Inspection
    • Comply with manufacturers’ requirements and recommendations for all ladders.
28. Slide 28

    Hazard Recognition - Ladders

    • Identify ladders hazards and solutions
    • Source: TEEX – Harwood
    • Source: OSHA
29. Slide 29

    Hazard Recognition - Stairs

    • Identify stairs hazards and solutions
    • Source: Luis Diaz
    • Source: OSHA
30. Slide 30

    Summary

    • Key components for ladder safety:
    • A competent person must inspect
    • Use the correct ladder for the job
    • Use the correct angle, supports, treads, cross braces, and rails
    • Don’t overload
    • Your employer must train you in proper use of a ladder
31. Slide 31

    Summary

    • Key components for stairway safety
    • Treads
    • Rails
    • Handrails
    • Stair rails
    • Guardrails
    • Landings and Platforms
32. Slide 32

    Knowledge Check

    • 1. When portable ladders are used for access to an upper landing surface, how many feet above the upper landing must the side rails extend?
    • a. 2 feet
    • b. 3 feet
    • c. 4 feet
    • d. 5 feet
    • b. 3 feet
33. Slide 33

    Knowledge Check

    • 2. You can use metal ladder around power lines or exposed energized electrical equipment.
    • a. True – but only if there isn’t any other option to get the work done.
    • b. False – you should never use a metal ladder in this circumstance.
    • b. False – never use a metal ladder in this circumstance
34. Slide 34

    Knowledge Check

    • 3. Handrails must be able to withstand, without failure, how many pounds of weight applied within 2 inches of the top edge in any downward or outward direction?
    • a. 300 pounds
    • b. 250 pounds
    • c. 200 pounds
    • d. 175 pounds
35. Slide 35

    Knowledge Check

    • 4. Stairways that have four or more risers MUST have a stair rail.
    • a. True
    • b. False
    • a. True
36. Slide 36

    Knowledge Check

    • 5. A non-self-supporting ladder should be set up at ___ (horizontal distance/working length of ladder).
    • a. 90 degree angle
    • b. 30 degree angle
    • c. 1:2 angle
    • d. 1:4 angle