Modified "walk-through" ladder tested in virtual reality laboratory
(Images from the NIOSH Virtual Reality Laboratory showing a subject moving to a sloped roof from a walk-through ladder, left, and from a regular ladder, right. Photos from NIOSH.)
This month is National Ladder Safety Month, but ladder safety is a year-round priority at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) where scientists study how to prevent ladder-related falls. In a new study published in the journal Applied Ergonomics, a “walk-through” ladder was comparable in safety to regular ladders tested in NIOSH Virtual Reality Laboratory in Morgantown, West Virginia.