Ladder safety is sometimes taken for granted because ladders are used for so many common activities in homes and other applications outside the workplace. Stored in closets, garages and sheds, they are just grabbed when needed, often without a second thought. Even children can use them without much training or oversight.
Because using a ladder is such a familiar skill that most people gain long before they enter the workforce, it can be easy to overlook the need for safe operating procedures in the workplace. However, ladders continue to be a contributing factor in more than 150 fatalities and 20,000 non-fatal workplace injuries each year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), making the need for ladder safety programs real.