Rancho Mesa's Media Communications & Client Services Manager Alyssa Burley and Account Executive Casey Craig discuss ladder safety, specifically the questions to ask before climbing a ladder.

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Director/Host: Alyssa Burley

Guest: Casey Craig

Producer/Editor: ⁠Megan Lockhart⁠

Music: "Home" by JHS Pedals, “News Room News” by Spence

© Copyright 2023. Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc. All rights reserved.

tRANSCRIPT

Alyssa Burley: Hi, this is Alyssa Burley with Rancho Mesa's Media Communications and Client Services Department. Thank you for listening to today's top Rancho Mesa News, brought to you by our Safety and Risk Management Network, StudioOne. Welcome back, everyone. My guest is Casey Craig, Account Executive, with Rancho Mesa. He specializes in providing commercial insurance for paint, plaster and drywall contractors. Today, we're going to talk about ladder safety, specifically the questions to ask before climbing a ladder. Casey, welcome to the show.

Casey Craig: Thanks for having me, Alyssa.

AB: Of course. So every year, OSHA publishes a top ten most frequently cited standards list. And without question, ladders and fall protection consistently make the list. With regards to working at height, what does the data show?

CC: Yeah, this is probably always going to be on there because it's just a something that happens when you have, you know, a lapse or a lapse of concentration and you're just kind of at height for a little bit. And when you're trying to get down, it's something where you kind of just miss that last rung a lot of times. But there was a study done this year by Liberty Mutual that they found that $6.26 billion was spent on falls as a result from working at height, which is pretty insane. But I guess what we're trying to get at here is that working at height is going to make it more dangerous if you're setting up ladders incorrectly.

AB: Yeah, absolutely. So before choosing a ladder for a specific job, what questions should be asked?

CC: Yeah, the list is pretty extensive. A couple of key things to be looking at is will the ladder on the site reach the desired height you're going for, safely? Do the pads on the feet need to be replaced? Do I have a faulty ladder? Should I use fiberglass or metal? Is the ground level or should I have a ladder with adjustable outriggers? Do I need a guardrail system on my ladder? Am I able to get the proper angle needed for an extension ladder? Or do my employees have the proper footwear?

AB: Yeah. And theoretically, all potential claims from ladders are preventable if the correct ladder is used. So what are some of the things to remember when using a ladder on a job site?

CC: Employees working at height for a long period of time on a very hot or cold day. They need to be alert when they're getting on or off. That's kind of where a lot of the ones that happen, they can get exhausted while they're at height. So when they're getting down, trying to get off that last rung, sometimes they miss it or they jump down just to kind of make it a little quicker. There's a lot of claims that happen from that. Trying to make sure when you're on a jobsite you're using the proper ladder. So if you have steps, tools, step ladders and extension ladders, that's great. They're not perfect for every single job. So making sure you're using the right ladder for the project that you're on.

AB: Okay. And that seems to just be the rule of thumb. Make sure you're using the right type of ladder for the job that you're doing.

CC: Yeah, you'll see. I mean, most trucks that are driving on the road, you'll see that they have, you know, each of those ladders tied to the top. That's what they're equipped with when they get to the job. But I mean, if we could take a little more time to do a job walk beforehand and make sure the ladders that are on the truck are sufficient enough to get that job done, probably cut down on a lot of the claims.

AB: Absolutely. So how serious are ladder falls?

CC: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, fatal injuries from movable ladders has decreased nearly 17% from 2019 to 2020. But the non-fatal ladder injuries remain pretty consistent. And this is the newest data that we have. They published it in 2022.

AB: Okay. So fortunately, safety on ladders seems to be trending in the right direction, though it's not perfect yet. We can assume that better training and organizations like the American Ladder Institute and OSHA bringing awareness to ladder safety every March has made a positive impact. And along those same lines, Rancho Mesa offers ladder training through our SafetyOne™ platform. So whether it's an online course, a webinar, toolbox talks, or even the ladder safety checklist, you know, to make sure that the ladder is, you know, in good working condition, all of that stuff. We have resources our clients need to make sure that their employees are well trained and prepared to use ladders safely on the job. So, Casey, if listeners have questions about managing their risk when working at height, what's the best way to get in touch with you?

CC: Yeah, I can be reached at ccraig@ranchomesa.com, or you can call me at 619-438-6900.

AB: All right. Well, Casey, thank you so much for joining me in StudioOne.

CC: Thanks for having me.

AB: This is Alyssa Burley with Rancho Mesa. Thanks for tuning into our latest episode produced by StudioOne. For more information, visit us at ranchomesa.com and subscribe to our weekly newsletter.