11 Aug Ladder Use – JSA

Job Safety Analysis (JSA/JHA) – Ladder Use

Job/Task: Ladder Use
Applicable To: Portable stepladders, extension ladders, straight ladders, and other portable ladders used to access elevated work areas or perform short-duration work.

Required Personal Protective Equipment

PPE will be selected based on the work being performed and surrounding hazards. Typical PPE may include:

• Safety glasses
• Work gloves, as appropriate
• Safety-toe footwear
• Hard hat when overhead or falling-object hazards are present
• High-visibility clothing when exposed to vehicles or mobile equipment
• Fall protection when required by the work being performed or applicable regulations

Tools and Equipment

• Appropriate ladder for the task
• Stepladder, straight ladder, or extension ladder as required
• Ladder stabilizer or securing device, when necessary
• Barricades or warning devices when ladders are used near pedestrian or vehicle traffic
• Tool belt, hoisting line, or other means of transporting tools while maintaining safe ladder contact

Potential Hazards

• Falls from ladders
• Ladder slipping or shifting
• Ladder collapse or structural failure
• Improper ladder angle or setup
• Unstable, uneven, slippery, or soft surfaces
• Overreaching or loss of balance
• Standing on prohibited steps or ladder components
• Using the wrong ladder for the task
• Damaged or defective ladders
• Electrical contact with overhead lines or energized equipment
• Struck-by hazards from falling tools or materials
• Vehicle or pedestrian contact
• Improper climbing while carrying tools or materials
• Improper use of stepladders as straight ladders
• Pinch points while opening, closing, extending, or positioning ladders
• Weather conditions such as wind, rain, ice, or snow

Job Steps, Hazards and Safe Work Practices

1. Plan the Work

Potential Hazards:

• Selecting the wrong ladder
• Inadequate ladder length or capacity
• Electrical hazards
• Fall exposure
• Vehicle or pedestrian traffic
• Unsafe environmental conditions

Safe Work Practices:

• Evaluate the work area and task before selecting a ladder.
• Determine whether a ladder is the appropriate means of access or whether scaffolding, an aerial lift, or another work platform would provide a safer method.
• Select a ladder of the proper type, length, duty rating, and material for the work.
• Consider the combined weight of the employee, tools, equipment, and materials when determining ladder capacity.
• Identify overhead electrical lines and other energized equipment before positioning or using a ladder.
• Use nonconductive ladders where employees or the ladder could contact exposed energized electrical equipment.
• Evaluate traffic, doorways, walkways, floor openings, weather conditions, and other surrounding hazards.
• Establish barricades or other controls where necessary to protect the ladder and employee from vehicles or pedestrians.

2. Inspect the Ladder Before Use

Potential Hazards:

• Ladder collapse
• Broken steps or rungs
• Defective hardware
• Slipping
• Structural failure

Safe Work Practices:

• Inspect ladders before use and after any event that could affect their safe condition.
• Check side rails, rungs, steps, feet, spreaders, locks, ropes, pulleys, hardware, and other components for damage or deterioration.
• Verify that rungs and steps are clean and free of oil, grease, mud, ice, or other slippery materials.
• Ensure extension-ladder locks and ropes operate properly.
• Verify that stepladder spreaders and locking devices operate properly.
• Do not use a ladder with broken, bent, cracked, split, missing, loose, or otherwise defective components.
• Immediately remove defective ladders from service and tag or otherwise identify them to prevent use until repaired or properly disposed of.
• Do not make temporary or makeshift ladder repairs.

3. Transport and Position the Ladder

Potential Hazards:

• Strains and sprains
• Striking employees or objects
• Contact with electrical lines
• Pinch points
• Loss of control

Safe Work Practices:

• Use proper lifting techniques when carrying ladders.
• Obtain assistance when the ladder is too long or heavy to handle safely.
• Check the travel path before carrying a ladder.
• Carry long ladders in a manner that prevents striking employees, equipment, structures, or electrical conductors.
• Maintain awareness of overhead power lines when moving or positioning ladders.
• Keep hands and fingers clear of pinch points when extending, retracting, opening, or closing ladders.

4. Set Up the Ladder

Potential Hazards:

• Ladder slipping
• Ladder tipping
• Uneven or unstable footing
• Improper angle
• Unexpected movement
• Falls

Safe Work Practices:

• Place the ladder on a stable, level, firm, and nonslippery surface.
• Do not place ladders on boxes, barrels, scaffolds, pallets, equipment, or other unstable objects to gain additional height.
• Keep the area around the top and bottom of the ladder clear.
• Do not set up ladders in doorways or passageways unless the door is locked, guarded, or otherwise secured against opening and the area is appropriately controlled.
• Fully open stepladders and engage spreader or locking devices before climbing.
• Do not use a folded stepladder as a straight ladder unless it is specifically designed for that use.
• Position non-self-supporting ladders at the proper climbing angle. As a general rule, place the ladder approximately one foot away from the supporting surface for every four feet of working ladder length.
• Secure ladders when necessary to prevent accidental displacement.
• When a portable ladder is used to access an upper landing surface, extend the ladder side rails sufficiently above the landing to provide a secure handhold, or provide an equivalent secure grasping device when the required extension is not possible.
• Keep ladders away from excavation edges, floor openings, and other locations where movement or loss of balance could result in a more serious fall.

5. Climb and Descend the Ladder

Potential Hazards:

• Falls
• Loss of balance
• Slipping
• Dropped tools or materials

Safe Work Practices:

• Face the ladder when climbing or descending.
• Maintain three points of contact whenever practical while climbing.
• Keep the body centered between the ladder side rails.
• Use both hands for climbing whenever possible.
• Do not climb while carrying objects that could cause loss of balance or prevent a secure grip.
• Use a tool belt, pouch, hoisting line, or other suitable method to move tools and materials.
• Keep footwear clean and free of mud, grease, oil, or other substances that could cause slipping.
• Climb only one person at a time unless the ladder is specifically designed for multiple users.
• Do not slide, jump, or intentionally move a ladder while occupied.

6. Perform Work From the Ladder

Potential Hazards:

• Overreaching
• Loss of balance
• Ladder movement
• Falls
• Falling tools or materials
• Electrical contact

Safe Work Practices:

• Maintain the body between the ladder side rails and avoid excessive reaching.
• Descend and reposition the ladder rather than leaning or stretching beyond a safe working position.
• Do not stand on the top or top step of a stepladder unless the ladder is specifically designed and labeled for that purpose.
• Do not stand on ladder braces, spreaders, rear sections, or other components not designed as climbing or standing surfaces.
• Do not use a ladder for purposes other than those for which it was designed.
• Do not leave tools or materials unsecured on ladder steps or platforms where they could fall.
• Maintain safe clearance from energized electrical conductors and equipment.
• Stop work if wind, rain, ice, snow, or other conditions make ladder use unsafe.
• Never move, shift, or extend a ladder while an employee is on it.
• Avoid applying excessive side loads that could cause the ladder to overturn.
• If the work requires substantial force, prolonged positioning, extensive material handling, or frequent movement, use a more appropriate work platform when feasible.

7. Use Extension and Straight Ladders

Potential Hazards:

• Ladder sliding
• Improper overlap
• Falls at access points
• Collapse or separation

Safe Work Practices:

• Set the ladder at the proper angle and ensure both side rails are supported.
• Secure the ladder at the top when necessary to prevent movement. Secure the base or provide another effective means of preventing displacement when needed.
• Maintain the manufacturer-required overlap between extension-ladder sections.
• Do not exceed the ladder manufacturer’s maximum extended length.
• Ensure extension locks are fully engaged before climbing.
• Do not climb above the highest safe standing level specified by the manufacturer.
• When accessing an elevated surface, ensure the ladder provides a safe transition onto and off the landing.

8. Use Stepladders

Potential Hazards:

• Ladder collapse
• Tipping
• Standing too high
• Improper setup

Safe Work Practices:

• Fully open the stepladder before use.
• Ensure spreaders or locking devices are fully engaged.
• Never use a closed stepladder by leaning it against a wall unless the manufacturer specifically designed it for that purpose.
• Do not stand on the top or top step unless permitted by the manufacturer.
• Do not climb on the rear braces unless they are specifically designed and labeled for climbing.
• Keep the stepladder centered beneath the work to minimize reaching and side loading.

9. Complete the Work and Store the Ladder

Potential Hazards:

• Strains
• Pinch points
• Falling ladders
• Damage during storage
• Unauthorized use

Safe Work Practices:

• Remove tools and materials before moving the ladder.
• Descend completely before repositioning or closing the ladder.
• Use caution around pinch points when retracting extension ladders or folding stepladders.
• Return ladders to a designated storage location.
• Store ladders in a manner that protects them from damage, excessive heat, moisture, chemicals, vehicle traffic, and other harmful conditions.
• Secure stored ladders when necessary to prevent them from falling or creating an obstruction.
• Report damaged ladders and remove them from service.

General Ladder Safety Requirements

• Use ladders only for their intended purpose.
• Follow the ladder manufacturer’s instructions and warning labels.
• Never exceed the ladder’s rated load capacity.
• Never use a metal ladder where electrical contact is possible.
• Keep ladders free of oil, grease, mud, and other slipping hazards.
• Do not modify ladders or attach makeshift extensions.
• Do not splice ladders together unless specifically designed for that purpose.
• Never use a ladder horizontally as a platform, runway, or scaffold.
• Do not use ladders when physical condition, medication, fatigue, dizziness, or other factors could prevent safe climbing.
• Maintain adequate lighting around ladder access and work areas.
• Protect ladders from displacement by vehicles, equipment, doors, and pedestrian traffic.
• Employees must stop work and notify their supervisor when ladder conditions or surrounding hazards cannot be safely controlled.

Training

Employees who use ladders will be trained to recognize ladder-related hazards and understand the procedures necessary to minimize those hazards.

Training should address, as applicable:

• Proper ladder selection
• Ladder load capacities
• Ladder inspection
• Proper setup and positioning
• Safe climbing and descending
• Three-point contact
• Electrical hazards
• Fall hazards
• Proper use of stepladders and extension ladders
• Handling tools and materials while using ladders
• Defective-ladder removal procedures
• Manufacturer instructions and limitations

Retraining will be provided when an employee demonstrates inadequate knowledge or use of ladders, unsafe practices are observed, workplace conditions change, or other circumstances indicate that previous training is no longer adequate.

Stop-Work Conditions

Ladder work must be stopped when:

• The ladder is damaged or defective.
• A stable setup cannot be achieved.
• Electrical hazards cannot be adequately controlled.
• Weather conditions make ladder use unsafe.
• Vehicle or pedestrian traffic creates an uncontrolled hazard.
• The employee cannot safely maintain balance or control while performing the work.
• The ladder is not appropriate for the height, duration, or nature of the task.
• Conditions exist that are not adequately addressed by this JSA/JHA.

When ladder use cannot be performed safely, employees will notify their supervisor and use an alternative method of access or work platform.