Six-foot industrial-rated (ANSI IAA) fiberglass A-frame in use without extending and locking the legs.

Here at Circle Safety we spend equal amounts of time in the office (or classroom) and in the field.  We joke that keeping our boots muddy keeps us honest.  You can see for yourself in the photo what we mean about muddy boots.

We are better trainers because of our muddy boots. We know the realities of the workplace. Sometimes it can be hard to get the job done and make the work safe, too.  And, our muddy boots enable us to discuss with management why they should give more time to safety training, safety supervision and third-party monitoring.  Again, the photo provides an excellent example.

The crew using this ladder works for a company that cares about safety—and shows it. They provide appropriate tools, regular training and on-site safety auditing. 

As we all know, ladder manufacturers provide lots of labeling and warnings on the side rails.  These are visible to employees if the ladders are maintained properly.  But, do the employees read these labels or take them seriously?  Sometimes they do not.

In the case above, one or more workers did not follow the OSHA standard or manufacturer’s guidelines for fully extending and locking legs on an A-frame and for not using the top rung as a step.  When we talked with the crew, they agreed that with a little more thinking and time spent during set up, they could have improved ground conditions (with some plywood) and correctly extended the legs (parallel to the wall).

If this photo had been taken by an OSHA inspector, the muddy bootprints on the ladder would have been sufficient for proving “employee exposure” and would have supported a citation.  Even more costly than the OSHA penalty could have been an injured worker’s compensation claim.  Luckily, both were avoided in this case by Circle Safety’s on-the-job safety training and our own muddy boots.

Jan Thomas, PhD, CSP
President and Consultant

Safety Topics:
ladder-inspectionsrev2005
fall-protection-ladders-scaffoldingrev2005