Direct Controls for Ladder Work
Whether you are working in a substation, a weatherhead on a customer’s home, or even a wood pole, portable ladders are tools that inevitably must be used on the job site to effectively get the work done. Unfortunately, sometimes working on a ladder can turn into a Serious Injury and Fatality (SIF) or a Potential Serious Injury and Fatality (PSIF).
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 22,000 people across the U.S. are injured while using ladders each year, and unfortunately, 161 people suffered a fatal injury from a ladder in 2020. Also concerning for those in management, more than $17 billion is spent annually on workplace falls from ladders.
So how do most of these injuries and fatalities occur? According to industry statistics:
- 40% of ladder falls resulted from the ladder itself moving. The large majority of these cases involve the bottom of the ladder moving.
- 24% were attributed to slips on the steps of the ladder.
- Losing one’s balance accounted for another 18% of ladder falls which should be less likely to occur if the ladder itself is stable.
As a manufacturer of fall protection, these statistics are concerning, especially when direct controls exist and are readily available. Part of Buckingham’s Mission is to ensure that the customers we serve go home to their loved ones safely at the end of each day, and the following products help make that happen.
Buckingham Ladder Lock
The Ladder Lock includes ladder safety stabilization straps that are stored in a tough and waterproof bag that are permanently affixed to your ladder for easy access. The stabilization straps are wrapped around the work area/structure (wood pole, steel poles, substation structures, and many others) and by doing this, it prevents ladder kick outs and excessive rocking, which can lead to falls and therefore injuries. To learn more, click here.
Buckingham Ladder Tether (BLT)
The BLT is a ladder-mounted lifeline system that allows 100% fall protection for the user while ascending or descending a ladder. In the event of a fall, the Mobile Fall Arrester (MFA) attached to the lifeline and a dorsal connection on a user’s harness, will arrest the fall and the ladder lock system will keep the ladder secured to a pole, substation transformer or steel structure. The two units, working together, prevent ladder kick outs and if someone slips while on the ladder, prevents the user from falling and being injured. Through extensive research and development, Buckingham’s engineers found that it was easy to be fall protected when working on a ladder in a substation. To learn more, click here.
Buckingham Rooftop Fall Protection
Buckingham was approached by a number of utilities and contractors to address fall protection for those working on a roof or off a ladder at a customer’s home. The Buckingham Rooftop Fall Protection Kit provides a temporary vertical lifeline for accessing elevated work areas from a portable ladder. This Patent Pending system was developed hand-in-hand with a major utility (and EEI Member) and allows the user to set a lifeline and re-direct lines from the ground which keep the user 100% fall protected while ascending a ladder, working on a ladder, and descending a ladder.
Today, the Buckingham Rooftop Fall Protection Kit is the only solution of its kind on the market. To learn more, and watch videos of the system in use, please click here.
Working off a portable ladder can result in SIF’s or PSIF’s which can have severe consequences. We believe that these simple direct controls can and will help prevent SIF’s throughout the industry. It is our strong belief that utilizing these simple direct controls will result in a safe workplace and put an added barrier between a worker and a SIF. To learn more about any of these products or to chat with Buckingham sales or engineering staff, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at 1-800-YES-BUCK or via email at Sales@BuckinghamMFG.com.