Ladders and scaffolds have long been the go-to solutions for elevated work. They are simple to transport, and they don’t cost much to purchase or rent. While they excel in these areas, ladders and scaffolds continue to lag in one major, costly area: safety. According to 2014 data from Liberty Mutual’s 2017 Workplace Safety Index, workplace falls, both to the same level and a level below, led to a combined $16.12 billion in direct costs to businesses. In fact, these injuries rank right behind overexertion, the No. 1 cause of workplace injuries. One could speculate that a fall from a ladder or scaffold is not a matter of if it will happen, but when it will happen. But, like many workplace injuries, most falls can be prevented with the right equipment.
Low-level scissor lifts are compact and lightweight enough to work on finished floors, drive through doorways and take a ride on an elevator, but, most importantly, they enhance safety by leaps and bounds. Operators get a stable platform to stand on while performing work and railings protect them from falling. So, what is holding some businesses back from implementing safer alternatives, such as low-level lifts? One word: awareness.
Ladders
Setting up a ladder can be more complicated—something many users would never suspect from such a basic tool. From duty ratings to height guidelines, there are several factors to consider when choosing a ladder and setting it up for optimum safety. Unfortunately, this knowledge is often overlooked and not communicated to users, making the risk of falls a very real concern.
Ladders come in five duty ratings: Type III light duty, Type II medium duty, Type I heavy-duty, Type IA extra heavy-duty and Type IAA extra heavy-duty. Each are designed to safely handle a specific amount of weight. Exceed that weight, and physics kicks in, with the potential for the ladder to snap and cause severe injury. There is a safer way for workers to haul themselves and their materials to the elevated jobsite, and that is with a low-level lift. Workers can place material on the lift’s platform and move it from place to place on the jobsite. Some of the lifts even feature overload sensors that alert the user or limit the lift height if there is excess weight on the machine.
In addition to capacity, height is a critical factor that often gets overlooked when selecting a ladder. When it’s too short, it is tempting to stand on the top rungs or overstretch beyond the rails, both of which can lead to a fall. A ladder that is too tall is more likely to be set up incorrectly against a wall and can slip out from underneath a worker because there is not enough friction to hold it in place. Low-level lifts address these potential pitfalls by allowing users to work as high as 20 feet, which is ample height for reaching almost any job.
“Most jobs don’t require a working height of more than 19 feet,” said Jason Colby, territory manager for ADMAR Supply, a New York rental company. “That really means a 12- to 14-foot platform height is sufficient. I often tell customers lower level lifts offer a better overall value and are very maneuverable. And, due to low step heights, they also reduce the risk of injuries from ingress and egress.”
By eliminating daunting climbs and providing a step-in height as low as 20 inches, low-level lifts allow workers to quickly relocate. When projects require moving the ladder as work progresses, the contractor needs to climb down, fold up the ladder, carry it a few feet over, set it back up correctly and climb back up the rungs. This not only is cumbersome and time consuming, but it can also fatigue a worker, which will increase the risk for falls.
Properly setting up a ladder is challenging and leaves a generous amount of room for error. OSHA recommends that users ensure the top of the ladder extends three feet higher than the elevated surface, place it at a 75-degree angle and set it one-quarter of the working height away from a wall. For instance, if the wall’s height is 40 feet, the base of the ladder should be 10 feet away. It is often impractical to measure for these recommendations on the jobsite, but not following that guidance can substantially reduce the ladder’s stability.
Cutting safety corners for the sake of time and effort is also a concern with ladder usage. Overreaching can cause the ladder to topple over, and “walking” it—shifting side to side to move—can also cause it to tip or fold on itself. With low-level push around lifts, the user brings the lift to the ground and pushes the unit to the next location. Or, with a self-propelled lift, the operator can simply drive to the next spot. Most lifts also use counterweights and tilt sensors to prevent tipping when pushing against the wall with tools. Some manufacturers will even provide custom solutions to address safety issues in unique scenarios. Michael Folaron, lead foreman at Danforth, recalls working on the construction of a University at Buffalo medical facility, where the crew needed a safe way to transport pipe from the ground to the ceiling.
“We worked with a low-level lift manufacturer to develop a unique pipe rack for our lifts that enhanced stability and efficiency,” Folaron said.
Unlike other systems on the market that simply weld on top of the lift, which disturbs the machine’s balance and capability, the custom-designed pipe rack system was integrated into the overall design of the lifts without impacting machine stability or safety. “The pipe racks were an ideal solution for our crew’s overall safety and productivity,” Folaron said.
Scaffolds
Scaffolds can provide variable working heights and larger elevated platforms, which ladders cannot, but they still create some of the same safety challenges. Just like ladders, scaffold must be set up correctly to provide a stable framework and prevent collapse underneath the weight of workers, tools and materials. Low-level scissor lifts are ready to go and leave little room for assembly error. They also make reaching elevated heights nearly effortless. Hauling tools and materials up and down scaffold is a challenging and dangerous chore that can increase user fatigue and lead to more slips and falls.
Depending on the setup, once a worker is on the deck, there might not be anything to prevent them from taking a perilous step off the side of the platform. On the other hand, lifts offer an encircled platform with 38- to 42-inch-tall railings and toeboards, which protect people below from falling tools and materials.
Just like when using ladders, operators using scaffolding are still tempted to sacrifice safety for productivity. When a scaffold needs to be moved, the worker needs to remove the deck and, in some cases, disassemble and reassemble the scaffolding at the new location. When a scaffold is on wheels, a user might try to surf an unsecured scaffold over to the new location by pulling on objects around the work area. This takes the operator’s focus from where the scaffold is traveling. And if the wheels encounter an object or an uneven surface, such as a ramp, the scaffold could tip. On self-propelled lifts, the user can focus more on the wheels’ path to avoid obstacles and uneven work surfaces while driving to the next location. Push-around units have automatic locking mechanisms on the wheels to prevent unsafe surfing.
The International Powered Access Federation recommends that a complete jobsite assessment be completed before a project begins. This assessment addresses safety factors, such as how people will gain access to the project, its scope and size and the working environment. Only after they have completed the assessment should contractors and project managers select the right tools and equipment for the job. The first step to enhancing elevated worksite safety is awareness. Ladders and scaffolds pose some of the greatest risks for injuries on jobsites, but with low-level lifts, safety can easily be restored.
