March is National Ladder Safety Month

Falls from ladders are preventable, yet they account for 300 deaths and some 20,000 injuries each year. The American Ladder Institute (ALI) has announced March as the first-ever National Ladder Safety Month, designed to raise awareness of ladder safety and to decrease the number of ladder-related injuries and fatalities.

ALI believes ladder accidents are preventable, but without better safety planning and training and continuous innovation in product design, we will continue to see far too many fatalities. 

National Ladder Safety Month goals include:

• Increase the number of ladder safety training certificates issued by ALI
• Lower the rankings of ladder-related safety citations on OSHA’s yearly “Top 10 Citations List”
• Decrease ladder-related injuries and fatalities
• Increase the number of competent ladder inspector training sessions
• Increase the number of companies and individuals that inspect and properly dispose of old, damaged or obsolete ladders

Ladder safety will also be an important component of OSHA’s annual National Safety Stand-Down set for May 8 through 12.

Here's how you can get involved and help improve ladder safety at your workplace:

• Learn more and sign up for Ladder Safety Month materials.
• View free ladder safety training modules.
• Plan for the national safety stand-down in May.
• Review OSHA Standard 1926.1053 on stairways and ladders.
• Browse ladder safety signs and labels.