Preventing falls from fixed ladders with cages

The risk of falling from a fixed caged ladder has been highlighted after a worker fell eight metres over a guardrail during an incident in 2017.

According to a Workplace Health and Safety Queensland safety alert, a worker was seriously injured in June 2017 when he fell down a caged ladder and over the guardrail of the landing below. He was carrying tools at the time.

The safety alert said that falls from fixed ladders with cages can be caused by a number of factors, including:

• workers not having three points of contact on the ladder at all times (eg, because they are carrying tools)
• the vertical distance from the bottom of the ladder cage to the top of the guardrail is excessive
• the horizontal distance from the ladder to the guardrail in any direction is too small to prevent a worker from toppling over the guardrail if they slip or fall from the ladder
• using the ladder while it is raining or in high wind conditions, increasing the likelihood of a slip or fall.

The alert said a risk assessment should be conducted at workplaces with caged ladders to determine whether anyone could fall from the ladder and over the guardrail of the landing below. This risk assessment should take into account how close the guard railing is to the uncaged or unguarded section of the ladder, how frequently the fixed ladder is used, and the slope of the ladder.

If there is a risk that someone can fall from the caged ladder and over the guardrail of a landing below, control measures must be implemented to eliminate or minimise this risk.

According to Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, work tasks that do not allow a worker to maintain three points of contact at all times while ascending or descending the ladder should be avoided. Workers climbing ladders should never carry tools or equipment in their hand.

It also said that only one worker should be on a ladder at any time. There should also be an exclusion zone around the ladder to control the risk of falling objects.

Fixed ladders are not a preferred means of access if frequent access to the area is required, for the following reasons:

• There is a greater risk of falling from a fixed ladder.
• They require greater physical effort to climb.
• They restrict the carrying of tools and equipment.

If a fixed ladder becomes frequently used, an alternate access path or stairway which is easier to climb should be considered.

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