Falls are one of the leading causes of occupational injuries and fatalities across different professions. In this virtual safety training, you are a new employee and you need to reach a 20-foot elevated landing. You must place your ladder against the building in order to maximize the ladder’s strength and stability using OSHA’s height and pitch requirements for placing portable ladders.
This scenario has one variable, the pitch of the ladder, which is given in degrees:
55 degrees - As you place the ladder at 55 degrees, the ladder has no overhang and the very top of the ladder barely touches the upper part of the lip of the second level.
75.5 degrees - As you place the ladder at 75.5 degrees, the ladder has approximately 3 feet of overhang above the second level.
75.5 degrees - As you place the ladder at 75.5 degrees, the ladder has approximately 3 feet of overhang above the second level.
This experience will give you the opportunity to see the consequences of each choice.