Ladders, scaffolds and falls: why access equipment matters

Ladders and scaffolds are among the most familiar pieces of equipment on any work site. Painters, electricians, carpenters, maintenance staff, warehouse workers, retail clerks and homeowners all use them. Because they are so ordinary, they are easy to underestimate. Yet falls from ladders and scaffolds injure tens of thousands of workers every year and kill many of them. This course looks closely at how to choose, inspect, set up and use ladders and scaffolds safely. It builds on HSE-106, which introduced ladder basics such as the four-to-one angle and three points of contact, and on HSE-212, which covered fall protection in depth. Elevating work platforms such as scissor lifts and boom lifts have their own course, HSE-217.

This is an awareness course. It explains the hazards, the rules and good practice, but it does not make anyone a competent person who may erect, alter, inspect or dismantle scaffolds. In most provinces that role requires specific training, experience and designation by the employer or constructor, and some scaffolds must be designed by a professional engineer.

The scale of the problem

Falls are consistently one of the leading causes of serious injury and death at work in Canada. In construction, falls from height account for a large share of fatalities, and ladders and scaffolds appear again and again in the investigation reports of WorkSafeBC, the WSIB, Alberta OHS and CNESST. Provincial inspectors run regular enforcement blitzes on ladders and scaffolds because the same failures keep recurring: ladders set up at the wrong angle, ladders not secured, scaffolds without guardrails, incomplete planking and missing ties.

These numbers hide a simple truth. Most ladder and scaffold incidents are not mysterious. They happen because the wrong equipment was used, because it was in poor condition, because it was set up badly, or because the person using it took a shortcut. Each of those causes can be controlled.

Why ladder and scaffold incidents happen

Investigations of ladder and scaffold incidents point to a fairly short list of causes. Most incidents involve more than one of them.

• Wrong equipment for the job: a ladder that is too short, a household ladder used on a construction site, a metal ladder used near electrical equipment, or a ladder used where a scaffold or lift was needed.
• Defective equipment: cracked rails, bent rungs, missing feet, broken locks, damaged planks or scaffold frames that have been dropped or overloaded.
• Poor set-up: a ladder at the wrong angle, on soft or slippery ground, not tied off, not extended above the landing; a scaffold on unstable footing, without base plates, with missing braces or ties.
• Unsafe use: overreaching, standing on the top steps, carrying loads while climbing, moving a rolling scaffold with people on it, or removing guardrails to pass materials.
• Missing fall protection: no guardrails on a scaffold platform, or no plan for a worker who must lean out from a ladder.
• Environmental factors: wind, rain, ice, mud, poor lighting and overhead power lines.
• Organizational factors: schedule pressure, no planning, no inspection, inadequate training and supervisors who accept shortcuts.

Choosing the right means of access

The most important ladder safety decision is often made before anyone touches a ladder: is a ladder the right tool at all? A ladder is a means of access and a place to do short, light work. It is not a work platform for long, heavy or two-handed tasks. Before choosing a ladder, ask:

• How high is the work, and how long will it take?
• Will the worker need both hands, handle heavy or bulky materials, or apply force such as drilling overhead?
• How often will the worker need to move along the work?
• Is there a firm, level surface for a ladder, scaffold or lift?
• Are there electrical hazards, traffic, the public or wind to consider?
• Can the work be eliminated or done from the ground with long-handled tools?

A scaffold or mobile work platform gives a stable, guarded place to work with both hands, room for tools and materials, and the ability to move along the work. An elevating work platform can reach awkward locations quickly. A ladder is light and fast to set up, which is exactly why it is overused.

The hierarchy of controls for access

The hierarchy of controls from HSE-103 applies directly. Eliminating the work at height is best: prefabricate at ground level, lower fixtures for servicing, or use poles and cameras. Next come engineered means of access with built-in protection, such as permanent stairs, guarded platforms, scaffolds and elevating work platforms. A portable ladder is the least protective option because the worker has no guardrail and relies on balance, grip and correct set-up. Fall protection, training, inspection and supervision then support whichever equipment is used.

Who is involved

Several people share responsibility for ladder and scaffold safety:

• Employers and constructors provide suitable equipment, plan the work, train workers and make sure inspections happen.
• Supervisors check that equipment is right for the task, set up properly and used as intended, and stop work when it is not.
• Competent persons erect, alter, inspect and dismantle scaffolds. In Ontario the supervisor designates a competent worker; in other provinces the regulation or CSA S269.2 describes the qualifications.
• Engineers design scaffolds above certain heights or loads, and unusual configurations.
• Workers inspect ladders before use, set them up and use them correctly, follow scaffold tags and report defects.
• Manufacturers and suppliers provide equipment that meets the standards and instructions for its use.

How this course is organized

Lessons 2 to 7 focus on ladders: the rules and standards, types and ratings, inspection, set-up, safe use, and fixed and job-built ladders. Lessons 8 to 12 cover scaffolds: types and components, foundations, platforms and guardrails, stability and ties, mobile scaffolds, competent person inspection and tagging, erection and dismantling, suspended scaffolds at an awareness level, weather and falling objects. The capstone in lesson 12 brings everything together in a plan for a façade repair.

Learning from the pattern of incidents

When safety specialists review ladder and scaffold incidents across many workplaces, a few patterns stand out. Falls from ladders cluster at low heights, often under 3 m (10 ft), because that is where most ladder work happens and where people feel least at risk. Falls from scaffolds cluster around missing guardrails, incomplete planking and climbing the frames instead of using proper access. Collapses cluster around poor foundations, missing ties and overloading. Electrocutions cluster around metal ladders and scaffolds moved or raised near overhead lines.

These patterns are useful because they tell supervisors where to look. A quick walk around a site checking ladder angles and tie-offs, guardrails and planking on scaffolds, foundations under scaffold legs and the distance to any overhead line catches many of the conditions that lead to serious harm. The same walk is a chance to talk with workers about how they are getting to the work and whether a better option is available.

A good habit for any job at height is a short pre-task conversation: what is the task, how long will it take, what will we stand on, what could make us fall, what will we do if the weather changes, and who checks the equipment. Five minutes spent on these questions often results in a better choice of access equipment and a safer day.