Ladders are relatively inexpensive and useful for tasks in construction that need to be performed at height, but most contractors give little thought to the true cost of ladders.

Ladders are a cause of wasteful motion, which leads to fatigue and reduces productivity. Productivity in construction is a big problem. According to a McKinsey Global Institute report, lagging construction productivity costs the global economy $1.6 trillion a year. Also concerning is that as productivity goes down, the risk of injury goes up—and ladders are one of the most dangerous tools on the jobsite.

Fall injuries are the leading cause of workers compensation costs for construction, so contractors need to start looking at ladders differently and take these four steps to avoid costly ladder safety accidents.

Step 1: Plan Ahead for Site Efficiency

A productive construction site starts with intentional movement. Before any work begins or equipment for the job is selected, contractors need to perform a site assessment, otherwise known as a job hazard analysis, to identify and eliminate or reduce risks and hazards before they occur by examining the relationship between the worker, the task, the tools and the work environment. When using mobile elevating work platforms, a site assessment must be conducted in order to be compliant with ANSI A92.22 and CSA B354.7 standards.

OSHA compares this assessment to detective work and recommends asking the following questions:

• What can go wrong?
• What are the consequences?
• How could it arise?
• What are other contributing factors?
• How likely is it that the hazard will occur?

Contractors should think through each aspect of the job, not just the work environment and the tasks to be performed. They must also consider the appropriate equipment and technology needed and what physical risk factors crews will experience.

Step 2: Know the Risk Factors

As part of the site assessment, contractors should focus on eliminating wasteful motion and recognize the opportunities to minimize movement, which is a step towards a safer, healthier, sustainable and more productive jobsite.

Eight key motion-related risk factors are:

1. walking;
2. bending;
3. reaching;
4. climbing;
5. pulling;
6. pushing;
7. lifting; and
8. carrying.

Climbing and reaching are the two most often in play during ladder use, but lifting and carrying tools and materials also make it difficult to maintain three points of contact while on a ladder. Reaching to perform work is particularly strenuous as it puts unnecessary stress and strain on back and shoulders and increases the risk of cumulative trauma injury to soft tissue increases substantially over time.

As workers get older, they are more susceptible to fatigue and injury. This is a real concern, because approximately 45% of construction workers in the United States are at least that age or older, according to 2020 Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

A fatigue study of workers using ladders or scaffolding found that both increase the loads on arms, shoulders and knees during ascent and descent and while working high and low. For example, a ladder results in a significant load on a worker's knees during descent 70% of the time.

Step 3: Understand the Cost of Ladder Injuries

Ladders can lead to other occupational hazards, including ergonomic and overexertion injuries from strenuous movements and carrying or transporting them between work locations.

Construction injuries can result in downtime, overtime, insurance premium increases or OSHA fines for safety violations.

For an injured worker, it can mean medical treatment expenses, time away from work, rehabilitation and the possibility of needing to find a different role or job that pays less—or it may prevent working at all in the future.

Statistics on the cost of fall injuries include:

• ER visits. More than 80% of fall injuries by construction workers that resulted in an emergency room visit involved a ladder; 34,000 ladder-fall injuries sent workers to the ER in one year in the United States.
• Time away from work. More than 15,000 ladder-fall injuries caused workers to take at least one day away from their jobs during a single year.
• Ladders and deadly Falls. Almost half of the fatal falls from 2000-2010 involved a ladder.
• Small contractors, most fatalities. More than 60% of fall fatalities are from firms with 10 or fewer employees.
• Injuries are expensive. The average construction injury costs $27,000. One safety organization estimated the indirect cost of that injury to a business could be four times more.
• Fall injuries and workers’ comp. Falls to a lower level that cause serious injuries with more than five days away from work result in $2.5 billion in workers compensation direct costs in the U.S. construction industry.
• Ladder injuries’ lasting effects. After 3.5 years following a ladder injury, workers earned an average 7% less annually than before.

Step 4: Implement Alternative Solutions

A safer and more productive category of solutions now exist that lower the risk of costly construction injuries and help reduce wasteful motion. Low-level access solutions provide workers with large, heavy-duty platforms that can be raised and lowered through powered and nonpowered options, depending on the application.

These lightweight machines meet demanding indoor applications with working heights up to 20 ft. Tool trays and tool tethering can put everything required to complete a task within arm’s reach. They can be easily maneuvered on the jobsite without causing damage to walls and door frames, a concern commonly experienced with drivable machines. Only one person is needed to operate a low-level access product, contrasted with the extra crew member that is often required for ladder use.

A costly construction injury is also far less likely to occur while using a low-level access product compared to a ladder. But the ultimate payoff of reducing wasteful motion from ladder use is that when crews are more productive, they do better work.