Ladder Safety
Falls from ladders put more trades in the hospital than almost anything else on site — and almost every one traces back to a shortcut somebody had gotten away with a hundred times before. A free talk from Blue Crane Works in Hamilton, Ontario, with a printable sign-in sheet.
How to run it
Read it through once, then talk it — don't recite it. Five minutes at the start of the shift, crew standing where the work happens. Ontario's Occupational Health and Safety Act requires every employer to provide information, instruction and supervision to protect workers (s. 25(2)(a)). A talk like this, led by a supervisor or someone they trust, is one way to do it, and the sign-in sheet is what proves it happened.
Talk through these points
- Pick the right ladder for the job — height, duty rating, and material. A metal ladder near electrical work is the classic fatal mismatch.
- Inspect before you climb: rails, rungs, feet, spreaders, labels. A damaged ladder gets tagged and pulled, not 'used carefully.'
- Set it up right: firm level base, 4-to-1 angle for extension ladders, secured top and bottom, extending a metre past the landing.
- Three points of contact, every time. Tools go up on a hoist line or in a holster — not in your hand.
- Don't overreach. Belt buckle stays between the rails; move the ladder instead of leaning off it.
- Know when a ladder is the wrong answer — long-duration work, heavy tools, or awkward positions call for a platform or scaffold instead.
Ask the crew
- When did we last actually tag a ladder out of service?
- Which job this week is a ladder job that maybe shouldn't be?
- Who checked the feet on the extension ladder in the trailer?
The answers are the real talk. If a question lands on a live hazard, write it down and assign it a name and a date.
Paper it
A talk without a record didn't happen, as far as anyone who asks is concerned. Print these free:
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