Ladder hazard

Figure 16-2. Ladder hazard. This employee chose not to follow ladder standards, which require a 1 4 ratio for the distance between the bottom of the ladder and the wall compared to the distance between the bottom of the wall and where the ladder rests against it. 

Company rules and policies Accountability and responsibility Ladder hazard recognition Reporting and responding to ladder hazards Safe use of ladders Climbing safely... 

An electrician went up a ladder to repair a light fitting and was affected by fumes coming out of a vent about a meter away. The electrical hazards and the hazards of working from a ladder were considered, but no one thought about the hazards introduced by the vent—yet vents are designed to vent. 

He was a member of the department for thirty years and worked on some of the busiest engines, trucks, hook-and-ladders, and squad companies in the western part of the city. Eversole was a member of the National Fire Protection Association standard committee that produced national hazardous materials NFPA-471, NFPA-472, and NFPA-473. He was also chairman of the International Association of Fire Chiefs hazardous materials committee. 

Ladders are permitted as a second means of egress from areas not considered a high hazard, such as from boiler rooms or similar utility or equipment spaces that are normally not occupied by more than three people who are all capable of using a ladder. 

Similarly, you may be presented with a diagram of a floor plan of a building, perhaps filled with smoke. Again, this is a test of your ability to remember details. As mentioned in Chapter 11, Spatial Relations, the ability of a firefighter to read a floor plan is crucial, as you may someday find yourself making your way through hallways and rooms filled with smoke. When presented with a floor plan, you will want to note the location of potential hazards and dead ends you may be asked the placement of exits or smoke alarms or where to position a ladder for rescue. 

Special attention to safety requirements is necessary when performing site inspections. These include aspects in relation to the dosage form and activities observed (e.g. radioactive pharmaceuticals, hazardous materials, laboratory reagents, equipment and apparatus, explosions, personnel lifts, ladders, glassware, freezers, steam, radiation, microbiological hazards, viral and biological products and waste, and other relevant possible hazards). 

Conventional industrial hazards involve other kinds of safety issues, which are not unique to a nuclear facility. An example of conventional industrial hazard is an operator falling from a ladder. It should be noted that in some cases, industrial hazards receive less attention and thus cause more problems. Because of the time limit, the details will not be discussed here. 

Appraisal of technical factors focuses on the equipment and processes within the unit and is considered the physical assessment of current conditions. It is founded on techniques such as hazard and operability studies and fault tree analysis. This technique uses question trees to identify weaknesses in these areas. If weaknesses are identified during the question tree portion of the method, these concerns should be addressed before attempting the ladder assessment portions. 

Personnel working in the tower or the nacelle are at heights and climb ladders multiple times per day, and they face fall hazards or exposure to dropped objects. 

Who Each employee using stairways and ladders is to be trained to recognize hazards and follow procedures to minimize the hazards. 

Who Employers must train each employee who may be exposed to fall hazards while on, or hoisted by, equipment on the hazards of falling and the requirements for boom walkways steps, handholds, ladders, grabrails, guardrails and railings personal fall arrest and fall restraint systems. 

Ladders must be free of oil, grease, and other shp hazards. 

According to 29 CFR 1926.1060(a) and (b) The employer shall provide a training program for each employee using ladders and stairways, as necessary. The program shall enable each employee to recognize hazards related to ladders and stairways, and shall train each employee in the procedures to be followed to minimize these hazards. 

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