A recent accident at BGF Industries, Inc., a technical fiber manufacturing facility, left an employee with a serious injury. The accident happened when the worker fell off of a short ladder onto the roof of the building. The accident is now under investigation. The company is hoping to learn how the accident happened so that they can prevent similar accidents from happening again.
Ladders are a relatively common piece of equipment implicated in workplace accidents. There are three basic types of accident scenarios that often occur with ladders. One such situation is when workers use the wrong ladder. Another typical ladder accident scenario happens when the ladder fails because it is in bad condition. The third common type of workplace ladder accidents happens when the ladder gets used incorrectly.
Some ladder accidents occur when people hold something in one or both of their hands as they are climbing up or down the ladder. It is essential that you keep at least one hand on a side rail as you climb up or down the ladder. Use a tool belt or some other method to keep your hands free whenever possible.
Did you know that approximately a third of all ladder accident victims were wearing shoes that were greasy, wet, or oily at the time that they got hurt? Check your footwear for wetness or slippery substances on the soles before climbing a ladder. It doesn’t take long to get a rag or a paper towel and dry or clean off your shoes before you climb a ladder, and you may save yourself a lot of pain if you take the time to do it.
In over half of all ladder accident cases that involved straight ladders, the ladders were not secured or braced at the bottom. More than half of the ladders involved in ladder accidents were not secured at the top. Secure your ladder properly before climbing to reduce the risk that you will fall and get hurt.
The majority of ladder accident victims say that they never got trained on how to inspect a ladder for defects before using it. They also said that they never got written instructions on how to use ladders safely. To use a ladder safely, keep at least one hand on a side rail at all times, keep your body centered, keep your body straight, and stay as close to the ladder as you can. As you work from the ladder, move slowly and deliberately. Be careful not to reach too far to the side or too far overhead when you are working on a ladder because overreaching is one of the leading causes of ladder accidents. Also, climb down from the ladder when you need to reposition it. Never move a ladder when there is someone on it.
Barrett Law PLLC: Help for Mississippi Workplace Accident Victims
If you got hurt in a ladder accident at work, get help from a Mississippi Workplace Accident Attorney right away. Workplace accident attorneys have an in-depth understanding of worker’s compensation law, and they work to help people just like you obtain the financial recovery that they need. To learn more, call the Mississippi Workplace Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (800) 707-9577.