Step up for safety during the holidays
Posted December 4, 2016 6:53 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
METRO VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – From stringing up lights and holly to placing that perfect ornament, much of what it takes to deck the halls requires a ladder.
That can be quite dangerous.
Because around a thousand people a year use them improperly and are injured in this province says Dan Strand with WorkSafeBC.
“It’s improper use, and it’s lack of three-point contact. It’s some of the basics frankly. So we ask that both the home-owner and the worker alike, use the right ladder for the job and that it’s the right height,” says Strand.
“Ladders are a source of injury regardless of if it’s in the home or in the workplace. We, unfortunately, see significant injuries, upwards of 10,000 over the past 10 years.”
You also want to make sure the ladder is strong enough to support you and never reach beyond an arm’s length because of the possibility of tipping.
“We also use a 4:1 ratio which means that if the ladder is four metres high, then you want to be one metre from the home just for that stability,” says Strand.
