"Ladder safety training" ... whatever the hell that is

[Pixilated]

I've noticed lately a piece of paper taped to the back of a sign on one of our counters (the paper is visible only to employees) that reads 'Ladder safety training' or somesuchthing.

Employees' names are printed down one side and there are signatures next to half a dozen of the names.

Fellow Employee (to me): "Here, you have to sign this."

Me: "But ... what ..."

FE: "It's all about ladder safety."

Me: "Yes, I see that, but I haven't HAD any ladder safety training!" [Does such a thing even exist??]

FE: "Just sign it."



Ya know ... I don't think I will until somebody tells me what the hell is going on here. Is there a pamphlet I'm supposed to read? Questions I'm supposed to answer? Neither manager nor ass't. manager have said anything about 'ladder safety training' so ....

[Firecrackers Not Included]

I have never had such training on ladders. All I know is that my company has a maintenance guy who comes around once a month to check up on things and is usually seemingly just paid to change furnace filters every month. Well one time he suddenly had a problem about our ladder and threw it in the dumpster because there was a crack in it. Oh, because I suddenly have time today to run to the hardware store and get a new one so we can do things up high. Thanks.

[Seshat]

A lot of injuries do happen because of broken ladders and misused ladders. They look simple enough, but there's a lot of ways in which physics and gravity can conspire to cause you and the ladder to fall.


* Physics will have a laugh at your expense if you don't make sure the ladder's feet are stable, and the ladder is leaning against something that can support.

* Gravity will have a belly laugh if the ladder is broken.

* Lever physics will enjoy playing with you if you do use that top step of a ladder. The one that says 'do not use this step'.

* Torque/turning physics will snicker while it pulls you down, if you lean too far sideways on a ladder. Leaning sideways while holding something heavy gives physics bonus points.


.... there's probably 'etceteras', especially stuff like friction, but those are the ones I know off the top of my head.


And you're absolutely right not to sign until you've done what you're signing about.

[Arcus]

Ya know ... I don't think I will until somebody tells me what the hell is going on here. Is there a pamphlet I'm supposed to read? Questions I'm supposed to answer? Neither manager nor ass't. manager have said anything about 'ladder safety training' so ....

Sounds to me that someone got hurt by doing something wrong (like leaning too far away from the ladder) and management is trying to cover their asses. Know this, if you sign that you are saying you have been trained in the proper use of a ladder. Should you get hurt by doing something wrong that is covered by the training that they are not giving, all blame WILL fall on you. It gives them a reason to deny medical claims. Do not sign it until you know what this training is! If the managers are trying to get you to sign without the training, you need to call HR. A former employer of mine was well known for cutting corners anywhere they can and even they wouldn't force someone to sign without the training.

[eltf177]

My workplace does a safety meeting a _week_, our size only mandates one a _month_! This means a lot of marginally useful meetings including, believe it or not, one on ladder safety. A video explaining things like having a stable platform, not using the top rung, etc. All quite common sense and, being that 95% of us _don't_ use ladders, pretty worthless.

And they wonder why people have trouble staying awake for these things...

[bhskittykatt]

At my last workplace, I noticed when doing audit prep that all maintenance staff had to have a "Ladder Safety Training Acknowledgement" in their file. We were never provided with such a form, so I worked up a quick one and had Maint Man, myself, and the other MOD sign it and put copies in our files. I don't know when they started it, 'cause it was on the checklist of required forms but no one had ever actually seen said form. We passed our audit, though.

[AccountingDrone]

I worked for Gulf States for a while back about 1997 or so and one of the things I did [I was pretty much the entire office staff and did almost everything except sign my own time cards.] There is a whole series of training videos and tests, one of which was a ladder safety training vid and test. I think the vid was about 15 minutes long and very boring. I think I must have watched it about 30 times.

[Pixilated]

Sounds to me that someone got hurt by doing something wrong (like leaning too far away from the ladder) and management is trying to cover their asses. Know this, if you sign that you are saying you have been trained in the proper use of a ladder. Should you get hurt by doing something wrong that is covered by the training that they are not giving, all blame WILL fall on you. It gives them a reason to deny medical claims. Do not sign it until you know what this training is! If the managers are trying to get you to sign without the training, you need to call HR. A former employer of mine was well known for cutting corners anywhere they can and even they wouldn't force someone to sign without the training.

You are quite right about the accident. Our stockroom was dangerously overstuffed at one point and at least one coworker fell, not once but twice, when trying to get something down from on high (he was using not a ladder but one of those two-step kitchen stools -- sturdy enough but rather useless in the chaos of our stockroom).

Thanks for the heads up about not signing if I haven't actually been trained. Manager hasn't said anything yet so it will stay unsigned until I find out what "training" I'm supposed to get.

[MoonCat]

I definitely second the "don't sign it" advice. Find out what it means first. They might say it's a sign-up sheet to GET the training, but until you have received it, I wouldn't sign anything. Sounds very, very fishy to me.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Well one time he suddenly had a problem about our ladder and threw it in the dumpster because there was a crack in it. Oh, because I suddenly have time today to run to the hardware store and get a new one so we can do things up high. Thanks.

Better to do that than have somebody fall from a distance because the ladder is broken.

I'd do the same thing. Our tallest ladder reaches to the ceiling; falling from that thing will certainly ruin your day.

[Geek King]

Well one time he suddenly had a problem about our ladder and threw it in the dumpster because there was a crack in it.

That's actually proper safety for a broken ladder. You're supposed to destroy it or lock it down if it is unsafe to use so someone doesn't grab it accidentally. As for not being able to run out and replace it, well, things rarely break when convenient.

[dalesys]

... Our tallest ladder reaches to the ceiling; falling from that thing will certainly ruin your day.

Humpty all ooey gooey...

[BeeMused]

Oh yes... safety training. When I started my job our warehouse manager denied me entrance to the warehouse, until I got a hard hat and safety shoes. And then I got several safety lectures from him too. He did the right thing. Being the boss doesn't keep things falling down from high hurting you real bad.

[BearLeeBadenaugh]

Ladders, lol, I hates em. Kind of funny considering my current "part-time" job.(2 weeks on, 1 week off) We specialize in service and repair of radio, tv, and cellular transmission towers.

Yup, I'm a professional ladder climber.(it's not uncommon for it to take us longer to ascend and descend than to accomplish what we were sent aloft for). I'm our safety officer, so in addition to safety training, I'm the guy in charge of inspecting all the gear and ladders, and boy, do we have a lot of ladders. At least the tower ladders are bolted on and have cable safeties.

I'm more scared on a 12ft stepladder than I am on a 1200' transmission tower.