Use and Care Manual

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A major cause of falls from ladders is improper set-up. Many accidents can be avoided with common sense
and good work practices. Using proper set-up techniques will give your ladder maximum stability and help
ensure your safety.
Preparing to Use a Ladder
Your first step is to rid the area of hazards.
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Point out as many unsafe conditions as you can in the environment below.
Angle of Inclination
Extension and single ladders should be erected at a pitch of approximately 75.5° from the horizontal
support surface for optimum resistance to slide out of the ladder, and balance of the climber. To create the
75.5° angle, the ladder should be one foot away from the wall for every four feet of the ladder’s length to
the support point. This is known as the “one-quarter rule”.
1. Worker should be using a fiberglass ladder due to close proximity to electrical wires.
2. Clutter around base of the ladder should have been moved.
3. Wrong ladder selection. Worker is standing too high. Never stand on or above the first
step below the top cap of a stepladder.
4. The area was not blocked off.