National Ladder Safety Month Promotes Hazard Awareness

American Ladder Institute (ALI) has declared March as National Ladder Safety Month. This movement is dedicated to ladder safety awareness in an effort to decrease the number of ladder-related injuries and fatalities.

National Ladder Safety Month Logo

The American Ladder Institute (ALI) is a not-for-profit association dedicated to promoting safe ladder use. The ALI is comprised of members from the US and Canada who are ladder manufacturers and manufacturers of ladder components.  ALI is the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved developer of ladder safety Standards.

Every year, over 100 people die in ladder-related accidents, and thousands more suffer disabling injuries. Mark your calendar to join the American Ladder Institute (ALI) in observing National Ladder Safety Month, designed to raise awareness of ladder safety and to decrease the number of ladder-related injuries and fatalities.

Every step matters: From step stools to extension ladders, make sure you're putting the right foot forward.

Construction Worker Fell From Ladder, Hurt His Knee

National Ladder Safety Month will focus on five key themes:

Week One: Choosing the Right Ladder

Week Two: Check Before You Climb

Week Three: Set It Up Safely

Week Four: Climb Safely, Work Safely

Week Five: Safe Steps with Stepstools

Person Incorrectly Standing on Top Step of Ladder

The goals of National Ladder Safety Month are to:

  1. Increase the number of ladder safety training certificates issued by ALI
  2. Increase the frequency that ladder safety training modules are viewed on www.laddersafetytraining.org
  3. Lower the rankings of ladder-related safety citations on OSHA’s yearly “Top 10 Citations List
  4. Decrease number of ladder-related injuries and fatalities
  5. Increase the number of in-person ladder trainings
  6. Increase the number of companies and individuals that inspect and properly dispose of old, damaged or obsolete ladders

Ladder accidents are preventable, but without better safety planning and training and continuous innovation in product design, we will continue to see far too many fatalities. Please join ALI and its members in sharing this message with the world.

To learn more about National Ladder Safety Month, including how your company can participate, visit the American Ladder Institute's ladder safety month website at laddersafetymonth.com or click on the image below.

Worker Standing Correctly on Ladder

Here are some great ways your company can participate in Ladder Safety Month to make it meaningful for your workforce:

  • Host a ladder safety training event
  • Encourage employees to earn their Ladder Safety Certificate through ALI's ladder safety training website at laddersafetytraining.org
  • Contribute to the conversation on social media using the hashtag #LadderSafetyMonth
  • Issue a press release on how your company is participating in Ladder Safety Month
  • Include information about Ladder Safety Month in your company newsletter
  • Make your next toolbox talk about ladder safety
  • Put up ladder safety posters around the workplace
  • Become a National Ladder Safety Month sponsor
  • Sign up to receive more information from ALI on how you can participate in spreading awareness about ladder safety at work
  • Lead a safety meeting on Ladder Safety Inspections

Awareness campaigns, like National Ladder Safety Month, offer a great opportunity to safety management, business owners and management to highlight the importance and commitment the organization has to worker safety. It doesn’t take a lot of time, money or resources to participate. At minimum, consider an email from management to the staff, a brief safety meeting or a sign on the central bulletin board.

If your organization does not yet have a safety meeting program in place, Ladder Safety Month would be a great time to let your employees understand the organization’s commitment to safety by starting a regular safety meeting or toolbox talk schedule. (Starting with ladder safety, of course!)

About the Author:
Jenn Bliven

Vice President and Co-Founder at Weeklysafety.com, overseeing research, writing, and editorial review across the full article library. Works to ensure every safety article is accurate, current, and practical for the safety professionals, supervisors, and HR managers who depend on them.