PLH GROUP NEWS
PLH Group’s Core Values Support Safe Ladder Usage
Date: March 7, 2022
PLH Group’s leading company values include safety, integrity, professionalism, and teamwork. These are the values that have positioned PLH Group’s businesses as power line and pipeline energy construction leaders for decades. They are evident in PLH Group’s quality work delivered safely and reliably, and they translate throughout all of the organization’s tasks, including routine work involving ladders.
Ladders are ranked #6 on OSHA’s Top 10 Most Cited Violations list. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 137 ladder injuries occur every day, resulting in 113 deaths annually. Most injuries occur only 6-10 feet off of the ground. The American Ladder Institute cites that the top two causes of ladder incidents stem from missing the last step while climbing down and overreaching. All ladder injuries can be avoided with increased awareness and proper training.
So how does PLH Group and its business units mitigate risks associated with ladder usage? It all goes back to those core values.
PLH Group ensures the safety of its people and the jobsite through teamwork rooted in integrity and professionalism. PLH Group’s team of professionals make safe decision by following procedures and best practices even when others are not looking. These safe work practices originate from a strong, company-wide safety culture and thorough, ongoing training.
One opportunity PLH Group and its business units use to discuss ladder safety is during American Ladder Institute’s Ladder Safety Month, which is observed every March. This observation brings heightened awareness to safe ladder usage through task-specific resources, training, and two-way conversations. Ladder Safety Month provides safety materials to be used during training opportunities and toolbox talks.
These resources remind workers of safe work practices when working with a ladder, including:
- Always have three points of contact on the ladder. Ensure a balanced center of gravity by keeping your stomach between the rails. This prevents the temptation to overreach.
- Work with a partner, when needed. It is sometimes necessary to have a second worker carry or hold equipment so the employee on the ladder can keep three points of contact.
- If you must carry tools and equipment on the ladder, use towlines or a toolbelt. Make sure your weight plus the weight of everything you are carrying is within the weight of the ladder’s Duty Rating.
- A pre-job ladder inspection requires more than just inspecting the ladder (steps, rungs, rails, connectors, fasteners). Also inspect equipment, such as ropes, pulleys, and shoes.
- If a ladder is damaged and cannot be used anymore, dispose of it correctly by cutting the ladder in half down the center of the rungs. If you dispose of it incorrectly and someone else uses it, you could be held liable for their injuries.
PLH Group encourages a welcoming work environment rooted in teamwork, integrity, and professionalism to deliver safe, quality work. This safety culture is reiterated during the observance of March’s Ladder Safety Month, which requires those core values to ensure the sitewide safety of workers.
