Citation

Chang WR, Huang YH, Chang CC, Brunette C, Fallentin N. Ergonomics 2015; 59(8): 1100-1108.

Affiliation

d National Research Centre for the Working Environment , Lerso Parkallé 105, DK-2100 Copenhagen , Denmark.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/00140139.2015.1115897

PMID

26672809

Abstract

Ladder inclined angle is a critical factor that could lead to a slip at the base of portable straight ladders, a major cause of falls from heights. Despite several methods established to help workers achieve the recommended 75.5° angle for ladder setup, it remains unclear if these methods are used in practice. This study explored ladder setup behaviors in a field environment. Professional installers of a company in the cable and other pay TV industry were observed for ladder setup at their worksites. The results showed that the actual angles of 265 ladder setups by 67 participants averaged 67.3° with a standard deviation of 3.22°. Although all the participants had training on recommended ladder setup methods, only three out of 67 participants applied these methods in their daily work and even they failed to achieve the desired 75.5° angle. Therefore, ladder setup remains problematic in real-world situations. Practitioner Summary Professional installers of a cable company were observed for portable straight ladder setup at their worksites. The ladder inclined angle averaged 67.3° with a standard deviation of 3.22° while the recommended angle is 75.5°. Only a few participants used the methods that they learned during training in their daily work.

Language: en