Falls from ladders are second only to stairway falls as the most frequent source of injury involving falls from elevation.

In this study, some ladder fall accident cases were investigated in-depth, using a human factors engineering (person-equipment-task-environment) investigative approach. Narrative data were collected through interviews with the victims of these ladder falls occurring on the job. These data were coded into accident scenarios and used to computer analyze the accidents by various factors including the type of ladder used, the activity being performed, and the resulting injuries.

The accidents were categorized into the following reported patterns:

a) overreaching;

b) slipping on rungs;

c) misstepping on rungs;

d) failing ladder structure;

e) being struck by or attempting to catch/avoid falling objects;

f) applying excessive force;

g) leaning step ladders against structure;

h) transitioning onto or from ladders;

i) standing on top rung;

j) other miscellaneous ladder fall accidents.

These accident patterns are discussed in detail, followed by general guidelines for reducing or eliminating the occurrence of such ladder falls.