16d • 🔎 Case Studies
"It's Just a Ladder!" - Two Case Studies Part Two
Last year I was chatting with an industry friend and swapping stories about the weird and wild things we see in our world. He told me a the following story about a warehouse client he had written and a situation that happened to them a few years prior.
An employee was using an 8-foot step ladder to access inventory on high shelving. The ladder wasn't tall enough, so the worker stood on the top cap platform—a clear OSHA violation.
The ladder tipped. The employee grabbed the shelving unit to stop the fall, which then started to tip forward. A coworker saw it happening and stabilized the shelf before it collapsed.
The employee walked away with a sprained wrist and bruised ribs. But the shelving unit held $80,000 in inventory. Had it collapsed, we'd be talking about:
- One serious injury (likely fractures, possible head trauma)
- $80K+ in damaged goods
- OSHA citation and penalty ($16,550+)
- Potential wrongful death if the shelf had landed on the worker
The root cause? The company didn't have the right ladder for the job. They were using residential-grade Type II ladders (225 lb rating) when they needed industrial Type IA ladders (300 lb rating) that were tall enough to safely access the shelving.
Luckily, they had a risk manager with experience to help them solve this problem. They replaced all their ladders, implemented a ladder inspection checklist, and required employees to verify ladder height before starting elevated work.
💵Cost of the fix: $3,200 in new ladders and training.
💰Cost they avoided: Easily $250,000+ in injury claims, fines, and inventory loss.
Lessons for Your Business
Lesson 1: "It's just a ladder" is the most dangerous sentence in workplace safety.
Lesson 2: If your ladder doesn't extend 3 feet above the landing, don't use it. Get a taller ladder.
Lesson 3: Worn-out, damaged, or wrong-type ladders kill people. Inspect before every use.
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"It's Just a Ladder!" - Two Case Studies Part Two
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