Ladder Safety—There’s an App for That from NIOSH
The Delaware workers’ compensation attorney team at Silverman, McDonald & Friedman understands how challenging it can be when you have suffered a workplace injury to then have to worry about dealing disputes related to your workers’ compensation claim. With more than 100 years of combined legal experience, you can feel confident with our team on your side.
According to a study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, falls remain a leading cause of death in workplace injuries, and nearly half of those falls have been from ladders. Among workers as a whole about 20 percent of fall injuries are from ladders, but within the construction industry, about 81 percent of fall injuries that get treated at a hospital emergency department involve ladders. The researchers who contributed to the study said, “LFIs (ladder fall injuries) represent a substantial public health burden of preventable injuries for workers.”
The NIOSH Ladder Safety App
In an effort to make a significant contribution towards reducing the risk of ladder fall injuries, the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) released a ladder safety app, which uses the latest safety research and smart phone technology to deliver an app that includes positioning tools, checklists and guides. The app is free and is available to guide ladder users in the workplace and for home projects.
The purpose of the app is to assist those who use extension ladders to improve their knowledge and practice of safe ladder use, which can reduce the risk of falls. Miscalculating the angle of the ladder poses a significant risk for a fall. The app features a multimodal indicator that uses visual, sound and vibration signals to give the user feedback and help the user to set up ladders at an optimal angle. NIOSH developed the ladder safety app based on their own patented safety technology, information from safety regulations and input from the construction safety industry.
The app is available in English and Spanish and it can be downloaded for free from iTunes and Google Play app marketplaces. It was launched in 2013, and in March 2016 the app went through a major upgrade with improvements in the app’s appearance, content and features. In addition to its existing extension ladder tools, the app now includes stepladder safety tools and other interactive tools. The app, which had been downloaded more than 52,000 times by the end of 2015, has been promoted by safety professionals, state and industry leaders with come companies incorporating the app into their safety policies.
Falls are one of the “Fatal Four” injuries in the construction industry, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics and OSHA data, which include falls, caught between objects, electrocutions and being struck by objects in the workplace. The fatal four injuries were responsible for 57 percent of construction worker deaths in 2012, and 36 percent of those deaths were from falls.
Workers who are injured on the job may be able to file for workers’ compensation benefits, which includes a partial disability payment and medical expenses related to the workplace injury. In some cases, if the injury was caused by defective equipment, or if a ladder fall injury occurred due to premises liability on a client site, there is the option of filing a third party personal injury lawsuit. A workers’ compensation attorney from Silverman, McDonald & Friedman is ready to answer any questions about compensation for workplace injuries.
You are invited to call Silverman, McDonald & Friedman at 302.414.5553 or fill out our quick contact form to schedule a free consultation to discuss your workplace injury case. Our offices are located in Newark, Seaford and Wilmington. We serve clients throughout Delaware.
Attorney Jeffrey S. Friedman joined Silverman, McDonald & Friedman in 2001. He graduated from Widener University School of Law, and is admitted to practice law in Delaware and Pennsylvania, and in several Federal Circuit courts. He areas of concentration include auto accident and workers’ compensation cases. Read more about Attorney Friedman here.