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*                         INFORMATION ALERT                         *
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*  Produced by:  Ontario Ministry of Labour                         *
*  Provided by:  Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety *
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HAZARD ALERT:  FIXED ACCESS LADDERS

DATE:  March 1993


Fixed Access Ladders which are poorly secured to the structure they
serve may pull away from the structure and cause death or serious
injury to workers using them.

A contractor's employee needed to service a roof-top heating/air
conditioning unit by using an access ladder which was attached to the
outside of the building.  Several years earlier the ladder had been
cut off at the bottom, so that it ended about eleven (11) feet above
the ground.

The worker used a portable ladder to reach the fixed access ladder. 
As he neared the top of the fixed access ladder, it pulled out of the
wall.  The worker fell, and sustained fatal head injuries.

Accident investigation revealed that the ladder had been inadequately
secured to the wall using anchor-bolt shields, which were not suitable
for this purpose.

This shortcoming was compounded by two other factors:

(i)  Cutting off the lower portion of the ladder had reduced the
     number of anchor points from six (6) to four (4).

(ii) The upper anchor bolts had become loose.

In order to avoid accidents of this nature:

.    Fasteners used in fixed access ladder installations shall be
     rated for intended structural service and for the type of wall
     construction.

.    Through-bolted connections should be used.

.    Fixed access ladder installations shall be periodically inspected
     and maintained in good condition.

Access ladders shall comply with Section 18 of the Regulations for
Industrial Establishments (Regulation 851) made under the Occupational
Health and Safety Act.

Guidance can be obtained from Engineering Data Sheet 2-04 of the
Ontario Ministry of Labour, "Fixed Access Ladders," or ANSI A 14.3,
American National Standard for Ladders, Fixed - Safety Requirements.