Monthly Archives: October

The holiday season is quickly approaching, which means houses will soon be decorated with lights, wreaths, and other festive decor. During November and December, about 15,000 people get admitted to the emergency room due to holiday ladder and lighting accidents. Christmas decorating with ladders can be tricky, so we’re here to help. 

Below are some ladder safety tips to help you have a merry time decorating for the holidays this year:

Set up your ladder correctly. Always place ladder on level ground. If you are using a stepladder, make sure it is open completely and locked into place. For taller ladders, remember the 4 to 1 rule: the bottom of the ladder should be one foot away from the wall for every four feet of height. 

Check the weather before decorating. Strong winds or even a light drizzle can create dangerous situations for using a ladder. Save the decorating for a day that’s dry with calm winds. 

Properly inspect your ladder. Before climbing your ladder, make sure it doesn’t have any damage and is in good working order. This is especially important if you have not used your ladder recently.

Don’t stretch. Even if it doesn’t seem so far out of reach, stretching while on a ladder can lead to injury. Over-stretching can result in the ladder kicking out from under you, and could leave you hanging onto the gutter.

Climb the ladder correctly. Always stay facing forward when climbing a ladder, gripping the rails with both hands. Additionally, never stand on the top rung of the ladder. It is also important to always have someone outside with you, to spot you on the ladder from the ground.

While National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is a classic movie during the holidays, you don’t want to imitate Clark’s mistakes. Christmas decorating with ladders is common, so make sure to follow the tips above to stay safe while decorating this year!

Each year, over 100 people die from ladder-related accidents. Thousands more suffer from serious injuries. Because of this, the American Ladder Institute (ALI) designated March as National Ladder Safety Month. The goal of this month is to raise awareness about ladder safety.  ALI also hopes to decrease the number of ladder-related injuries and deaths. 

Whether at home or work, it is critical to utilize a ladder safely at all times. Each week of National Ladder Safety Month is focused on specific aspects. Some topics include ladder safety at work, ladder safety at home, ladder safety training and year round partners, and more. 

Tri-Arc is an active member of the American Ladder Institute. It is our mission to provide the highest quality and safest products to all of our customers. As a longstanding producer of ladders and platforms, Tri-Arc hopes to see ladder safety continue to spread. Additionally, we hope to keep as many people as safe as possible.

For more information on National Ladder Safety Month, and March 2020’s upcoming focuses, visit https://www.laddersafetymonth.com/.