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The Labour Department has reminded building contractors, proprietors of property management companies and employers of cleaning workers to take adequate safety precautions when they provide ladders as support for workers to work at height.
A spokesman for the Labour Department said today (March 27) there had been two fatal accidents involved workers falling from ladders in the last two weeks. "Preliminary investigations by the Labour Department indicated that the accidents were associated with the adoption of unsafe practices in the use of ladders while working at height," he said.
The spokesman said employers were responsible for providing the necessary safety information, instruction and training to workers. They should also remind the workers to refrain from adopting unsafe practices when using ladders to reduce the risk of industrial accidents.
The safety precautions to be observed include:
- Using working platform in lieu of ladder whenever practicable;
- Selecting the appropriate type of ladder (of sufficient length) for the work;
- Ensuring the ladder is placed on firm and level ground before commencing work;
- Fastening the ladder in position or assigning another worker to hold it to ensure stability;
- Keeping at least one hand holding the ladder while working;
- Avoid carrying or lifting heavy objects on the ladder;
- Getting down from the ladder before moving it to a new working location; and
- Regular checking the condition of the ladder.
The spokesman said workers should refrain from adopting the following unsafe practices in the use of ladders:
- Working without handhold on the ladder or other safe support;
- Over-reaching from the ladder;
- Straddling across a trestle ladder and moving the ladder from one location to another with their feet; and
- Using ladder for work of complicated nature or long duration.
The safe use of ladders is governed by the General Duties Provisions in the Factories & Industrial Undertakings Ordinance and the Occupational Safety & Health Ordinance as well as the Construction Sites (Safety) Regulations. Failing to observe the statutory safety requirements could lead to immediate prosecutions, serving of improvement notices or suspension notices.
To provide practical guidelines on the safe use of ladders, the Labour Department has published the "Guidance Notes to Renovation Safety" and "Guide for Safety at Work in Cleaning of Buildings" as well as a Chinese leaflet on work safety of ladder and working platform. These publications can be obtained free from the divisional offices of the department or downloaded from the department's website (http://www.labour.gov.hk/eng/public/content2_3.htm).
For enquiries on occupational safety, please call the Safety and Health Advisory Telephone Enquiry Service on 2559 2297.
Ends/Monday, March 27, 2006
Issued at HKT 17:40
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