What does homeowners insurance have to do with Ladder Safety Month?

Well… falling from a ladder is fairly common (annually, 500,000 people are treated). People often assume that their homeowners insurance covers anything that happens in and around their home, including the people living inside. There are some limits. A home insurance policy is designed to cover your home and belongings (things), and the injuries of guests. If household members are injured in the home, then they probably won’t be covered. The policy isn’t designed to protect your own body. It’s designed to protect against liability and belongings.

With that out of the way, let’s get you some resources to help you practice ladder safety. Because… if you don’t get injured in the first place, then you don’t have to worry about how to pay for the injury, right?

[The following is reprinted courtesy of Utica National Insurance Group]:

PRACTICE LADDER SAFETY

Help Protect Your Employees (and yourself) from Falls, Serious Injury, or Death.

March is National Ladder Safety Month. Ladders are an important tool used by workers every day. But if a ladder is damaged or is used incorrectly, you or workers could fall, resulting in serious injury or death.

In fact, in the United States, more than 500,000 people are treated^[1] – and more than 300 people die^[2] – each year from ladder-related injuries. Plus, the estimated annual cost of ladder injuries in the United States is a staggering $24 billion, including work loss, medical, legal, liability, and pain and suffering expenses^[1].

What can a business do to help protect its workers from ladder-related falls? Utica National has many resources available to assist with safe ladder use:

• Toolbox Talk: Extension Ladder Safety
• Toolbox Talk: Step Ladder Safety
• Toolbox Talk: Slips, Trips, and Falls
• JJ Keller Video On-Demand Training and JJ Keller On-Line Training for Utica National policyholders – Search “Ladder”

Plus, governmental resources include:

• OSHA Construction Standard – Ladders
• OSHA Construction eTool
• OSHA Extension Ladder Fact Sheet
• OSHA Stepladder Fact Sheet
• OSHA General Industry Standard
• NIOSH Ladder Safety App

bibliographical references:

^[1] CPSC (US Consumer Product Safety Commission) [2014]. Unpublished data from the National Injury Information Clearinghouse (CPSC) using the CPSC’s Injury Cost Model.
^[2] CDC, National Center for Health Statistics [2017]. Multiple Cause of Death 1999-2015 on CDC WONDER Online Database. Accessed at https://wonder.cdc.gov/mcd-icd10.html.
^[3] Socias C., Chaumont Menéndez C, Collins J, Simeonov P [2014]. Occupational Ladder Fall Injuries – United States, 2011. MMWR 63(16), April 25, 2014; 341-346.
Source: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/falls/mobileapp.html

This information is provided solely as an insurance risk management tool. It is provided with the understanding that the member insurance companies of the Utica National Insurance Group (“Utica National”) are not providing legal advice, or any other professional services or advice. Utica National shall have no liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damages alleged to have been caused, directly or indirectly, by the use of this information. You are encouraged to consult an attorney or other professional for advice on these issues.