Construction firm should have left stepladder at home

Tuesday 17 August 2004

A Lower Hutt construction company that provided a home stepladder for an employee to work at height was today ordered to pay $7000 in reparation to the worker, who suffered a fractured leg after the ladder snapped.

Harbour Associates Limited was carrying out construction work on a new warehouse in Seaview last December, when one of its carpenters fell 2m while descending an aluminium stepladder that had been extended out to form a single length ladder.

As the employee climbed down the ladder, one side of the ladder snapped. He fell 2m to the ground, fracturing his right leg. The 29-year-old's injuries kept him off work for almost six months.

When the Department of Labour's occupational safety and health service investigated, it found the ladder that snapped was a domestic quality stepladder, not designed for use on a construction site.

OSH Service Manager for Hutt-Wairarapa Kerry Gordon said the ladder clearly stated that it was for domestic use only. The company director claimed to be unaware it was not suitable for trade use.

Mr Gordon said the company failed its employee by providing a domestic quality ladder to be used on a construction site.

“Falls from ladders are all too common on construction sites, and cause a significant number of serious injuries. Employers should ensure that any ladders used on construction sites are of trade quality,” he said.

“Every year we investigate many accidents where ladders have been used inappropriately and have led to all manner of falls. Even falls from a short distance of a couple of metres can have devastating consequences, as evidenced in this case, where the victim was off work and in pain for many months.”

More than 900 new ACC claims from ladder falls were processed last year, costing the country around $17 million.

Photo caption: This home stepladder buckled as a carpenter descended, leaving him with a fractured leg. The company that provided the man with the ladder has been ordered to pay him $7000. photo image (56k)