October 30, 2024

Ladder use and Highway intersection crashes

As a service to our policyholders, Texas Mutual shares serious workplace injury trends based on catastrophic injuries and fatalities reported to our claims department. Not all of these reported injuries are covered by workers’ compensation insurance, but our goal is to help you ensure these types of incidents do not happen in your workplace. Find safety tips below to help keep your employees safe on the job.

If you have questions, we encourage you to contact our safety services support center at 844-WORKSAFE (967-5723) or safety@texasmutual.com.

In this alert:

• Ladder use
• Highway intersection crashes

Ladder use

An employee was standing on a ladder while painting. The employee leaned too far and fell off the ladder to the ground below. In a separate incident, an employee was climbing an extension ladder to reach an elevated area. The ladder’s feet slid, causing the employee to fall, which resulted in serious injuries.

Ladder-related incidents can occur in settings where elevated work is required and can lead to severe injuries or even fatalities. Proper ladder selection, setup and use are crucial for maintaining a safe work environment and preventing falls.

• Verify that your ladder can support your weight, including clothing and any tools or materials you’re carrying.
• When using an extension ladder, confirm it’s tall enough to be set 1 foot away from the structure for every 4 feet of height, plus 3 feet above the level you’re climbing to.
• Inspect all ladder parts for damage, including the rails, rungs, locking mechanisms and feet.
• Set your ladder on a level surface and ensure it’s stable before ascending.
• Always keep your body position between the ladder rails to prevent tipping.

Highway intersection crashes

An employee pulled out onto the highway and was sideswiped by an 18-wheeler. In an unrelated incident, an employee was traveling on the highway and had the right-of-way. Another vehicle attempted to cross the highway in front of the employee, causing them to strike the vehicle at full speed.

Highway crossing accidents can result in severe injuries or fatalities, particularly when large vehicles or high speeds are involved. Maintaining vigilance and following proper safety procedures at highway intersections are crucial for preventing these dangerous collisions.

• Obey all traffic signals, signs and road markings at highway intersections.
• Look both ways multiple times before entering a highway, accounting for high-speed traffic.
• Ensure you have plenty of time and space to safely enter or cross the highway before proceeding.
• Be especially cautious of large vehicles like 18-wheelers, which require more time and distance to stop.
• When traveling on the highway, be prepared to yield, move over or stop for merging or crossing vehicles, even if you have the right-of-way.

Get free safety resources

Texas Mutual policyholders have access to thousands of free training materials in our multimedia safety resource center, including our safety catalog with up-to-date resources.

To access the free materials, log in to your texasmutual.com account and select Safety. If you need help accessing safety resources or you have a safety question, call us toll-free at 844-WORKSAFE (967-5723).

Download a PDF (203KB) version of the October Safety Alert.