March is National Ladder Safety Month, and that means experts from all over the country are weighing in on proper ladder use at work and at home. Of the more than 500,000 people treated for ladder injuries each year, approximately 300 die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But in the vast majority of ladder injuries and deaths are preventable—in many cases, injury victims never needed to be on a ladder in the first place.
"Don't climb a ladder when you don't have to," says Thomas Stanley, founder of Ceiling Outfitters, the company responsible for the Clik-Clik™ ladderless magnetic sign hanging system. "Unfortunately, a lot of people work for companies that don't have safety regulations on the age, use or upkeep of ladders. Many ladders are rickety, or they're the wrong size for the job. The bottom line is that if there's a way to avoid climbing a ladder, you should." While the Occupational Safety and Health Administration provides extensive guidelines on the proper use of ladders, right down to the types of skid-resistant materials required on rungs, not all employers follow them. These preventable ladder injuries lead to millions of dollars each year in healthcare costs and workers compensation cases, but the American Ladder Institute (ALI) seeks to change that through Ladder Safety Month. Since 2017, ALI has called on safety professionals to help reduce ladder-related injuries and deaths.
However, climbing a ladder is inherently dangerous. That's part of the reason Ceiling Outfitters promotes the Clik-Clik system for hanging signs and managing ceiling displays.
"Nobody wants to climb a ladder and risk a fall. A fall could change your employee's life," says Stanley. "We have completely removed ladders from the installation equation, which makes the process safer, faster and simpler. Clik-Clik brings good, old-fashioned common sense to the table. We strongly support internal safety initiatives, and we give our customers the ability to reduce the number of steps needed to execute the sign program."
With a ladder, it typically takes two to four people to hang a banner or sign, and moving the ladder across multiple locations is time-consuming (and risky—especially with metal ladders, which can conduct electricity). In addition to paying multiple people to hang signage, there's a laundry list of regulations employees are required to follow.
And though safety is a noble pursuit, using a ladderless system to hang signs saves business owners time and money. One person can transport, set up and install signage using a ladderless system quickly and easily. There aren't any government safety regulations on hanging signage from a ground-based position, and even better, the Clik-Clik system's fiberglass pole is non-conductive.
"The most important feature of the Clik-Clik system is its safety, but next is its ease-of-use. It lets employers save time and money while getting pinpoint placement in highly visible places," says Stanley. "A lot of employers have to request installation assistance from their maintenance department—or they're assigning multiple people to a job when one can do it—and safety isn't always a priority. And
remember, this is not just for the install. What about the change-out or removal? The reality is that most signs can be safely installed in seconds."
Ceiling Outfitters offers various systems that are designed to simplify and streamline sign and banner-hanging processes, enabling employers to reduce the number of personnel and increase workplace safety.
"A lot of people who work with us share their stories about being injured by falling off a ladder long after the fact. When we demonstrate the Clik-Clik ladderless system, their typical reaction is, 'Where were you eight months ago when I needed this?'" says Stanley.
For more on cutting ladders out of the equation, check out our exclusive Latter Safety Month Infographic today!
About Ceiling Outfitters
Ceiling Outfitters, based in Carrollton, Texas, is a premier distributor of high-quality, specialty ceiling sign-hanging hardware and systems. Its clients include retail establishments, manufacturing and production facilities, educational facilities, and municipal recreation centers and several other types of facilities.
More Info: https://ceilingoutfitters.com/blog/ladder-safety-month-cutting-ladders-out-of-the-equation/
