Women and Other Workers May Face Higher Fall Risk Under One-Size Ladder Programs
The peer-reviewed ASSP article advises safety professionals to match ladders to each task, size PPE for the full workforce and train crews to spot shrinking margins for error.
- By Danielle Naidu
- Nov 12, 2026
Ladder safety programs designed with one default worker in mind may miss differences in workers' physical traits and abilities, according to a new article in Professional Safety Journal. That oversight could raise the risk of falls and injuries when equipment and task demands are a poor fit, the article says. There were 22,710 workplace ladder injuries in the U.S. in 2020, along with 161 fatalities, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
The article, "Ladder Safety for Women Workers: Integrating Evidence Into Safety Management Systems," appears in the November issue of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) peer-reviewed journal. Ronilla Ernest, founder and principal consultant of Safety Leader Institute, LLC, wrote it. It examines how employers can cut ladder-related risks by building three elements into the safety management systems they already use: ergonomic ladder selection, training focused on what workers can do and personal protective equipment (PPE) that fits the wearer.
Ergonomic and biomechanical studies reviewed in the article show that factors such as grip strength, reach, balance recovery, upper-body strength and PPE fit influence how much room for error a worker has while on a ladder.
Choosing a ladder should start with the task, the article says. Job hazard analyses and pre-task planning can be used to assess reach, duration, load handling and descent before work starts. The article also recommends spelling out when a job calls for a platform ladder, mobile work platform or scaffold instead of expecting workers to simply take more care.
For PPE, it recommends that buying decisions include size ranges, fit checks and input from women on the job. Training should go beyond rules so workers and supervisors can tell when a ladder, task or PPE item leaves less room for error, the article says. It also calls for monitoring near misses, PPE fit problems and other leading indicators, and for sorting injury data by task, ladder type and gender when practical.
Although women are the article's focus, Ernest said the same approach protects anyone who falls outside the assumptions traditionally built into design. Examples she gave include shorter workers, older workers and people with weaker grip strength or past injuries.
About the Author
Danielle Naidu is assistant editor for Occupational Health & Safety and Environmental Protection Online.