Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Aircraft Maintenance Ladder-Safety And Use

By Luisa Sharpe


Among the most serious causes of injuries and death are falls. At ever workplace, it is crucial for employers to ensure the employees are safe from falling off from elevated work stations or overhead platform such as those operating in aircraft maintenance. In such instances, an aircraft maintenance ladder is quite essential.

Occupational Safety and Health Act, states that all employers have to provide their employee with the protection from falls especially for those working in high and elevated work stations. Within an aircraft system, the most ideal type should be able to reach the entire zones within it to include the engine, empennage and equipment bays.

High quality materials are required for constructing aircraft ladders. In order to give a wider range of selection, the ladders must be in varying designs. They should be able to provide access to almost the entire aircraft with much ease. To give the workers a working environment that is safe and comfortable, fall protection must be readily availed. The ladders are used for a variety of functions that include repairing, overhauling, servicing and inspection.

The proper climbing equipment type should be selected for the job at hand. This is very important because the type used must correspond to the anticipated work for the best outcome to be achieved. The major factors to be considered well before choosing a climbing equipment are size, material, duty rating and style. Therefore for your specified aircraft job must be matched with the right type of ladder.

Size also plays an important role when it comes to climbing equipment selection. This includes the length and width. A serious accident can be caused if the equipment is too short or too high hence posing a potential hazard. The ladder's base must also be checked to find out whether it can be stored in an area that is easily accessible.

In addition to width and length, the ladder's height should also be checked putting into consideration the platform and working height requirement. This usually goes hand in hand with the size of the handrail. For instance, a person can safely reach a 9' ceiling on a 5' ladder. It is therefore important to consider both the height of the piece of equipment and the required working height.

Of great importance also is the style. The ladders are available in different designs and can be related to various advantageous characteristics. In case of a wrong choice of equipment style, the outcome can be a very serious fall or injury. The climbing equipment must also be used properly to achieve the desired results.

Finally, a ladder must have a duty rating which is defined as the maximum safe load capacity that the device can hold in term of pounds. A fully clothed person's weight plus any other tool on the climbing equipment should be less than a ladder's duty rating. The proper grade selection together with the anticipated weight should both be considered during the selection process. The user' personal preference as well as the work application should both be corresponding to the ladder material chosen.




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