LADDERS HAVE TO GO!

March is National Ladder Safety Month. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ladder deaths accounted for 161 on-the-job fatalities in 2020, the most recent year for which statistics are available. That same year, there were 22,710 ladder-related workplace injuries, an injury stat that has remained relatively constant over the previous several years.

I remember a ladder-related injury while one of our Environmental Services techs was replacing a ceiling-mounted privacy curtain. As he was descending the ladder he took one misstep and landed awkwardly on the floor with his ankle beneath him.

His ankle was severely broken and required two surgeries to put it back together. Besides the considerable pain and suffering he endured, he remained off work and on Worker’s Comp for five months. The terrible accident cost the hospital over $110,000 in medical expenses.

That accident occurred in 2011 when ceiling mounted tracks and curtain hooks carried 24’ of privacy curtains. To change the curtain required a man, a ladder, a trip to the curtain storage area and 60 minutes from start to finish. But times have changed.

I don’t intend to discuss Ladder Safety Month with its focus on four key themes:

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????Week One – Choosing Your Ladder

????Week Two – Safety Before the First Step (Inspection and Set Up)

????Week Three – Safety While Climbing

????Week Four – Safety at the Top

Rather, I’m here to say, LADDERS HAVE TO GO! The Environmental Services Department should keep their team members off ladders or step stools ?and save labor, too. There is a much better way of providing patient’s their privacy with curtains that don’t require a ladder or a “grabber” in order to exchange them.

KleenEdge’s?Curtain Products?enable a quick exchange, reducing labor by 80%, as their install does not require tall ladders or special gadgets. Our recyclable curtains, eliminate laundering and are offered in two options to accommodate both existing and new facilities.

Our products are designed to profoundly simplify operations but more importantly they will create a safer environment and peace of mind for both patients and staff as it relates to one of the most frequently touched objects in the patient zone.

#laddershave2go