When you’re in the cleaning business, chances are your employees will need to use ladders for some of their cleaning tasks. Whether it’s to wash windows or to dust a hard-to-reach ledge, training your employees to use ladders safely is very important if you don’t want them to fall. The following are tips for using ladders safely:

• Use a ladder that is the appropriate size for the task at hand.
• Use ladders that are in good condition. Check rungs to make sure they are secure and check your shoes for grease and grime, and clean if necessary.
• Never use a metal ladder when working with electrical fixtures.
• Stepladders should be opened fully with spreaders locked in place. Never use a stepladder as a straight ladder.
• Use both hands when climbing a ladder. Keep your weight centered between the rails and do not overreach on either side.
• Carry tools and window washing equipment on a tool belt.
• When working at heights exceeding 6 feet, have a second person hold and steady the ladder. Ladders should not be stored where they present a tripping hazard, nor where they can fall on people.
• Ladder angle – one foot out for each four feet of ladder working length.
• Always use a ladder or footstool on a flat, stable floor.
• Never stand on chairs, desks, boxes, books or other objects to reach up high.
• Never lean or reach to one side of the ladder. Instead, get down and move the ladder.
• Use caution cones when working in areas where there are a lot of people.

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Steve Hanson helps owners of small cleaning companies build a more profitable and successful cleaning business through his online community at TheJanitorialStore.com. Read inspirational cleaning success stories at http://www.cleaning-success.com, and sign up for weekly cleaning tips at http://www.thejanitorialstore.com