Falls from ladders are an important source of preventable construction injuries.  Misjudging the ladder angle is an important risk factor for a fall.  If the ladder is set too steeply, it is more likely to fall back or slide away during use, and if it is set too shallow then the bottom can slide out.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (USA) has developed a new free application (app) for mobile phone devices aimed at improving extension ladder safety.  The NIOSH Ladder Safety phone app has an angle of inclination indicator making it easy to set an extension ladder at the proper angle of 75.5 degrees.  The app is available through the NIOSH website (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/falls/), the Apple App-store (https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=658633912&mt=8), and the Android Market (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gov.cdc.niosh.dsr.laddersafety).

The app’s inclination indicator allows most cell phones to provide both a visual and an audible signal when the ladder angle is correctly set.  The NIOSH Division of Safety Research tested and patented the concept of the app’s inclination indicator. They compared existing ladder positioning methods and found that the indicator improved both the accuracy and efficiency for ladder positioning.   The Ladder Safety app also includes other handy information about ladder safety, i.e., ladder selection, inspection, accessorizing, and use.