Posts Tagged ‘standards’

EN 131 is obsolete

Thursday, March 5th, 2009

ENGLISH - Original Language Technical Standards for portable ladders (e.g. EN 131, 14183 ecc.) and standard certifications are obsolete and without legal obligation since agreements between member countries of World Trade Organisation (WTO) have been activated, especially the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT). Since then neither private organisations nor public institutions in WTO countries are allowed anymore to prescribe how to design, to produce or to distribute portable ladders if it is not demonstrated with scientific evidence, that non-application of a technical description, advise, instruction or ladder standard will damage personal health or national security; technical standards for portable ladders have become obsolete because of insufficiency of scientific evidence which makes it impossible to conduct risk assessment of single products. – More -

GERMAN - Original Language Mit in Kraft treten der Vereinbarungen der Mitgliedsstaaten der Welthandelsorganisation (WTO) gegen die Einschraenkung des freien Wettbewerbs und Handels durch technische Normen – insbesondere “Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade” (TBT) – sind die alten, am Produkt orientierten Regeln und Normen fuer die Sicherheit tragbarer Leitern und Treppen ( z.B. DIN-EN 131, etc.) obsolet geworden und duerfen nicht mehr als gesetzliche Regeln verwendet werden, solange nicht wissenschaftlich stringent nachgewiesen ist, dass technische Normen, Konstruktionsbeschreibungen oder Bedienungsanleitungen fuer tragbare Leitern und Treppen bei Nichteinhaltung der Gesundheit schaden oder zu einer Beeintraechtigung der nationalen Sicherheit fuehren. Da diese Nachweise fehlen, ist auch die Zertifizierung von tragbaren Leitern und Treppen nach den vorliegenden Normen innerhalb der WTO-Staaten fuer eine gesetzliche Regelung der Sicherheit im Umgang mit Leitern obsolet geworden. Wer dies bestreitet macht sich unlauteren Wettbewerbs schuldig. – Mehr dazu -

ITALIAN - Original Language Gli standard per scale (UNI-EN 131, 14183  e.a.) sono diventati obsoleti con i regolamenti per il libero commercio della World Trade Organization (WTO), in specie lo “Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade” (TBT). Secondo i regolamenti del WTO, tutte le norme e gli standard per scale portatili sono senza valore per la sicurezza e perciò senza alcun obbligo per il produttore, venditore e/o utilizzatore finché non è stato dimostrato con evidenza scientifica, che la loro non-applicazione comporterebbe un danno alla salute o alla Sicurezza Nazionale. – Altro -

FRENCH - Original Language Les normes techniques, comme p.e. la norme EN 131 et les certifications sont obsolètes et sans obligation légale, depuis les accords entre les pays membres de l’Organisation Mondiale du Commerce (OMC) ont été activés, en particulier l’Accord sur les obstacles techniques au commerce (OTC). Depuis, ni les organisations privées ou institutions publiques au sein de l’OMC plus les pays sont autorisés à prescrire la manière de concevoir, de produire ou de distribuer des échelles portatives si elle n’est pas démontré avec des preuves scientifiques, que la non application d’une description technique va nuire à la santé d’une personne ou la « sécurité nationale ». C’est pourquoi les normes techniques applicables aux échelles portatives, sont devenues obsolètes en raison de l’insuffisance de preuves scientifiques. – More -

Ladder Safety Science Report

Wednesday, October 8th, 2008
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ENGLISH - Original Language The “Gaps Analysis to NIOSH” is a “Review of the scientific literature on injuries from falls from (and with) ladders” of the Advanced Technologies and Laboratories, Inc. (ATL) in Germantown, Maryland, in the USA.

The ATL-Report confirms many safety aspects in handling ladders :

  • complacency about danger
  • fatalities increase with age
  • basic importance of dizziness and vertigo
  • accessories are not effective

Furthermore the report confirms the gap in scientific research on accidents with portable ladders – including the difficulty of any sort of holistic approach and scientific analysis.

We need to fully understand the reasons behind this lack of insight as a premise to start searching new ways to reduce ladder accidents. So let me try to submit you some observations and suggestions.

1. first of all, we don’t know the real number of (fatal) accidents involving portable ladders; we can assume that most ladder accidents are not reported because:

  • there is no witness
  • describing an accident is not easy (a posteriori, nobody knows if the broken ladder is one of the causes or the result of an accident)
  • the persons involved in ladder accidents fear bad reputation or simply remove/refuse the memory of crucial/shocking situations

2. Normally reports on ladder accidents are not real-time; accidents are reported by people which had suffered the ladder accident, and often are still shocked. Scientific research needs real time observation or simulation under laboratory conditions; both are very expensive projects, even if a standard photographic equipment availability in certain workplaces could help.

3. Scientific research of ladder accidents under real and lab conditions seems an easy task, as far as the “ladders” and “ambient conditions” are considered: both are completely known and easily described. This is not so when we consider the “vertigo” and “dizziness” variables: the person on the ladder itself is a variable, and not a well known one. Nonetheless, it is probably a more important variable than the “ladder” and “ambient conditions” for the sake of understanding the dynamics of ladder accidents.

See e.g. Barrett C. Miller, who wrote in 1998:
“To stand, walk, or climb without falling, we must maintain our center of mass over and within a base area. When someone is standing erect, the base can be considered the normal footprint. The shape, size, and position of the base changes depending on the pattern of movement and the activity. When walking, we constantly readjust our body segments over our base to maintain stability. The brain, vision, body condition, and the nature of the contact with the surface all contribute to the sensitive balance required to maintain walking stability. If a foot slips or is mis-positioned, the center of gravity shifts outside the base area. When this happens, we shift our body parts in an attempt to regain equilibrium. If the center of mass cannot be shifted back over the base area, we fall.”

See also the results stemming from a medical research branch called “Neurootology”:
The human beings are connected with their environment through their sense organs. Ears, eyes, nose and tongue are peripherical sensorial organs, that on being excited by an environmental stimulus, are able of registering said information and transferring same to the brain superior centers. An answer to these stimuli is produced by the brain or central computer. NEUROOTOLOGY is the branch of medicine devoted to studying the aforementioned process

4. So scientific research of ladder accidents is expensive because it needs:

  • permanent observation of working on ladders under different ambient conditions
  • permanent observation of working on ladders with different operators
  • permanent observation of working on different types of ladders
  • clinical control of operators
  • development of kinetic models for different types of ladders and ambient conditions in order to reproduce fatal situations; without such models any effort in scientific research would remain uncontrollable and spoiled of practical results.

5. Probably ladder manufacturers and assurance companies are not inclined to promote scientific research of ladder accidents: “cost” seems only one of the reasons.

6. Ladders are low cost volume products, easy to handle, used in millions of different situations and jobs, perceived by the general public as a completely understood object and that makes it hard to find a reason to fund research of substantial innovations.

MORE

Let me say – off records – that the functionality and technical structure of ladders have not changed in thousands of years, and ladder accidents like atavistic memories seem to belong to one of the best protected taboo-zones of our human societies.

Nevertheless, I think there is a way out, and the solution could be a policy encompassing:

  • Permanent, standardized television monitoring of ladder works, in preparation and support of forthcoming
  • Scientific research of ladder accidents (comment written by E. Rupp)http://www.skylax.biz/pictures/pictostairs.gif

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Ladder Dude

Friday, April 1st, 2005

ENGLISH - Original Language The American Ladder Institute (ALI) is proud to offer its ladder safety teaching unit, “Ladder Dude,” free of charge.
ALI’s revised “Ladder Dude” kit includes five ladder safety lesson plans, flash cards and stickers for children. Furthermore, the kit includes a kid friendly exam to test their knowledge about ladder safety. The “Ladder Dude” mascot is sure to bring fun and laughter to any classroom, while educating children about the importance of safety. The revisions of this kit were based on feedback from teaching instructors and input from ALI’s current members. Ladder safety is a legitimate concern and should be a teaching priority with children. Each child will grow to use ladders in the home, workplace, outdoors, etc. For this reason, ladder safety should be promoted at an early age. “Ladder Dude” is a worthwhile instructional kit that emphasizes the importance of correct ladder use, and would be perfect for your child’s school library or neighborhood day care. The American Ladder Institute was founded in 1947 and represents North American ladder manufacturers and is committed to the highest standards of ladder safety. ALI’s mission is to educate the public as to the selection, care, and safe use of ladders and develop and disseminate the appropriate standards for design, construction, testing, care and use of ladders. For more information or to request your free copy of Ladder Dude, please contact ALI Headquarters at 312-644-6610 or online.