The American Ladder Institute unveiled findings from its 2026 Ladder Safety Training and Citations Survey, which examined accident types, citation frequency, violation categories and preferred training approaches. The organization gathered input from safety professionals through email outreach in spring 2026.
Key findings include:
- Eighteen percent of companies experienced ladder-related accidents in the past two years, matching 2024 figures.
- Among companies with accidents, 35% reported a serious injury or loss of life, up from 33% previously.
- Overreaching and failure to maintain three points of contact tied as the most common causes, at 35% each.
- 84% of respondents knew ladder misuse ranks among OSHA’s top 10 most frequently cited violations.
- 82% reported no OSHA ladder citations in the past 12 months, a six percentage point increase.
- 45% said accident frequency remained stable over five years; 16% saw significant decreases.
- 47% believed proper training could have prevented injuries.
- 88% use ladder safety training; 30% fund it.
- Human error (42%) and inadequate job site oversight (33%) were cited as the top reasons training didn’t reduce citations.
- 75% mandate ladder safety training.
- Proprietary programs (59%) and OSHA resources (45%) led training approaches.
- In-person and video formats dominated delivery methods.
NRCA encourages professionals to use its available health and safety resources.