— by Helen Murphy Ladders are the number-one cause of orchard injuries, accounting for about a third of all Washington State Department of Labor and Industries workers’ compensation claims from the state’s main tree-fruit regions. Sprain and strains are the most common injuries resulting from ladder accidents, but fractures and dislocations are more costly. Causes of ladder accidents include unstable ladder placement, overextension of the third leg of the ladder, slipping while descending, and being struck by a falling ladder. To get a better idea of the circumstances of ladder accidents, the Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center collected […]