Ladders

On average, 19.4 Australians — mainly men — die each year after falling from a ladder.

The Australian National Coroners Information System indicates:

• most people who died after falling from ladders were over 50 years old
• 32 per cent  of deaths were in the 70-79 year age group 
• 96 per cent of fatalities were male 
• over 85 per cent of deaths occur in non-occupational activities  
• 34 per cent of these deaths occur during home maintenance activities.

Most men injured or killed after falling from a ladder were at or nearing retirement age and were doing maintenance around the home.

Ladder injury occurs in an older age group than DIY injuries in general — the peak age for DIY injuries is 30-34 years.

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