You know that second-to-the-last step on the top of a stepladder? The one with a safety sticker that says, “This is not a step.” Have you ever dared to use it? Have you ever stepped on that last step in order to unscrew a hard-to-reach light bulb or paint the corner of a very high ceiling? If you have, then you may have risked your life unnecessarily.

It’s very tempting to use a ladder in an unsafe way. At the Law Office of Jack. L. Stillman, PA, we’ve seen workers’ compensation cases that involved workers who were hurt because they tried to use a ladder that was too short for the job. We’ve also seen workers who were hurt while using ladders exactly as they were intended. The fact is, there’s no way to prevent workers from getting hurt by a ladder 100 percent of the time, and injuries will happen.

Ladder fall injuries are some of the most threatening to the health of New Jersey construction workers. A fall from a very short distance can leave workers disabled with serious spinal cord injuries or traumatic brain injuries. It can also cause broken bones, strained ligaments and other damage that take a long time to heal.

Fortunately, it doesn’t matter how your ladder fall injury happened – and it doesn’t matter who was at fault – if you got hurt on the job in New Jersey, it’s highly likely that you can apply to receive workers’ compensation benefits to pay for your injuries and lost wages caused by an inability to work. At the Law Office of Jack. L. Stillman, PA, we’d like to encourage you to stay safe when using ladders. Make sure you have the right size ladder for the job, and never use that second-to-last step. We know it’s tempting, but your health and safety are exponentially more important than painting a hard-to-reach spot.