Ladders and stairways are a major cause of injuries for construction workers, with OSHA estimating 24,882 injuries and 36 deaths per year due to falls. Proper ladder safety is important to prevent accidents - ladders should be visually inspected for defects before each use, the right ladder should be chosen for the task, and ladders should not be overloaded beyond their weight rating. Damaged ladders should be marked as unsafe and destroyed.