The Best Way to Use a Ladder 01:24 Every year thousands of people are injured in ladder-related accidents. Consumer Reports' experts give step-by-step instructions on how to safely use a ladder.

Falls from portable ladders (step, straight, combination and extension) are one of the leading causes of workplace injuries and fatalities. Appropriate precautions can reduce the risk significantly.

Using a ladder may seem pretty straightforward but these useful tools are actually far more dangerous than you might think.

The impact from sprains and strains, broken bones and other more serious disabling conditions resulting from falls from ladders reaches far beyond the injured worker's suffering. The direct ...