The first step down is one of the worst. Most people have to kneel on the top of the serrated metal walkway (ouch!), grip the horizontally mounted ladder rung on the top surface of the walkway, pronate, and lower themselves down backwards onto the vertical ladder rungs on the rear of the car.

Descending the middle rungs is easy, assuming they are not ice covered.

Once the last ladder rung on the rear of the car is reached, many workers carelessly jump to the ground, which is well over two feet down, sloped, and typically covered with large rocks. Many knee, foot and ankle injuries are caused by this practice, including falls. There are even documented fatalities from falls off this rung.

The proper procedure is to shift around 90 degrees to the left and finish descending the last one or two steps.

Safety Warning! Safety Cages May Not Provide Adequate Protection!
While this system may appear to provide a reasonable amount of protection for a worker traversing this tanker vehicle, a potential fall hazard continues to exist between the guardrails and the top of the vehicle. Caution should be exercised when selecting Safety Cage enclosures for fall protection applications. Recommended Solution: Provide a lifeline tie-off as well.

This worker is using a "Tug and Walk" procedure. A quick tug on the lifeline locks the retractable feature, and the lifeline may be used for vertical support while traversing a slippery vehicle.