National Ladder Safety Month 2026

Author, Jadyn Brandt, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

March is National Ladder Safety Month, and 2026 marks a decade of the American Ladder Institute’s (ALI) efforts to increase awareness and education in the workplace.

The areas of focus that the ALI has chosen for 2026 include:

• Training and Awareness

• Inspection and Maintenance

• Stabilization, Setup, and Accessories

• Safe Climbing and Positioning

ALI and National Ladder Safety Month sponsors are hosting weekly free webinars discussing basic safety principles and common causes of ladder injuries on the jobsite.

Ladder and fall safety violations are some of the most common causes of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) citations year after year. To prevent citations and injuries on the job, employers should prioritize safe ladder use practices, and proper education.

A list of ways to promote ladder safety is available on the National Ladder Safety Month website, from simple actions like contributing to the conversation on social media using #laddersafetymonth, to more in-depth efforts like encouraging employees to earn Ladder Safety Certificates.

Rancho Mesa also has ladder safety resources available for clients through our SafetyOne™ platform, including:

• Ladder Safety online training

• Ladder Safety Toolbox Talks

• Ladder observation form to document inspections

For help accessing Rancho Mesa’s ladder safety resources, contact your client technology team member.

Safety Resources from Rancho Mesa in 2026

Author, Jadyn Brandt, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

New training resources are now available for Rancho Mesa clients online and through the SafetyOne™ platform. SafetyOne users now have access to 20 new safety trainings and four updated trainings.

New Trainings - English

• Backhoe Safety

• Cold Stress

• Cold Stress in Industrial Environments

• Cold Stress in Construction Environments

• Cold Stress in Transportation and Warehouse Environments

• Dump Truck Safety

• Evacuation Procedures in Transportation and Warehouse Environments

• Excavator Safety

• Fire Extinguishers in Construction Environments

• Fire Extinguishers in Food Processing and Handling Environments

• Fire Extinguishers in Healthcare Environments

• Fire Extinguishers in Office Environments

• Fire Prevention in Construction Environments

• Fire Prevention in Food Processing and Handling Environments

• Fire Prevention in Transportation and Warehouse Environments

New Trainings - Spanish

• Evacuation Procedures

• Evacuation Procedures in Construction Environments

• Evacuation Procedures in Food Processing and Handling Environments

• Evacuation Procedures in Office Environments

• Evacuation Procedures in Transportation and Warehouse Environments

Updated Trainings – English

• Fire Extinguishers

• Fire Prevention in Industrial Environments

• Fire Prevention in Office Environments

• Fire Prevention in Healthcare Environments

Each training includes an instruction video and a quiz. These trainings can be assigned to crews or individual employees in order to improve safe practices on a jobsite.

Training records can be found in the “Training Documentation” section of the SafetyOne website.

For a complete overview of the SafetyOne platform, contact your Client Technology Team or register for the SafetyOne Administrator Website Overview Training on Thursday, January 22nd, 2026 at 1 p.m.

Rancho Mesa will also host a number of new workshops and webinars in 2026, including:

• Cumulative Trauma Claims: Trends, Impact & Best Practices workshop

• RM365 HRAdvantage™ Portal Learning Management System webinar

• PAGA Claims workshop

• NALP Government Affairs workshop

• Fraud Risks and Prevention in Banking workshop

For a full list of all available workshops and webinars in 2026 and to register for upcoming events, view our 2026 Workshop/Webinar Calendar.

A Year-End Meeting with Your Surety and Agent Could Make or Break Your 2026

Author, Andy Roberts, Surety Group Leader, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

As 2025 comes to a close, companies are focused on finalizing their year-end financials. For contractors, it is important to have a surety agent who will coordinate a meeting with the surety company early in 2026, once the year-end financials are completed. This meeting is important for several reasons, including reviewing the previous year's financial performance, looking at the outlook for the coming year, understanding current bonding capacity limits, and discussing any potential issues on the horizon.

The primary aim of reviewing year-end financials with the surety company and agent is to gain an accurate picture of the business's performance. Key financial items such as profitability, working capital, and equity are essential in determining bonding capacity limits. Furthermore, once the year-end financials are ready, it is important to discuss any significant changes. Whether it involves declining cash flow, increased debt, or performance issues with specific projects.

While evaluating the previous year's financials is a central aspect of this meeting, it is equally important to look ahead. The discussion should include the contractor's upcoming projects and the bonding requirements associated with them. This proactive approach not only helps in planning for the future but also gives the surety an idea of what they will be needing with regards to bonds in the future. 

In addition to the year-end meeting, maintaining regular communication with your surety company and agent is essential for building a stronger relationship. Consistent communication will help foster trust, which ultimately benefits the contractor by providing greater access to bonding limits.

In conclusion, the year-end meeting with your surety team is important to review past performance, plan for the future, and strengthen the contractor’s relationship with the surety and the agent. By prioritizing this meeting and maintaining open lines of communication, contractors can set themselves up for success in the coming year. 

For questions regarding the importance of this meeting, please give me a call at (619) 937-0166 or email me at aroberts@ranchomesa.com.