Final answer:
Overreaching can cause imbalance and is a significant factor contributing to ladder-related falls and fatalities, making safety practices like keeping one's center of gravity within the ladder rails essential.
Step-by-step explanation:
True, overreaching is indeed a factor that contributes to falls or fatalities involving ladder usage. When individuals use a ladder, maintaining their center of gravity is crucial. If a person reaches too far to the side or climbs too high on the ladder, they risk tipping the ladder over or falling off, which can lead to serious injury or even fatality. Therefore, to ensure ladder safety, it is important not to overreach and to keep one's body centered between the rails of the ladder at all times.
Overreaching is not a factor that directly contributes to falls or fatalities involving ladder usage. The primary factors that contribute to ladder-related accidents are lack of ladder stability, improper ladder placement, and user error. Overreaching, which means leaning or stretching too far to one side while on a ladder, can increase the risk of losing balance and falling, but it is not a direct cause of falls or fatalities.