Safe Use of Ladders and Stepladders

Ladders and stepladders are not banned under health and safety law.

The law calls for a sensible, proportionate approach to managing risk, and ladders can be a sensible and practical option for low-risk, short-duration tasks, although they should not automatically be your first choice.

To use a ladder, you must be competent or, if you are being trained, you should be working under the supervision of a competent person.

You should always carry out a ‘pre-use’ check to spot any obvious visual defects to make sure the ladder is safe to use.

A pre-use check should be carried out:

• by the person using the ladder

• at the beginning of the working day

• after something has changed, eg a ladder has been dropped or moved from a dirty area to a clean area (check the state or condition of the feet)

The check should include:

• the stiles

• the feet

• the rungs

• any locking mechanism

• the stepladder platform

• the steps or treads on stepladders

Falls from height are one of the biggest causes of workplace fatalities and major injuries. Common causes are falls from ladders and through fragile roofs.

Are you trained for Working at Height - Safe Use and Inspection of Ladders and Harnesses? Why not take the half-day course to ensure you are competent and know how to work safely. We run courses every month, for only £65 + VAT.

Feel free to contact us for more information, or to book a course:

01782 438813

hello@youcandoit.training

https://www.youcandoit.training/booking-calendar/working-at-height-half-day