Ladders and stepladders

This talk is about portable leaning ladders and stepladders, on this job, today. The working-at-height talk is the one about whether we should be climbing at all. HSE's ladder overview says ladders and stepladders are not banned. The law calls for a sensible, proportionate approach. A ladder can be a sensible and practical option for low-risk, short-duration tasks. It should not automatically be the first choice. Use the right type, and know how to use it. If the task needs a scaffold, a tower or a MEWP, this talk is not permission to use the ladder because it is already on the roof rack.

Before anyone climbs, they need the manufacturer's instructions to hand, and they do a pre-use check. HSE says the person using the ladder does that check, at the beginning of the working day, and again after something has changed. A ladder that has been dropped, or moved from dirty ground to a clean floor, gets checked again. Look at the stiles. If they are bent or damaged, the ladder could buckle or collapse. Look at the feet. Missing, worn or damaged feet can slip. When you move from soft or dirty ground, such as dug soil, loose stone or a dirty workshop, onto paving, check that the feet themselves are touching the ground, not a lump of soil or a stone stuck in the foot. Look at the rungs. Bent, worn, missing or loose rungs can fail. Look at the locking mechanism. If it does not work, or parts are bent or worn, the ladder could collapse. Locking bars have to be fully engaged. On a stepladder, a split or buckled platform can make it unstable, and contaminated or loose steps can slip or collapse. If you find any of that, do not use the ladder. Tell the person in charge.

A pre-use check is not the same as the employer's inspection. HSE says pre-use checks do not need to be recorded. Problems get reported. The employer also needs a detailed visual inspection, regularly, by a competent person, in line with the manufacturer's instructions, and that one is recorded. Ladders that are part of a scaffold are still inspected every seven days as part of the scaffold inspection. Only use a ladder with no visible defects, an up-to-date inspection record, that is strong enough for the job, and that has been maintained and stored as the manufacturer says. The inspection looks for damaged feet, twisted or dented stiles, cracked or loose rungs, missing tie rods, and cracked welds, loose rivets or damaged stays.

Where it stands matters as much as the ladder. HSE's list: firm ground, level ground, using the manufacturer's levelling device rather than bricks, blocks or bits of timber, and a clean solid surface with no oil, moss, leaves, sand or packaging. A shiny floor can be slippery even when it looks clean. Keep it where vehicles will not strike it. Use barriers or cones. Secure doors and windows that could push it, and do not block a fire exit to do that. Stop the public using it, walking under it, or standing too close. Barriers or cones first. A person standing guard at the bottom is the last resort. The ladder has to be secured.

On a leaning ladder, carry only light materials and tools. Read the label and assess the load, including your own weight. Do not overreach. HSE's test is that your belt buckle, or your navel, stays within the stiles. The ladder has to be long enough. Do not work off the top three rungs, and try to have the ladder extend at least 1 metre, or three rungs, above where you are working. Use the 1-in-4 rule so the angle is about 75 degrees: one unit out for every four units up. Grip the ladder and face the rungs when you climb or come down. Do not slide down the stiles. Do not move or extend it while you are standing on the rungs. Do not stand it on a pallet, bricks, a lift truck, a tower, an excavator bucket, a van or a MEWP. Do not hold items as you climb if you can use a tool belt. Maintain three points of contact when climbing and, wherever possible, at the work position. If you cannot keep a handhold, other than for a brief moment such as starting a nail, you need another way to prevent a fall or to reduce the consequences. Tie the ladder so it cannot slip out or sideways, and rest it on something solid, not glazing or a plastic gutter. A stability device is worth considering if it is the right one and it is used as the maker says.

Do not work within 6 metres horizontally of any overhead power line, unless the line has been made dead or protected with insulation. For any electrical work, use a non-conductive ladder, such as fibreglass or timber. The electrical safety talk covers the rest of live services. A ladder is one of the long items HSE names as a risk near overhead lines.

A stepladder has its own rules. All four feet on the ground, steps level, locking devices engaged. Do not stand and work on the top three steps, including a step that forms the very top, unless there is a suitable handhold. Face the work where you can. A risk assessment can show that side-on is safer in a tight space, but that is the exception, and the locks still have to be fully engaged. Avoid side loading, such as drilling side-on through brick or concrete. If you cannot avoid it, tie the steps so they cannot tip, or use better access. Three points of contact at the working position means two feet and one hand, or, when both hands are needed for a brief period, two feet and your body supported by the stepladder.

Telescopic ladders are leaning ladders that do not all work the same way. Use, store and transport them with care, and keep them clean, as well as following the rest of this guidance. If the check fails, the ladder stays on the ground. We do not climb it to prove it is fine.