Leaning Ladder Inspection
What you need to know
Employers need to make sure that any ladder or stepladder is both suitable for the work task and in a safe condition before use. As a guide, only use ladders or stepladders that:
- have no visible defects. They should have a pre-use check each working day;
- have an up-to-date record of the detailed visual inspections carried out regularly by a competent person. These should be done in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Ladders that are part of a scaffold system still have to be inspected every seven days as part of the scaffold inspection requirements;
- are suitable for the intended use, ie are strong and robust enough for the job;
- have been maintained and stored in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
To learn more around the legal requirements please Click Here
There are two methods for inspecting ladders:
- Detailed visual inspections – these should be carried out regularly by a competent person. These inspections will be outlined in the manufacturer’s instruction manual.
- Pre-use checks – these should be carried out by the user, at the beginning of the working day/before starting a task, and repeated every time something changes – like the ladder being dropped or moved to a different area.
Detailed visual inspections
A detailed visual inspection is similar to pre-use checks, in that it is used to spot defects and can be done on site by a competent employee.
Pre-use checks make sure that a ladder is safe to use and are for the immediate benefit of the ladder user. These checks do not need to be recorded. Any problems or issues should be reported to a manager.
Detailed visual inspections are the responsibility of the employer. They should be carried out at fixed intervals and recorded. Records of these inspections provide a snapshot of the state of the ladders over time.
When doing an inspection, look for:
• damaged or worn ladder feet;
• twisted, bent or dented stiles;
• cracked, worn, bent or loose rungs;
• missing or damaged tie rods;
• cracked or damaged welded joints, loose rivets or damaged stays.
Pre-use checks and inspections of ladder stability devices and other accessories should be performed in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
Pre-use checks
The check should include:
These are the parts at the top of the ladder which rest against the supporting surface, made of slip resistant material to prevent movement and to provide a firm grip.
- Feet & top tips fitted, all present,secure, and correct
- Stile ends are undamaged
- All rivets and other fixings are present & secure
- No cracks, cuts, or holes
- Anti-slip surfaces are undamaged
The stile is the vertical of the ladder, on which you should maintain a firm grip. Check for -
- No bending, twisting, to stiles and frame section
- Hinging of the front to rear frame attachment is secure
- No creases, cracks, cuts or holes
- No significant denting that might compromise its strength
- No contaminants or dirt on stiles
- No significant corrosion on the components
- All end tips are correctly present and secure
- Stops, bushes, and restraint devices are present and undamaged
- Stabilisers are fitted where required – secure and undamaged
The rung is the horizontal member, on which you stand - it is anti-slip -
- No swaging splits with all rungs present and secure
- No bends, bows or twists – creases, cracks, cuts or holes
- No significant denting that might compromise its strength
- Anti-slip surface is undamaged and clean from contaminants
- All rivets / other fixings are present and secure
The guide bracket allows the section(s) to extend -
- Guide brackets are all present and secure.
- No displacement or looseness
- No bending, cracks, cuts or holes
- All rivets / other fixings are present and secure
- No significant corrosion of ferrous components
Labelling is very important. It allows the user to see the standards of the ladder, inspection information and basic user instructions.
- The labels must be securely attached
- They must be legible to the layman
- No severe corrosion or wear – screws, bolts, and rivets are tight and in place
- No tell-tale holes where fixings may have been but removed
- No signs of wear or damage
- All fixings are tightly in place. are tight and that there is
- No distortion of the stiles where the locking catches are attached
- No bending, twisting or corrosion present
- Locking catches lock and unlock correctly
The rung hook supports the upper section of the ladder on the rung of the lower section -
- Rung hooks are all present and secure
- No displacement or looseness
- No signs of bending, cracks, cuts, or holes
- All rivets / other fixings are present and secure
- No significant corrosion of ferrous components
- The hooks fit easily on the rung
The feet support the base of the ladder and are of slip resistant material – if they are missing, worn or damaged the ladder could slip.
- Feet & top tips fitted, all present,secure, and correct
- Stile ends are undamaged
- All rivets and other fixings are present & secure
- No cracks, cuts, or holes
- Anti-slip surfaces are undamaged
If you spot any of the above defects, do not use the ladder and notify your employer.
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