How do you use ladders and stepladders safely on site?
HSE says ladders can be a sensible choice for low-risk, short-duration tasks, but they should not automatically be your first choice. Check the task suits a ladder, check the ladder, set it at 1 in 4, secure it and keep three points of contact.
When a ladder is acceptable
Ladders are not banned by health and safety law. They can be used after a risk assessment shows that equipment giving more fall protection is not justified, usually because the risk is low and the task is short, or because features of the workplace cannot be altered.
HSE says short duration is not the deciding factor on its own. As a guide, if the job means staying up a leaning ladder or stepladder for more than 30 minutes at a time, HSE recommends using other equipment.
A ladder should only be used where it will be level and stable, and can be secured where that is reasonably practicable. People using ladders need to be competent, or trained under the supervision of someone who is.
Check it before use
Do a pre-use check at the start of each working day, and again after anything changes, such as the ladder being dropped or moved from a dirty area to a clean one. HSE says these checks do not need to be recorded. Look at:
- stiles: bends or damage that could make the ladder buckle
- feet: missing, worn or damaged feet, and dirt or stones stopping the feet touching the ground
- rungs: bent, worn, missing or loose rungs
- locking bars and mechanisms: working, not bent or damaged, and fully engaged
- stepladders: splits or buckling in the platform, and slippery steps or loose fixings
If you find a defect, do not use the ladder and tell the person in charge of the work.
Setting up and using a leaning ladder
- Angle: use the 1 in 4 rule, one unit out for every four units up, which is 75 degrees.
- Length: make sure it is long enough for the task, and do not work off the top three rungs.
- Ground: do not stand it on movable objects such as pallets or bricks.
- Top support: rest it on a strong point, not on weak surfaces such as glazing or plastic gutters.
- Three points of contact: keep them when climbing and, wherever possible, at the working position.
- Overreaching: do not. Keep your belt buckle, or navel, within the stiles.
- Overhead power lines: do not work within 6 metres horizontally of one unless it is dead or insulated.
To secure it, HSE lists the options in order. First tie it at a suitable point, making sure both stiles are tied. If that is not practical, use an effective ladder stability device. After that, wedge it securely. Footing is the last resort. A ladder used for access should extend at least 1 metre above the landing point.
Stepladders
- Make sure the locking devices are engaged.
- Check all four feet are in contact with the ground and the steps are level.
- Face the work, unless a risk assessment shows that working side-on is safer.
- Keep three points of contact at the working position, which means two feet and one hand.
- Do not overreach.
- Do not stand or work on the top three steps, including the very top, unless there is a suitable handhold.
- Avoid side-on drilling through solid materials. If it cannot be avoided, stop the steps tipping or use better equipment.
HSE also says a stepladder should not be used for access unless it is designed for it.
Regular inspections and records
A pre-use check is not the same as a regular detailed visual inspection. The employer is responsible for the detailed inspection, which is done at set intervals by a competent person following the manufacturer's instructions, and an up-to-date record has to be kept. The records show how a ladder's condition changes over time.
The inspection looks for the same kinds of defect as the pre-use check, plus missing or damaged tie rods, cracked or damaged welded joints, loose rivets and damaged stays.
HSE does not set an interval for detailed inspections in this guidance, so fix one that suits how hard the ladders are worked, and write it down.