Inspection - Continuity of Care

On-going inspection and maintenance of ladder equipment is key; equipment gets worn, it can get damaged or broken.

The WAHR 2005 stipulates that regular inspections should be conducted by a competent person for all work at height equipment. Records of formal inspections are legally required when requested by a Health & Safety Inspector and the information must be both accessible, but protected from, interference or tampering.

The inspecting and auditing of equipment calls for suitably trained personnel using logging and tagging systems such as Ladder Log. Not only does his keep a record of the ladder’s inspection history but it also clearly highlights which ladders should not be used.

HSE Ladder Exchange

For the past four years the Health & Safety Executive has successfully run Ladder Exchange. During that time 7000 ‘dodgy’ ladders have been taken out of service and exchanged for new ones at discounted prices. The number of supporting partners has expanded from an original group of five companies: The Ladder Association, HSS Hire, Ladderstore.com, Speedy Hire and SGB to a group of fourteen participants. Each plays its part in receiving damaged ladders while offering incentives for replacement, some companies also have additional offers in place, for example free tagging starter packs. This year the initiative runs form 1st October to 30th November.

Ladder Log Documents Gallery. (Click to see a bigger image)
Ladder Inspection Checklist	Ladder Register	Ladder Inspection Summary