Ladder Inspection Survey Highlights Training Concerns

Ladders and access equipment specialists Ladderstore have just completed a detailed look into how businesses manage the process of inspecting their ladders and access equipment. The results highlight some key training issues that the Working at Height training industry need to adddress.

Although recent HSE campaigns, such as 'Shattered Lives' seem to have got the message over that ladder inspections are important the understanding of what is required and what constitutes a detailed, visual ladder inspection lacks rigour and consistency.

Ladderstore sent a questionnaire to a group of visitors to their web site who had requested a free Ladder Log sample pack and a group who had not in order to get a balanced picture of attitudes to ladder inspection behaviour within UK businesses. Response rates were extremely good and covered the whole range of ladder users in the UK from construction and property maintenance to retail outlets, schools and the arts.

The first big finding was that almost 90% of those who responded from both groups said that they regularly inspect their ladders, which by any measure is hugely positive. The recent HSE Shattered Lives campaign also seems to have got the message across and the Ladderstore survey found that 80% of respondents knew that it was a requirement of the Working at Height legislation that regular detailed ladder inspections should be completed and recorded.

Having said that it is important to note that 20% of respondents reported that they didn't know ladder inspections were a requirement of the Working at Height regulations. When you dig into the Ladderstore data you also find a discrepency between the number of respondents who say that they are qualified to complete a detailed visual ladder inspection - 83% - and the number who have the industry standard Ladder Association inspectors card - only 16%. The WAH regulations are quite explicit that a 'competent' ladder inspector has to have both the theoretical knowledge and practical experience to do the job.

The really good news for us at Ladder Log is the finding that nearly 70% believed that setting up and managing a ladder inspection system was neither difficult, time consuming or expensive, something that we have been keen to emphasize over the years. Ladderstore also looked at which ladder inspection checklists people were using and it came as no surprise to us that of the respondents who did not use their own checklists some 94% used the Ladder Log inspection checklist to complete their ladder inspections.

You can read more about the Ladderstore ladder inspection survey over on the Ladderstore website and there are links to some useful resources below:

Free Ladder Log ladder inspection sample pack
Free to download Ladder Log ladder inspection checklist
Ladder Training Courses - Safe Ladder User Course and Ladder Inspectors Course