What angle should a ladder be?

The HSE (Health and Safety Executive) recommends leaning your ladder at a 75-degree angle so that the base is positioned at one-quarter of the working length of the ladder. This is commonly referred to as the ‘1 in 4’ rule.

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Step ladders are a type of self-supporting ladder. Unlike, say, an extension ladder - which must be leaned up against a wall or another surface that's sturdy enough to support it - a step ladder can stand up all on its own, without any additional support or stabilisation.

But here's a question that a lot of people ask: can a step ladder be leaned against a wall and used as a straight ladder if the situation demands it? Or should step ladders exclusively be used as self-supporting ladders?

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1. Grip the ladder firmly
2. Take one step at a time
3. Face straight ahead as you climb
4. Maintain at least three points of contact with the ladder at all times
5. Never slide down a ladder
6. Don't carry any unnecessary items with you (light tools and materials only)
7. Go at a steady pace - don't rush!

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If you've got a lot of different jobs to do - but you don't want to buy a lot of different ladders - then a combination ladder may be the ideal solution.

A combination ladder is a multi-use product that can be configured into a number of different shapes. For example, a 3-in-1 combination ladder might serve as a step ladder, an extension ladder, or a stairwell ladder depending on how you set it up.

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In January 2020, a roofing company in Kent was fined more than £28,000 because a worker had fallen from a ladder and sustained serious back injuries. The company hadn't taken steps to ensure that the man would be able to maintain three points of contact with the ladder while working - a HSE inspector stated that the accident could have been prevented "by simply providing basic and inexpensive lifting aids".

Unfortunately, this story is far from unique. Just one month earlier, in December 2019, the owner of a painting and decorating company in Northamptonshire was sentenced to 160 hours of unpaid work (and ordered to pay more than £2,000 in costs) after one of his employees suffered a fall that left him paralysed from the chest down.

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