In most situations, you can use a ladder alone. If you’re at home and a bulb or smoke alarm battery needs changing, you can set up a step ladder or step stool to tackle the job on your own.
But is it really safe to use a ladder alone? Read on to find out more.
Even in the workplace, you don’t need any formal qualification to use a ladder on your own. However, Britain’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) require you to demonstrate competence before you can use a ladder in the workplace. If you’re an employer, you must provide appropriate training before asking an employee to use a ladder for work.
Unfortunately, accidents happen. You can follow every ladder risk assessment guideline to the letter: inspect and secure your ladder before using it, maintain three points of contact, no twisting or overreaching, staying below the top three rungs, etc. But you cannot prevent every accident.
So, if the worst happens and you do fall, you will be better off if there’s someone with you who can call for help or an ambulance. This is true both in the home and in the workplace.
Ladder Stabiliser
It might seem tempting to have someone to hold the ladder for you while you use it, particularly if it is a leaning ladder and hasn’t got extra legs for stability.
This is called “footing” a ladder, and is actually not as safe as it seems. That’s because if the ladder user falls, or drops something, it could easily hit the other person and cause injury or worse. HSE state that footing a ladder should be the last resort.
Fortunately, most extension ladders and other kinds of leaning ladder in Britain are manufactured with stabilising bars. Exactly as its name suggests, a stabiliser bar is a horizontal bar at the base of the ladder that keeps it from slipping. On most ladders made since 2018, these bars are integrated into the ladder design, but some may have detachable ones instead. Using a well-secured ladder with a stabiliser bar will be much safer than having someone foot the ladder for you.
You can use a ladder safely by yourself both at home and at work, but it may be worth having someone accompany or supervise you just in case the worst happens.
If you have any queries about using ladders safely, get in touch and our customer service team can help you out.
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