Ladders and Stepladders Toolbox Talk

Ladders are not banned, and pretending they are makes things worse

HSE lists this as a myth in its own words: ladders and stepladders have not been banned, on building sites or anywhere else. They are a sensible and practical option where the risk is low and the work is short.

The myth does real damage. When people believe a ladder is against the rules, they do not stop using one. They use it quickly, quietly, and without tying it, because they do not want to be seen on it. The result is a job done worse than if the ladder had simply been chosen properly in the first place.

The decision matters more than the climb

Almost every serious ladder fall traces back to the same moment, and it is not on the ladder. It is the point where somebody picked a ladder for a job that needed a tower, because the ladder was already in the van. HSE’s guide is blunt about the threshold: if the task will keep someone in one position for more than about 30 minutes, look at different equipment.

What the law requires

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply wherever a person could fall a distance liable to cause injury. There is no minimum height, so a stepladder in a corridor is covered just as a scaffold is. Ladders get their own set of requirements in schedule 6.

• Avoid, prevent, minimise. Avoid work at height where reasonably practicable. Where you cannot, prevent falls. Where you cannot do that, minimise the distance and consequences. WAHR 2005, reg. 6.
• Plan it and supervise it. Work at height must be properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out safely, including choosing the equipment and only working in suitable weather. WAHR 2005, reg. 4.
• Justify the ladder. A ladder is used only where a risk assessment shows that equipment offering more fall protection is not justified, because the risk is low and the use is short. WAHR 2005, reg. 7 and sched. 6.
• Be competent, and speak up. Anyone working at height must be competent or supervised by someone who is, and must report anything that looks unsafe. WAHR 2005, regs. 5 and 14.

The numbers worth carrying in your head

• 30 minutes in one position is the point at which HSE says to consider different equipment
• 1 metre is how far a ladder used for access must extend above the landing, so there is a handhold
• 1 in 4 is the angle: one out at the base for every four up, roughly 75 degrees
• 3 points of contact at the working position, and a handhold available before and after the task

Source: The Work at Height Regulations 2005; HSE, Working at height: a brief guide (INDG401); HSE, Common work at height myths. The 1 in 4 rule is set out in LA455, the detailed guidance HSE refers to.

How people fall off ladders

• The wrong tool for the job. A ladder chosen because it was in the van, for work that needed a tower. This is the decision behind most serious ladder falls.
• A ladder that is not secured. Untied and unfooted, it slides out at the bottom or slips sideways at the top, usually the moment somebody reaches.
• The wrong angle. Too steep and it tips backwards, too shallow and the foot slides out. Neither gives you any warning.
• Overreaching. Stretching sideways rather than getting down and moving the ladder, because moving it feels like it will take longer.
• Standing on the top steps. The top two steps of a stepladder are not a working platform unless it is designed with a handhold there.
• Bad ground. Soft, sloping or uneven, or the foot packed up on bricks, a pallet or an offcut to make up the difference.
• Damage nobody looked for. Bent stiles, missing feet, worn rungs, a seized locking bar. Pre-use checks get skipped exactly when people are in a hurry.
• Domestic ladders on site. Lightweight household ladders are not built for trade use and will not take the loads or the wear.
• Carrying things up. Anything that stops you gripping the stiles, or that unbalances you halfway.
• Doors, traffic and electricity. A door opening into the ladder, a vehicle reversing past it, or an aluminium ladder near a live line or overhead cable.

Controls to brief your crew on

• Ask whether anyone needs to go up. Extending poles, lowering the unit, or assembling at ground level. The safest jobs are the ones that never leave the floor.
• Watch the clock. If the task keeps someone in one position for more than about 30 minutes, that is the signal to get a tower, a podium or a MEWP instead.
• Use a ladder built for work. Trade or industrial grade, in good order. A household ladder is not site equipment.
• Pre-use check, every single time. Stiles, rungs, feet, locking bars and platform. If it is damaged, take it out of use and tell someone rather than leaning it back on the wall.
• Set the angle at 1 in 4. One out at the base for every four up, roughly 75 degrees. Learn what that looks like so you can spot a wrong one from across the site.
• Tie it. Secured at the top, or where that is not possible at the base or with an effective stability device. Someone footing it is the last resort, not the normal method.
• One metre above the landing. A ladder used for access must extend far enough past the step-off point to give a proper handhold.
• Three points of contact. Two feet and a hand at the working position. Where both hands are briefly needed, knees or chest against the ladder can be the third point, and there must be a handhold before and after.
• Level, firm ground only. Never packed up on bricks or pallets. Secure or barrier any door that opens into the ladder, and keep it out of traffic routes.
• Keep clear of electricity. Non-conductive ladders near live equipment or overhead lines, and check what is above you before the ladder goes up.

Source: HSE, Safe use of ladders and stepladders; HSE, Common work at height myths; HSE, INDG401; WAHR 2005, sched. 6.

Who is competent to do this work

• No formal qualification is required to use a ladder, but competence is. HSE defines that as having the skills, knowledge and experience to use it properly, including how to tie one.
• Training can be on the job. HSE does not require a classroom course, but it does require that anyone not yet competent is supervised by someone who is.
• Whoever selects the equipment needs to understand when a ladder stops being the right answer. That is the decision that matters most.
• Whoever carries out detailed inspections should know what to look for and have the authority to take a damaged ladder out of service on the spot.

Paperwork that should be in place

• The work at height risk assessment, showing why a ladder was chosen for this task rather than a platform.
• A ladder register or inventory, so every ladder on site is accounted for and identifiable.
• Detailed inspection records for ladders in use, with damaged ones removed and recorded.
• Method statements for the work at height tasks that need one, briefed to the people doing them.
• Training and competence records for the people using and inspecting ladders.
• Records of any near miss involving a ladder, and what changed as a result.

Five questions to get the crew talking

1. What are we using ladders for this week, and is any of it a job that really needs a tower?
2. Which ladders on this site are tied, and who tied them?
3. When did you last actually check a ladder before climbing it, rather than just looking at it?
4. Where on site is the ground too soft or too sloped for a ladder to be set properly?
5. Has anyone had a ladder move under them here, and did that get reported?

How to run this toolbox talk

1. Read it first and add your site detail: which tasks, which ladders, which alternatives are actually available.
2. Pick the moment. Start of shift, at the workface, ten minutes maximum.
3. Set one up. Put a ladder at 1 in 4 in front of everyone so they can see what the right angle looks like.
4. Do a pre-use check together on the ladder the crew will actually use today.
5. Pair it with the working at height toolbox talk if the crew have not had that one recently.
6. Record who attended on the free toolbox talk sign-in sheet.

Frequently asked questions

Are ladders banned on construction sites?

No. HSE lists this as one of the most common work at height myths. Ladders and stepladders can be a sensible and practical option where the risk is low and the work is of short duration, or where site features cannot be altered. They should not automatically be the first choice, but they have never been banned.

How long can you work off a ladder?

There is no legal time limit, but HSE guidance is that if a task requires staying in one position on a ladder for more than about 30 minutes, you should consider equipment that offers more fall protection, such as a tower, podium or MEWP.

What angle should a ladder be at?

The 1 in 4 rule: one unit out at the base for every four units of height, which puts the ladder at roughly 75 degrees. Too steep and it can tip backwards; too shallow and the foot can slide out.

Do you need a certificate to use a ladder?

No formal qualification is required. What the law requires is competence, meaning the skills, knowledge and experience to use a ladder properly, including how to tie one. Training can be done on the job, and anyone not yet competent must be supervised by someone who is.

How far should a ladder extend above the landing?

At least one metre above the point where you step off, so there is a secure handhold at the top. A ladder used for access to a scaffold must also be an appropriate industrial grade, in good condition and properly secured.

Do you always need two feet and one hand on a stepladder?

No, and HSE lists this as a myth too. You should maintain three points of contact at the working position, but where a task briefly needs both hands, your knees or chest against the stepladder can be the third point. A handhold should be available before and after the task.