Work equipment - safe system of work - ladders

To ensure that your staff follow prescribed safe systems of work, use a formal safety procedure. This document sets out how a ladder should be used, e.g. how the risks associated with working at height, stability etc. should be managed.

Why is this important?

Our document Work Equipment – Safe System of Work - Ladders has been produced in a table format, with most sections already completed; just your own details need to be added. It specifies the activities to be undertaken on a stage-by-stage basis. It also covers the precautions necessary to protect those involved in the work, including other contractors, members of the public and anyone else who may be affected.

The procedure includes details of the standards to look for in a ladder, including EN 131 for manufacture which applies from 2018. As it is still acceptable to use older ladders, our document explains what to look for on the label to ensure it is suitable for professional use.

Note. You may want to add additional information/boxes to your form. However, we suggest that you don't remove any of those that we've included. This is because our document follows industry standards and covers all the information that should be included in such a document.