Don't let a dodgy ladder shatter your life (From Kidderminster Shuttle)

Don't let a dodgy ladder shatter your life

3:00pm Wednesday 5th September 2012 in Lifestyle

For three months starting 1 September 2012, anyone who buys, uses or has responsibility for supervising the use of ladders, can take advantage of this year’s Ladder Exchange - the annual campaign that enables ‘dodgy’ ladders to be replaced for brand new compliant ones, at a discounted price, from any one of the Ladder Exchange’s official partners. Please see www.ladderexchange.org.uk for more information.

Now run and managed by the Ladder Association who plan to grow and develop the campaign in future years, the Ladder Exchange has already removed over 10,000 broken, bent and damaged ladders from the workplace, with the message: Don’t let a dodgy ladder shatter your life.

“Right now is the ideal time for firms to be checking their ladder stocks,” says Cameron Clow, Chairman of the Ladder Association. “Dodgy ladders are dangerous and need to be removed from service. The Ladder Exchange provides the perfect incentive to do just that and replace them with safe, brand new ones at a discounted price.

“Falls from height remain the most common cause of death and injury in the workplace, so this campaign has a particularly important role to play in helping to reduce these consistently worrying statistics.”

It is important to maintain ladders and stepladders in good working order by carrying out pre-use checks, detailed inspections and routine maintenance. Pre-use checks are intended to quickly establish whether a ladder is safe to use there and then. Detailed inspections, as required by the Work at Height Regulations, are more in-depth and need to be carried out by a competent person.

This year’s Ladder Exchange is supported by an impressive line-up of campaign partners across the UK, whose details can be found on the Exchange's website. It also contains a wealth of information about ladder safety, including free online videos.