Its market surveillance study, in partnership with East of England Trading Standards Association (EETSA) and Suffolk Trading Standards Imports Team, put 17 telescopic ladders through their paces in a series of safety critical tests at the UKAS accredited not-for-profit UK testing facility, Test & Research Centre.
The test ladders were obtained anonymously from a range of sources including online stores, marketplaces, physical stores and included some ladders detained at Port by Trading Standards, to provide a fair and representative sample of the market.
The telescopic ladders were subject to key strength tests and dimensional checks, to check their conformity to product standard EN 131-6. This is the standard to which all telescopic ladders should be made and demonstrates quality and safety.
Over 80% of the telescopic ladders tested in the study – including some from the UK’s best-loved retailers – failed to meet the minimum safety requirements designed to keep users safe.
Worse still, over half of the failed ladders were marked and sold as ‘compliant’ in a deliberate attempt to mislead the public.
Vicki Burch, Chair of the East of England Trading Standards Association Product Safety Group, said: “EETSA and Suffolk Trading Standards Imports Team have found it invaluable to work with the Ladder Association on this project. From the samples provided by EETSA, over half failed the appropriate tests to the applicable safety standard. For those telescopic ladders identified as non-compliant, action has been taken to ensure they are removed from sale. EETSA would advise consumers to take time to research before buying, particularly online, buy from reputable sources and check product reviews. If consumers have concerns about the safety of a product before or after purchase, it should be reported to Trading Standards ”
It offers guidance to help determine if your existing ladder is safe to use. It says: check your ladder before you use it. Read the user instructions from the manufacturer and carry out a ‘pre-use’ check to spot an visual defects. The check should include:
• the stiles – make sure they are not bent or damaged, as the ladder could buckle or collapse;
• the feet – if they are missing, worn or damaged the ladder could slip. Also check the ladder feet when moving from soft/dirty ground (eg dug soil, loose sand/stone, a dirty workshop) to a smooth, solid surface (eg paving slabs), to make sure the actual feet and not the dirt (eg soil, chippings or embedded stones) are making contact with the ground;
• the rungs – if they are bent, worn, missing or loose, the ladder could fail;
• the locking mechanism – does the mechanism work properly? Are components or fixings bent, worn or damaged? If so, the ladder could collapse. Ensure any locking bars are fully engaged;
• if it’s a stepladder, check the platform – if it is split or buckled, the ladder could become unstable or collapse;
• if it’s a stepladder, check the steps or treads – if they are contaminated, they could be slippery; if the fixings are loose on the steps, they could collapse.
If you spot any of the above defects, don’t use the ladder! If you’re using the ladder at work, make sure you notify your employer.
• Check the ladder labelling. All ladders should now be designed and manufactured to the current EN 131 standard only, so if you have a newer ladder you should see that label on it. If it’s an old ladder, you might see markings for BS 2037 and BS 1129. These are old product standards and no reputable company is making or supplying ladders to these standards anymore. If you do have ladders that were made to the old standards, you may continue to use them if you are sure they are in good condition (as per the above pre-use checks).
The Ladder Association’s latest ladder safety campaign, ‘Step Up to Safe Ladders’, aims to shine a light on the very real dangers of poor-quality telescopic ladders on the market, to stop the sale of these unsafe ladders in the UK, and ultimately keep people safe when using ladders.
Ladder Association Telescopic Ladder Surveillance Study