Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110

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Ladder Association launches 2012 Ladder Exchange

For three months starting 1st September 2012, anyone in the UK 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 ones, at a discounted price, at any one of the Ladder Exchange's official partners. 

Now run and managed by the Ladder Association which plans 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 website. It also contains a wealth of information about ladder safety, including free online videos.

Despite a steady decline, falls from height remain the most common kind of workplace fatality. In 2010/11, a total of 38 workers died and 4,327 employees suffered a major injury as a result of a fall from height in the workplace, with a further 10,232 employees suffering an 'over 3 day' injury. Many of these incidents could have been avoided by people with the right training using the correct equipment that had been properly inspected and maintained.

The Ladder Association is the trade body responsible for advancing safety and best practice in the ladder industry, and oversees the delivery of national training. Formed in 1947 by leading ladder manufacturers, the Ladder Association has since expanded to welcome members from every part of the access industry, playing an integral role in promoting the highest standards of ladder design and manufacture, and advancing best practice in ladder use. With its focus on training and its recent move to take over the Health & Safety Executive's Ladder Exchange scheme, the Association is a vibrant, forward-looking organisation determined to look after the best interests of its increasingly diverse membership base and, of course, the industry at large.

T: 0845 260 4041
E: [email protected]
W: www.ladderassociation.org.uk

6th September 2012