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Ladder Accidents
All employers have a duty to take reasonable care for the safety of their staff. Employers must, by law, provide a safe working environment for their employees.
There are various regulations that employers have to comply with in relation to ladder safety. The basic safety requirements include;
- Every surface which a ladder rests upon must be level, firm, stable, of sufficient strength and of a suitable composition to support any load placed on it to reduce the risk of ladder accidents.
- A ladder must:
- Where used as a means of access, be secured so as to prevent it slipping or falling
- Be suitable and of sufficient strength for the purpose or purposes for which it is being used
- Be so erected as to ensure that it does not become displaced
- Where it is of a length when used of 3 metres or more, be secured to the extent that it is practicable to do so and where it is not practicable to secure a person shall not be positioned at the foot to prevent it slipping when it is being used
- The top of any ladder used as a means of access to another level shall, unless a suitable alternative handhold is provided, extend to a sufficient height above the level to which it gives access so as to provide a safe handhold.
- Where a ladder or run of ladders rises a vertical distance of 9 metres or more above its base, there shall, where practicable, be provided at suitable intervals sufficient safe landing areas or rest platforms.
- All ladders should be in sound condition, clean and well maintained and be free from missing, bent or loose rungs, bent or damaged stiles, splitting, warping or corrosion and without sharp edges.
If you have suffered an accident at work involving a ladder, Ashton Morton Slack’s experienced personal injury team can help you claim compensation.
To find out how to make a claim for personal injury involving a ladder accident at work, call our team on 0870 6099 3630 and talk to one of our personal injury experts.