Buying the Right Ladders
It’s an old adage, but you really do get what you pay for. Anyone buying an uncertified and usually cheaper ladder will probably find it won't last the test of time if used regularly, and we've even heard of reports where uncertified ladders have collapsed under the user causing injury and in some cases death. That's why at Ladderstore we do not stock any non-certified products, safety is always our top priority and although we offer a price match on like for like producuts we will never be the "cheapest solution".
More On Certified Products
Certified products have been manufacured to meet certain guidelines to ensure the products safety. If you are purchasing a step ladder, extension ladder or mobile tower each different ladder type has it's own certification. Below we've given you a brief summary on the current standards for each product category.
Portable Ladders Including Step & Extension Ladders - EN131 Professional for commerical use and EN131 Non-professional for domestic. Both standards are tested with weight loadings, impact and torsion tests as well as anti-slip experiments.
Telescopic Ladders - EN131 Part 6 - EN131 Part 6 covers telescopic ladders and ensure that rung spacing is correct and therefore stops fingers from getting trapped. Also all ladders over 3m now require a stabiliser bar.
Mobile & Scaffold Towers - EN1004 - The EN1004 Classification is for access towers and it will have the correct gaps and dimensions in the frames to prevent falls and have safe built in methods of ascent and descent.
Podium Steps - BS8620 - This classification ensures the podiums are stable and safe to work from with high guardrails.
Duration Of Task
Depending on how long the task in hand is going to take this can have a large influence on which ladder is the right choice. The HSE reccomends that any work at height that will take 30 minutes or less an portable ladder is a perfect solution. However, if working at height for a much longer period of time a fixed access soltuion or something with a larger standing platform and more protection should be used like a tower or podium step.
Height
Height is the next factor to take into account. Let's say you are looking to clear your gutters and need to reach a height of 5.7m, (the average height of a two storey house) a ladder with an extended height of around 8m would be perfect as you have to take into account the angle of the ladder when in use. Please bare in mind, the higher you are going more safety measures may have to be put into place, and other equipment like mobile towers should be considered.
