Guide
Ladder inspection checklist
A ladder inspection checklist asks whether this ladder is fit to use, and whether a ladder is the right equipment today. A sound ladder leaned along a whole elevation is still the wrong plan.
Inspection is not the same as selection
The Work at Height Regulations 2005, regulation 12, require inspection of work equipment used for work at height. Regulation 13 requires inspection of places of work at height. Regulation 7 is about selecting the equipment. A ticked checklist does not answer regulation 7.
The library hazards below are the jobs where a ladder is often used as the workplace instead of a platform: gutters, exterior painting, and windows. Read the controls before you print the list.
No law requires a document called a RAMS. The duty is to assess risk under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 3, and to plan the work safely.
Every hazard below is from the RAMSPack library and is marked draft – awaiting competent review. Change it for the site. It is not HSE approved.
Fall from a ladder used as a place of work along the eaves
From the roofer library, task: Gutter and downpipe replacement. Who might be harmed: Operatives
Before controls: 16 High. After controls: 4 Low. These scores are a prompt. Score the job yourself.
- Use a scaffold or podium so both hands are free and the operative is prevented from falling.
- If a ladder is used only to reach the platform, it is footed or tied and extends far enough above the step-off.
Regulations that fit this hazard: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015; Work at Height Regulations 2005; Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998; Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended 2022); Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981.
Fall from a ladder used to paint a whole elevation
From the painter and decorator library, task: Exterior painting. Who might be harmed: Operatives
Before controls: 16 High. After controls: 4 Low. These scores are a prompt. Score the job yourself.
- Paint elevations from a scaffold or podium, not from a ladder leaned along the wall.
- Stop if the platform is incomplete or the weather makes the surface slippery.
Regulations that fit this hazard: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015; Work at Height Regulations 2005; Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002; Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998; Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended 2022); Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981.
Fall from a ladder
From the cleaning library, task: Window cleaning. Who might be harmed: Window cleaners
Before controls: 16 High. After controls: 8 Medium. These scores are a prompt. Score the job yourself.
- Avoid the ladder where a pole or a platform can do the work.
- If a ladder remains the method, secure it, keep three points of contact, and do not carry a bucket up it by its handle while climbing.
- Stop in high wind or on a wet, mossy surface.
Regulations that fit this hazard: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; Work at Height Regulations 2005; Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992; Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998; Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended 2022); Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981.
Generate a window-cleaning RAMS