This course gives you the practical skills to check whether a ladder is fit for professional use, carry out a systematic pre-use inspection, and set up and secure both stepladders and leaning ladders correctly.
This course gives operatives, supervisors, and site workers the practical skills to check whether a portable ladder is fit for professional use, carry out a systematic pre-use inspection, and set up and secure both stepladders and leaning ladders correctly before climbing. It builds on the foundations of the Working at Height Awareness course and is grounded in the requirements of PUWER 1998 and HSE guidance.
BS EN 131, portable ladder, pre-use check, formal inspection, PUWER 1998, stepladder, leaning ladder, extension ladder, spreader, rung lock, stabiliser bar, fly section, guide bracket, stile, competent person, securing hierarchy, three-point contact, 1-in-4 rule, non-professional classification, unusual event
This lesson introduces the anatomy of both stepladders and extension ladders, giving you the vocabulary you need to carry out every other skill in the lesson. You'll identify and understand the function of the spreader, rung locks, stiles, rubber feet, fly section, guide brackets, and stabiliser bar. You'll learn why the spreader and rung locks are the critical locking mechanisms for each ladder type, why worn or missing rubber feet are a leading cause of ladder slips, and why safe-use labels carry the information you need to confirm a ladder's rating before use.
This lesson explains the current UK product standard for portable ladders and what it means in practice. You'll understand why any ladder used at work must carry a professional-grade BS EN 131 marking — and why a non-professional or domestic-grade ladder cannot be used on site regardless of where it was purchased or how new it looks. You'll learn how to read a ladder label, what changed when the revised standard came into effect in January 2019 (including the wider footprint requirement for leaning ladders over 3 metres), and what to do when a label is worn or illegible.
This lesson covers the two distinct levels of safety check required under PUWER: the pre-use check and the formal inspection. You'll learn the difference in who carries them out, how often, and what each is looking for — and understand that moving a ladder between surfaces, dropping it, or adjusting it between users counts as an unusual event that resets its safety status. You'll work through the five areas of a pre-use check (frame and structure, feet and end caps, rungs and steps, locking mechanisms, and labels) and learn what a pass, fail, or repair outcome from a formal inspection requires.
This lesson sets out the specific safety requirements for stepladders and leaning ladders, including how they differ and what correct set-up looks like in each case. You'll learn why all spreaders and locking devices must be fully engaged before stepping on a stepladder, when working side-on is and is not acceptable, and how to manage side loading. For leaning ladders, you'll apply the securing hierarchy — tying both stiles to a suitable anchor point, using a stability device, wedging, or footing as a last resort — and understand the additional requirements that apply when a leaning ladder is used to access another level.
