Ladder association campaigns the removal of telescopic ladders from the market.
A product surveillance study of telescopic leaning ladders sold online and in-store has found that 80% of the work at height equipment tested failed the required safety tests designed to keep users safe.
The Ladder Association report, which has been produced in partnership with the East of England Trading Standards Association (EETSA) and Suffolk Trading Standards Imports Team, also reveals that more than half of the failed ladders were certified and sold as ‘compliant’ to standards such as CE marking.
A member of the Access Industry Forum, the Ladder Association believes that all telescopic ladders in the UK are imported, and although many appear to be ‘fit for purpose’, some ‘fall well below basic safety requirements’. Resulting in the removal of telescopic ladders from the UK market.
One of the study’s main objectives was to investigate whether ‘substandard ladders are contaminating the UK’s supply chain, with little or no checks being made by the importer’. Importers have a legal responsibility to only place safe products on the market, the Ladder Association notes. However, some importers are ‘misleading consumers and ignoring their legal requirements by showing a complete disregard for product and consumer safety’.
The research focused on testing telescopic leaning ladders, which have become increasingly popular because they only require a small storage space compared to other ladders; they are lightweight and compact; and their size and working height can be adjusted.
As the Ladder Association notes, telescopic leaning ladders should be manufactured so they comply with EN 131-6, which was last revised in April 2019 and is known in the UK as BS EN 131 Part 6: 2019.
The survey tested 17 ladders against the standard’s requirements at the UK-based test laboratory and certification body’s Test & Research Centre. All of the ladders were obtained anonymously from a number of sources, according to the researchers.
The EETSA selected eight ladders from distributors and manufacturers that were active in their enforcement area enabling them to follow up should the tests highlight any issues.
Suffolk Trading Standards Imports Team detained three ladders at the Port of Felixstowe and supplied them for the test while the Ladder Association picked the remaining six ladders based on feedback from a member survey that provided details on ladders suspected to be substandard.
‘The feedback suggested that there was more of a concern regarding the online platforms, compared to UK companies with a physical presence,’ the report notes.
‘This would balance the trading standards products purchased in gauging any potential issues in the market. A steering committee then narrowed down the list to six samples, which were purchased from online shopping platforms and wholesale retailers’.
According to the researchers, almost all of the 17 ladders tested stated that they conformed to ‘EN 131-6 in one form or another, either on the sales information, product literature or as a label on the product itself’.
The study revealed that only three of the 17 ladders tested fully passed all of the limited scope requirements and conformed to EN 131-6.
Source: IOSH
Published: 21st June 2022