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3 part ladders
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blueroost  
#1 Posted : 26 August 2010 20:59:16(UTC)
Rank: New forum user
blueroost
Hi Guys

Looking for opinions / advice on 3 part ladders (rope and pulley) they go to around 40 ft / 12 m

Schedule 6 of W@H reg suggests there should be a landing at every 9m

Does this then deem these defunct?

use would be say to access soffits(just for talking sake), lick of paint so short duration

Thoughts appreciated

dave
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Canopener  
#2 Posted : 27 August 2010 10:50:35(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Canopener
Blue - we don't have a building works department anymore, and we don't have any triples for use here, but personally I have never been comfortable with them. Sorry I can't be more objective or of more help.
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bob youel  
#3 Posted : 27 August 2010 13:41:38(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
bob youel
the law dose not say that you cannot use such kit - it says risk assess and the act on the findings

However I think that in this day and age it would be unlikely in many situations to find that tripples are the best option for anything but the simplest situations noting their size, weight, awkwardness etc
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blueroost  
#4 Posted : 27 August 2010 20:15:44(UTC)
Rank: New forum user
blueroost
Totally agree

but unfortunately they are very much still in use, even have affectionate names such as "the beast" etc etc

Giving advice on why not to use these contraptions seems to fall on deaf ears and was looking for something with a little more substance.
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firesafety101  
#5 Posted : 27 August 2010 21:29:13(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
firesafety101
My opinion - you're probably asking the wrong type of person here as we are probably by now all thinking away from ladder use.

There are now so many alternatives to ladders that they really are the last resort.

Yes use them if the risk assessment says so, and if they are the only option but please look around the hire shops to see what is available.
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firestar967  
#6 Posted : 27 August 2010 22:13:43(UTC)
Rank: Guest
Guest
Have to add my support to the above, used this type of a ladder and well aware of its limitations.
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blueroost  
#7 Posted : 27 August 2010 22:37:07(UTC)
Rank: New forum user
blueroost
Ok think I may have came in at the wrong angle here

I am not looking to use these ladders but trying to put a legitimate argument forward to avoid these.

yes easy to say the risk assessment says its ok, very easy for a supervisor to build it into risk assessment.

cowboy roofers etc are ten a penny and am fully aware of ladders as last resort, it does not happen in the real world, especially with white van man organisations. (the area i am trying to address)

Lets imagine the 9 m rule (schedule 6 w@h) was absolute, ladders are not permitted over that height, then there would be a clear case to take to them that they are breaking the law

unfortunately it is not the case and am looking at ways to encourage them to look at hire shops etc for alternative access solutions.

in our current economical climate more risks are being taken with such ladder systems to secure work rather than hire in a tower scaffold / mewp or any other safer measure.

this is a sad but true society we live in

ps when vat goes up in january, white van man will thrive....

just my two bobs worth..
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frankc  
#8 Posted : 27 August 2010 23:11:28(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
frankc
I believe the 9m rule is for vertical, fixed ladders like on tower crane access or escape routes.
I used to use the 40ft triple extension many times in the past but if an accident occurs, you might have to justify why collective prevention wasn't used instead.

This was a question asked on the HSE communities page.

QUESTION:

Are there any specific height restrictions where the use of a ladder or step ladder, as a piece of access equipment, is not permitted?

ANSWER:

The law does not state heights but clearly the selection of the most appropriate access equipment for a particular task is a requirement of the law.

You also have a duty, where working at height cannot be avoided, to take suitable and sufficient measures to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable , any person falling a distance liable to cause personal injury.

Work platforms, scaffolding, towers, all offer protection from a fall occurring. Ladders and step ladders do not offer fall protection, so should be the last form of work access equipment to be considered.

If you have selected ladder use, your risk assessment must justify why safer equipment is not possible to be used.

If your risk assessment determines that a ladder is the right piece of equipment to be used , then the right ladder should be selected and used in the correct manner.

Ladders should be used for low risk and short duration tasks, and three points of contact should always be maintained to prevent a person slipping and falling.

The risk of falling onto something below a ladder (e.g. spiked railings or glass covering) is equally relevant in terms of risk as the height of the potential drop. Our web page has both the :

Work at Height Regulations 2005 http://www.hse.gov.uk/falls/regulations.htm and:

Guidance on the safe use of ladders and step ladders at http://www.hse.gov.uk/falls/ladders.htm


Hope that helps.
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