WAH regs schedule 6 requires "A portable ladder shall be prevented from slipping during use by - (a)securing the stiles at or near their upper or lower ends; (b)an effective anti-slip or other effective stability device; or (c)any other arrangement of equivalent effectiveness." Tying is obviously preferred where it can be arranged, but I'm interested in the views of others as to whether it remains accepted practice that footing a ladder with a second person is an arrangement 'of equivalent effectiveness'.

Agreed that a 2nd person is probably acceptable practice... although there are alternative products on the market and probably more cost effective in the long run!

Thanks chas. For me though I would have been more interested if it wasn't 287 pages long! Mind you, if I print the research paper, I could probably stand on it, instead of using a ladder ;)

On a jocular note, presumably obese people have an advantage over slender people when footing ladders in that they have notably more weight to apply and prevent the ladder feet from sliding backwards. On a more serious note, it's crucial that anyone footing a ladder knows that they should concentrate on what they are doing, i.e. applying their body weight to the ladder, via one foot on a low rung and/or both hands on the ladder stiles (the long bits which support the rungs), and not allow themselves to be distracted. From time to time I've observed ladder-footers being distracted by gawping at passers-by or being pre-occupied with the displays on their smart phones. For ladder users who have nobody (large or otherwise) to foot their ladders for transient jobs where tying is impractical (e.g. window cleaners) proprietary (e.g. Rojak) or improvised device are strongly advised. Such devices have a notably greater area in contact with the ground - and thus greater frictional resistance to counter sliding - than do ladder feet.

The research report mentioned (205) - which made Radio 2 at the time - identified that 'how' to foot a ladder was pretty vague, and that a variety (20?) of methods were used by volunteers for the research. It did find that if the ladder was put up, and used, properly, it was as stable as it could be, and that the use of additional securing devices, other than tying, was somewhat redundant, and could even destabilise the ladder, including the method of footing described by Graham (full credit for actually specifying though - rare to find). http://www.hse.gov.uk/fo...lops/ocs/200-299/200_30/ arising from the research, is worth a read. The only researched method which was effective, was somewhat flawed in that it techically overloads the ladder. Because no one method could be agreed, 'the HSE cannot recommend a footing method'. Which is not the same as saying it is unacceptable. That still leaves the employer with the option of 'sfairp' - by examining all the evidence, one could probably then justify the approach taken if footing is used, by making sure staff were aware of the ins & outs.

Having worked as a decorator for many years and as an enforcement officer for another number of years I do think that footing a ladder (I'm not going to specify how as Graham has already done this very well!) is an acceptable arrangement to ensure that the ladder is stabilised . However, this is dependant on a number of factors that can only be assessed on a case by case basis as all jobs are not the same. Ensuring SFAIRP that all the risks have been assessed prior to using the ladder and that it is not long duration work, will justify using a second person for footing the ladder. A point not commented on was the use of MEWP's/cherry pickers as a substitute for the ladder. Using a second person will incur a cost and if the work involves a number of short duration pieces of work with the ladder then it may become viable (and safer) to use a MEWP (of course this brings it's own risks and considerations).