Posted By May Warley Hi All, I need opinions from those of you who are familiar with the training related to Work at Height. We use a lot of step ladders at work and I have been asked to find a training course for a colleague of mine to take so that he is competent to train the rest of my colleagues up at work(only ladders and step ladders - no safety harnesses are required for the job) I have got a quote for a one-day Ladder & Step Ladders course for him but have been told he needs more than this to be competent enough to train people up. I need suggestions on the type of course suitable, please. Thanks in advance May

Posted By Chris Costall A couple of things you need to consider. 1) Competency of the individual who is going to disseminate the training: - Does he have any recognised training/ coaching qualification(s)..? - Background of the individual in question, is he familiar with working at height and from steps/ ladders..? is he competent…. It may be better depending on his experience to put him on a recognised coaching/ trainer’s course, and then he will be able to coach/ training other topic in which he is competent. Example: CIEH Professional Trainers Certificate (would recommend) You may also want to consider the option of sub-contracting the training out, not retaining the risk in house. 2) Examples of the content, which should be included within a working at height/ steps and ladder training course: - Accident statistics surrounding the topics - Legislation surrounding the topic WAHR 05, MHSWR 99, PUWER 98 etc - The employers & employees duties in relation the legislation - Situations where steps and ladders are and are not suitable to be used - Requirement that ladders should only to be used for light work and short duration - Requirement for three points of contact - Requirement for ladders to be tied off or footed - Suitability of the equipment being used (i.e. class 1) - The requirement to inspect the equipment - What to look for when inspecting the equipment - The different type of inspections (informal, formal) - Inspection frequencies (i.e. visual prior to use, formal monthly & recorded) - Procedure for reporting defects and taking the equipment out of service if defective There is much more that can be included, much depends on your process and working environment. I hope this helps… Chris

Posted By Bob Youel a person should be competent to train - the old fashioned systems do not stand up in court so get people trained to train

Posted By Brian Hagyard This is a slight digression so I apologize before I begin. I would agree that the advice on ladder and step ladder use from the HSE is very comprehensive, and that it hardly needs a highly qualified trainer to pass then on. A competant person should however be able to demonstrate that they practice the techniques being advocated. Its also important that a company can demonstrate that the training is being followed. Over the last few years i have seen accidents in companies where adequate training has been given (sometimes by qualified external trainers) and staff continue to use ladders in a dangerous manner (going too high, overstretching, not securing, carrying inappropriate loads etc) because that's the way they have always done it and were probably not paying that much attention to the trainer. A nice flashy certificate does not always prove that someone has actually learned anything just sat through a training course so monitoring of compliance with the training is vital. Sorry for my waffle but I am sure you understand what I mean. Brian.

Posted By Crim Those that can - do Those that can't - teach The above is something I was told many years ago and I believe to be true, in the main. I have a high opinion of myself as a "doer" but not so high as a trainer as my trainer training is very limited. Leave it to the qualified experts I say as there is always a need to pass on full information that can only really be gained from attendance at a training course.

Posted By accessoperator As per a previous answer the HSE 'A Toolbox talk on learning ladder and stepladder safety' cut and paste link: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg403.pdf Advice given within the guidance publication simply states: "The person who delivers the talk should: be a good speaker; be commited to what they say; be able to demonstrate safe use of ladders and accessories used;and know enough about the safe use of ladders to be able to answer any questions that may be asked."

Posted By Crim My last post was directed toward Simone. The bottom line above says it all!

Posted By Francis E S Hone Those that can - do Those that can't - teach I become a safety advisor & driving instructor does that mean I can do & I can teach Its Friday & nearly time to go Home Frank