Rank: Forum user 
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Fellow Colleagues
I've had many a discussion with colleagues over the years regarding the inspection of ladders and thought a quick forum question may assist.
I have looked through the most relevant legislation namely the working at height regulations, in particular schedule 6, and there is no definitive answer.
Ladder inspection frequency, some companies I've worked with inspect ladders monthly others quarterly and others annually, which wasn't because they were advised it is a risk based approach to the maintenance based on use and standard maintenance requirements.
I now find myself wondering, is there a particular BS standard for indicating a specific maintenance requirement for ladders both mobile and fixed ladders and if yes, has it been superseded by the working at height regulations?
Thank you in advance
Rick
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Rank: Super forum user
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Rick
I think it would be along the same lines as PAT testing the more at risk a piece of equipment is then the more often it will needed to be inspected. A ladder on a building site is far more likely to get damaged and therefore need more frequent inspection than a set off step in an office environment where may they are used once a month. At my old company we where often inspecting ladders /steps more often than they where being used so you need to identify your own frequency based on use and the environment they are in. i would also look at pre-user checks which probably take less than 10 seconds to look at the steps to see if anything is bent or damaged or quite a common one the feet missing of the bottom.
So like lots of thing there would be nothing specifically stating frequency as a lot would depend on its use and likely hood of being damaged. i have a set of steps in my garage that are probably 40 years old and are as good as the day they where bought as they have been looked after.
Phil
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Rank: Forum user 
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On construction sites run by the likes of Balfour Beatty, the requirement is for ladders to be inspected on a weekly basis. This is done by the same person who inspects the tower scaffolds on site. Usually the ladder carries a tag to confirm the inspection, similar to the 'scafftag' system. Hope this helps.
Chris
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Rank: Super forum user 
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It really does come down to the risk assessment. For someone using a ladder on a daily basis - throwing it onto the back of a wagon and using it outdoors in varying construction site envrionments, they may want to carry out a daily insepction whereas someone else may have a ladder stored in a cupboard which is only used 5 or 6 times each year, so they might simply carry out an inspection before each use. As with most equipment inspections (scaffolfing and forklifts being the main exceptions), the frequency of inspection is open to interpretation and should be decided by a risk assessment.
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Rank: Super forum user
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grim,
Both your 2 scenarios suggest inspection every time ladder is used! :o)
In fact the user should do a pre-use check every time, takes a a few seconds.
Rick09, you are thinking about a thorough/written inspection by a second/third party. So I suggest first deciding who that party could be. As Chris says it might be a contractor, but often it might be a fitter from maintenance dept. or an engineer/fitter from another dept.
Once you've chosen the inspector he can discuss the usage that each ladder gets and draw up an inspection schedule, the frequencies can depend on usage: how often, weather, handling, storage etc.
JohnW
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Rank: Forum user
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Rick
Would it help to look at it this way:
Every ladder user should check it before use. But, they won't record the fact unless they need to report a defect.
Positive, recorded inspection then depends on the circs and risks. If the ladder is part of a scaffold on a construction site, it's part of the weekly inspection cycle although it may have its own scafftag or similar ticketting arrangement. If it's part of kit in a van, it may be part of a total van gear check. As others note above. it's risk and usage related. Don't be afraid though to keep it simple.
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