Do you use ladders in your daily or weekly work?   Do your require your employees to inspect their ladders every day before they use them?   When was the last time you checked to see if your employees were actually inspecting their ladders?  Do you have a ladder  inspection checklist?  The real question is why aren't you doing these things?

Maybe we should start with why would you want to inspect your ladders before using them.    The obvious answer is to ensure they are not defective and your employees are not going to be injured when using them.   The not so obvious answer is to be able to prove to the Ministry of Labour (MoL) you are practicing due diligence and are doing everything reasonably foreseeable to ensure the safety of your employees.   

This leads us to a ladder inspection sheet.   You should be providing ladder inspection forms to your employees, along with the proper training to ensure they know how to inspect a ladder and know what to look for when inspecting their ladders.   It also provides a written account of the ongoing inspections which you keep on file in case there is an incident and the MoL wants to see your records.    As part of this inspection process you need to number your ladders and make sure your inspectors are noting the ladder number on the inspection sheet.  If your ladders are not numbered how does the MoL know which ladders were actually inspected.

This may sound like a lot of work and time, but in reality it only takes a couple of minutes to properly inspect a ladder.  if you are worried about all the paperwork there are companies which provide electronic inspection sheets for smart phones which automatically e-mail to you when they are filled out. 

As part of Redhead Health and Safety's MoL approved Working at Heights training course,  we teach your employees how to properly inspect ladders, plus proper ladder use.  

Redhead Health and Safety...protecting your employees and your business.