The “overwhelming” majority of telescopic ladders sold online fail safety regulations, according to new research from the Ladder Association, raising serious concerns that potentially dangerous ladders are being sold to unsuspecting consumers in the UK.
Over 80% of commercially-available ladders tested as part of the study failed to meet basic safety requirements, and over half of the failed ladders were marked and sold as ‘compliant’ to standards such as CE marking. The report describes this mislabelling as a “deliberate attempt to mislead consumers” and says many of these unsafe ladders are sold by some of the country’s biggest online and trade retailers.
The association recommends that telescopic leaning ladders should be produced to comply with the requirements of EN 131-6 (known in the UK as BS EN 131 Part 6:2019). It was against the most critical requirements of this standard that the sample products were tested at the UKAS accredited independent Test & Research Centre in Soham.
Gail Hounslea, chair of the Ladder Association, says: “Our research carried out in the Telescopic Ladder Surveillance Survey underlines the importance of putting safety first when it comes to purchasing ladders. It’s easy to assume that ladders being sold from a recognisable site or store are ‘trustworthy’ and these marketplaces would only sell tried and tested products, but sadly this is not always the case. We are calling on consumers to shop safer, and one way to guarantee product safety is to buy from a Ladder Association member.”
The Ladder Association is now calling for increased vigilance of the issues on the part of suppliers, marketplaces and social media selling platforms, as well as enforcement agencies and governing bodies, and a joined-up approach with Trading Standards to stop these products at port.
To find out more information on the Step Up to Safe Ladders campaign and to view the full report, please follow the link: www.ladderassociation.org.uk/step-up
