A total of four in five ladders tested by the Ladder Association failed safety tests.
A report, produced in partnership with East of England Trading Standards Association (EETSA) and Suffolk Trading Standards Imports Team, found that over 80% of commercially available telescopic ladders tested in the study failed to meet the minimum safety requirements designed to keep users safe. The research also found that over half of the failed ladders were marked and sold as ‘compliant’.
And the study found that a significant number of ladders available on the market “fall well below basic safety requirements”. Many of these ladders appeared fit for purpose and some even displayed bogus compliance labelling, according to the Ladder Association.
Telescopic leaning ladders should be manufactured to comply with product standard EN 131-6. It was against the most safety critical requirements of this standard that the sample products were tested at the UKAS accredited independent Test & Research Centre in Soham.
Peter Bennett, executive director of the Ladder Association, said: “The evidence we have found of unsafe ladders being retailed in the UK is astounding. The majority of telescopic ladders we tested did not meet the minimum safety requirements designed to keep users safe. These ladders are dangerous and have the potential to cause serious injury. Our message is clear: do not assume that all products sold by retailers in the UK are safe. We hope our research conducted in partnership with Trading Standards gives consumers an increased awareness around the issue and encourages them to exercise caution when buying ladders, particularly online.”
