10.07.2008

Ladder training push

Following the recently publicised court case in which school caretaker, Anthony Gower-Smith, 73, successfully claimed damages against his local authority employer, by demonstrating that their failure to train him in the proper use of a stepladder was a major contributory cause to the injuries he sustained, Don Aers, chairman of the Ladder Association, has issued a statement highlighting the link between training, safety and competency, and reiterating his previous call to all employers to address the need for training when using ladders and stepladders.

“Training is the most important tool to reduce falls from height. Users expect to receive formal training on other types of access equipment such as access towers and work platforms, so why not on ladders?”

“Although it seems straightforward, it’s essential to decide if a ladder is the right piece of equipment through risk assessment. Then to choose the right type of ladder and to know how to use it safely. It’s about taking an informed, common sense approach to working at height.”

“The Ladder Association has long advocated the need for formal training to combat the potentially dangerous mentality practiced and entertained by those who rely solely on learning on the job. There is no room for this sort of complacency.”

“For uncomplicated, short duration work, ladders and stepladders remain a good option, particularly when you consider the global risk of using other types of access equipment that take much longer to erect and dismantle.”

“With an estimated two million ladders in daily use, the need for professional training has never been more pressing, which is why the association actively supports the Health & Safety Executive’s ‘Shattered Lives’ campaign.”


“One of the aims of the campaign is to make sure that those working at height have the knowledge, skills and training necessary to work safely, a view supported by the Ladder Association for many years.”

“This recent case demonstrates very clearly the potential consequences of insufficient training, both for the ladder user and his or her employer.”

Gower-Smith successfully sued Hampshire County Council after he fell off the 1.8 metre (6ft) stepladder he was using at Awbridge Primary School in Romsey in 2004. In court, he claimed his employer had not shown him how to use the ladder. The council denied negligence.

At the end of June Gower-Smith won his case on the basis that the council was 75 percent to blame. His compensation is now being assessed although he is claiming £50,000, having suffered a fractured skull, fractured cheek bone and kidney injuries in the fall, leading to treatment in intensive care.

He has not been able to work since.