Ladder Stopper

[Mike Johnson]

Further reading says: if you can’t achieve any of these options, (tying) foot the ladder. Footing is the last resort. Avoid it, where ‘reasonably practicable’, by using other access equipment.

The Effective stability device statement is a smart one, if indeed someone had an accident using a footing device, if would be easy to say "Obviously the stability device was not effective"

 

[buzzlightyear]

was on eBay managed to get a 30” one for £45 delivered.

Might just wait for an ebay bargain..

Probably coming from Romania.
Got your monie new house built.

 

[nicebutdim]

Only mention of passing any tests: "We have now branched out into designing safe access steps and ladders in cooperation with various UK ladder manufacturers including our new Safe Ladder which passes the Loughborough Stability Test" Which is Rojak's sponsored research by Loughborough University for its own trade association.

No mention of HSE approval or recommendation: https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg455.pdf shows tying to the structure only, or an effective stability device, can't get to the bottom of if the Rojak system is deemed by the HSE to be one.

From the page linked:

Since 1990 Rojak Design has invested heavily in Research and Development, Patents, Testing and Tooling and in 1993 we were the only manufacturer to be invited to demonstrate a ladder stabiliser to the HSE at their laboratories(HSL) at Buxton. In 1995 Rojak Design was the founder member of the Ladder Systems Manufacturers' Association (LaSMA) which is a small Trade Association of Stabiliser and Ladder Manufacturers keen to further the development of safe ladder systems.

As an Association we were involved with HSL in their initial workshop research into the issue of Ladder Stability which in turn lead to the formal work carried out by Loughborough University and the subsequent Loughborough Report. This report became the back up evidence for the Ladder requirements set out in the HSE Operational Circular 200 30 for HSE Inspectors.

Also from linked page:

We have a very good working relationship with UK ladder manufacturers as well as trade and professional bodies such as the Health and Safety Executive, BSI and CITB. Rojak Design was the founder member of The Ladder Systems Manufacturers Association (LaSMA) which is a trade association of stabiliser and ladder manufactures all keen to further the development of safe ladder systems.



I can't speak for others, but my interest in buying a ladder stopper is as a means of providing a sold base on uneven ground or loose surfaces and to reduce the risk of slippage on surfaces such as concrete, brick, ashphalt etc.

It matters little to me what position the HSE take on such devices, or whether they hand out certificates, as I'm more interested in utilising common sense as a means of self-preservation, than blindly following rules.

 

[Mike Johnson]

I was commenting from an insurance point of view and your own liability, what I was pointing out is that the manufacturer does not say they are endorsed by the HSE, if the units they offered where I think they would shout it from the roof tops, both of the research documents highlighted in blue are no longer available, stating that you have a very good working relationship with any body or association means absolutely nothing, the point of my initial post was to highlight that these footing devices are a last resort and not recommended by the HSE as a working practice.

 

[nicebutdim]

I get what you were driving at and didn't intend that last post to read so sharply. In a lot of instances I have no means of securing ladders, so a ladder stop could only be considered an improvement. Insurance isn't a consideration where I currently use ladders, so it's purely a matter of improving less than ideal situations.

 

[Mike Johnson]

I don't work off ladders now days, the Arthritis in my feet and hands would make it a very dodgy exercise to work off a ladder, even though through the years I have put in tie in points all around the UK house, this year I bought an extending lance for the Karcher to clean the gutters, and this helps elsewhere, impossible for me to climb the internal ladder though, youth is wasted on the young. ?

 

[RDB85]

Probably coming from Romania.
Got your monie new house built.

Believe it or not it was from the UK.

 

[UNG]

Having read through the last few posts about the safety of the Rojak and the lack of endorsement by the HSE for it's use and then to quote various methods sited by the HSE is a bit odd, tying the ladder has no specific endorsement of the type and diameter of the rope or even the type of knots that must be used or whether the ladder lashing points if they are eyebolts should be regularly pull tested with an approved device
I doubt the HSE would specifically endorse any safety device as should an injury occur during the use of that device it would seriously compromise the HSE's ability to impartially investigate and ultimately prosecute if an incident caused a severe injury or death
As with all safety systems it is the operatives responsibility carry out a risk assessment on site to ensure they are suitable for the task to use them in the correct manor as advised by the manufacturer, personaly I have used the Rojak since it's early days without any problems at times I have tried to find it's absolute limitations and not found a surface that it fails on yet, am I bothered there is no HSE endorsement NO I'll carry on using it while I can still climb ladders

 

[nicebutdim]

As with all safety systems it is the operatives responsibility carry out a risk assessment on site to ensure they are suitable for the task to use them in the correct manor as advised by the manufacturer

That's basically my thinking on the matter. Whether through training, common sense or a combination of both, it is basically down to the individual to determine whether natural selection claims their scalp or not. To date I've managed to survive working at height through a mixture of common sense and an instinctual understanding of gravity. If a ladder stopper can help make many situations safer, regulatory certification will not be on my list of concerns.

 

[Mike Johnson]

When I used to go up ladders off soft ground I would hammer in my wrecking bar over the bottom rung, it there was no way to tie the ladder too the structure.

Lashing points have to be certificated and tested at regular intervals the lashing itself has to be sufficient to prevent the ladder from moving down or sideways, the strength of the rope, string or cable tie is moot.

 

[SparkySy]

I had one of the ladder stoppers for years but unfortunately it disappeared on a job a while ago, most annoying! It was a really useful bit of kit, as UNG stated it was impossible to get ladders to slip on them, and I used to pull some iffy things off on ladders when I was younger as I'm sure we all have trying to get the job done!
Having had a few near misses recently and seeing this thread I have bought another one.