Working at height safely: ladders and steps

Learn to choose, check, set up and use a ladder or steps safely before working above ground level.

WH-01Pick the right equipment for the jobA stepladder (a free-standing, hinged ladder with flat steps) is fine for short jobs like changing a bulb or painting a ceiling. A leaning ladder (one that rests against a wall) is for reaching higher, like guttering. Never use a leaning ladder for a job where you need both hands free for long periods, or where you need to reach sideways - use a tower scaffold or steps instead.

WH-02Check the ladder before every useLook for bent or cracked stiles (the two long side rails), missing or worn rubber feet, and rungs that wobble or feel loose when you push them. Open a stepladder fully and check the spreader bars (the metal braces that lock the front and back legs apart) click firmly into place. If anything feels wrong, don't use it - a ladder that fails while you're on it is a serious fall risk, and this check takes seconds.

WH-03Set up on firm, level groundNever use a ladder on soft soil, loose paving, or anything that rocks. If the ground is uneven, use proper levelling feet made for the ladder - never bricks, pallets or wood offcuts to prop up one leg. For a leaning ladder, use the 1-in-4 rule: for every 4 units of height, the base should sit 1 unit out from the wall (roughly a 75 degree angle). Too upright and it can tip backwards; too shallow and the base can slide out.

WH-04Secure a leaning ladder before you climbA leaning ladder must be stopped from slipping sideways or at the base. Tie it to a fixed point near the top if you can, or have someone hold and foot it (stand with a foot against the bottom rung and hands on the stiles) the whole time you're on it. The beginner mistake is propping the ladder up and climbing straight away - always secure it first, even for a two-minute job.

WH-05Climb and work using three points of contactAlways keep two hands and one foot, or two feet and one hand, in contact with the ladder as you move. Face the ladder while climbing, don't carry tools in your hands - use a tool belt or pull items up on a cord instead. Keep your belt buckle between the stiles (the side rails); if you have to lean out past them to reach something, you're overreaching, and that's how ladders tip sideways.

WH-06Know when a ladder isn't good enoughIf a job needs you to work for more than a few minutes in one spot, needs force (like pulling or drilling hard), or is above the top three rungs of a stepladder, stop and get a proper platform - a tower scaffold or hop-up platform - instead. Standing on the top step or top two rungs of a stepladder is a common cause of falls because there's nothing left to hold onto.

WH-07Check you've set up correctlyBefore you commit any weight, give the ladder a firm push and pull - it shouldn't move, rock, or feel springy at the base. On a leaning ladder, both feet should sit flat and even on the ground with no wobble, and the angle should let you stand with arms almost straight out to touch the rungs. If it moves at all when you test it, stop, reset it, and check the ground and angle again.

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