Roofing

Standards
Raising the Roof on Ladder Safety
Roof ladders remain one of the major work at height categories with no British standard.
Paul Bruton, WernerCo’s Product Development Director, assesses the shortcomings of the current standards and the
impact that the introduction of a new British Standard for roof ladders will have on the industry.
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According to Health and Safety Executive (HSE) statistics,
roofers account for nearly 24% of all work at height fatalities - and
falls from height are the biggest cause of worker deaths across
the entire construction industry.
Despite the substantial risk posed to workers, the use of roof
ladders remains one of the major ladder categories where no
British standard exists. Thankfully, this is going to change as the
British Standards Institution (BSI) is bringing about the
development of an industry standard.
That such a standard is needed, is borne out by the way ladder
users are seen trying to comply with regulations and mitigate
risk. Work at Height regulations state that special measures must
be taken (the use of an access platform or scaffolding) where it is
not possible to maintain a constant handhold on a ladder; a
stipulation that has led to an increase in the use of personal fall
protection equipment (PPE) when using roof ladders. This
addition of extra safeguards for workers highlights the concerns
with current roof ladder guidance.
Graham Arundell, Managing Director of the Hire Association
Europe (HAE) agrees: “The fact that workers using roof ladders
are taking these extra precautions highlights that there may need
to be a change in design to meet new criteria and ensure workers
are safe when at height.”
“The introduction of the new roof ladder British Standard is a
significant move forward for the industry and one that is long
overdue. Roof ladders are arguably the most high-risk ladder
category, yet are the only one that has no British or European
standard.”
Of course, current HSE guidelines already set out some requirements for
roof ladders. The HSE states that roof ladders must be designed for the
purpose, of good construction, properly supported, and, if used on a
sloping roof, they must be securely fixed by means of a ridge hook placed
over the ridge bearing on the opposite roof. It also states that ladders
should be used in addition to eaves-level edge protection, and gutters
should not be used to support any ladder.
Critical Issues
But, as Peter Bennett at PASMA explains, some critical issues remain:
“Currently there are no product design standards setting minimum
strength or dimensional requirements for roof ladders.
“In the absence of such a standard, designers and manufacturers have
been left without guidance on critical issues such as: the strength
requirements for the hook arrangement at the top of the ladder, the
maximum deflection allowed in the ladder under load, the clear distance
below the ladder to provide a safe foothold when climbing. All of these
safety critical factors, together with specific markings and user
information, will be considered in the standard.”
Peter continues: “Current designs will need to verify the strength of the
hook arrangement at the top of a roof ladder to take into account the roof
angles which the standard will consider. The stiffness of some current
ladder designs may also be challenged together with the form and
dimensions for bearers - the parts which rest on the surface of the roof
underneath the ladder.”
There is understandably some confusion relating to when a roof ladder
should be used and when alternative access equipment is
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