Idiots on Ladders is part of a two-pronged push to help ensure ladder users are safe. While the Ladder Exchange – which lets people trade their old, possibly dodgy ladders for safe new ones at a discount – takes unsafe equipment out of circulation, Idiots on Ladders looks at the role of people using the equipment.
The contest is held on the Ladder Association’s Facebook page, where pictures sent in by the public are added to an album, and the one with the most ‘likes’ at the end of the Ladder Exchange in December is crowned this year’s biggest Idiot on a Ladder.
To enter a picture, simply post it onto the Facebook page or email it tomichael.fern@ladderassociation.org.uk.
For this year’s Exchange, the focus on people keeping themselves safe is just as vital as the condition of their ladders. That is why the Exchange’s first month is themed around safe use and training.
Cameron Clow, Ladder Association chairman, says: "Most people these days understand what makes ladder use safe or unsafe. For two years now we have been running the Idiots on Ladders contest, and each time pictures have come flooding in. That shows that the public knows when people are doing something on a ladder they shouldn’t, and are shocked by it, but it also shows that misusing a ladder is far too common.
"We’re devoting a month of the Ladder Exchange to promoting safe use so that everyone knows the guidance and training they need is available. You don’t have to be working in construction to benefit, even occasional users in retail, for example, have a course tailored to them. Putting aside a few hours of a day can ensure you never wind up being an Idiot on a Ladder.”
Tips on using ladders – from inspections to using them at work and in the home – are also available from the Ladder Exchange website at
ladderexchange.org.uk, where people and companies can also find out where to trade in their old ladders for new ones. This year’s Exchange runs from September 1st until December 31st.
0845 2601048michael.fern@ladderassociation.org.uk
