Builders Merchants Journal – BMJ Publishing to Builders Merchants and the UK merchanting industry for more than 95 years
Werner renews ladder safety warning amid Ladder Association’s latest Telescopic Ladder Surveillance report.
The renewed warning follows an incident involving Electrician Joffrey Bogemans, who was injured after buying a telescopic ladder online from Amazon, which did not meet standdards despite having the EN131 safety standard clearly stamped on it.
Werner compliance manager Dave Elson comments: “The publication of the Ladder Association’s report makes for sober reading. Perhaps most startling of all the results is that 78% of telescopic extension ladders have failed basic safety standards, with 100% of telescopic extension ladders from online marketplaces failing. However, 100% of Werner manufactured telescopic extension ladders passed the same rigorous checks.
“Fake labelled ladders, often made from poorly manufactured materials, clearly put every user’s safety at risk. Reputable manufacturers use quality materials to meet or comfortably exceed safety standard requirements, but this does impact on the overall retail price.
“Whilst Joffrey thought he was safe in buying a telescopic ladder that had the EN131 mark, the very cheap price tag pointed towards the quality of the item being compromised; and it turned out that the telescopic ladder had fake EN131 certification.”
In a recent investigation by consumer watchdog Which? 100 telescopic ladders being sold on online marketplaces were found to be similar or identical to products previously recalled over safety concerns.
Consumer advice from Which? encourages people to buy ladders from accredited merchants and to beware of products that are significantly cheaper than the bigger brands. It also advises looking for EN131 stamping or markings that are engraved on the ladder, as well as the name of the manufacturer and where the product was produced. Additionally, there should be safety markings and picturegrams on the ladder, which should be packaged and delivered with a user manual. If there is no manual, or it is poorly translated, that could be a sign the ladder itself is counterfeit.
