Ladder guards are one of the most useful ladder accessories you can get for when you’re not using a ladder!  Most ladder safety accessories are designed for actually using the ladder – things like leg levellers, stoppers, stand offs and work platforms; they are all extras for making ladder use safer.  Ladder guards are for making ladders safer when they’re not being used.

Building sites, home DIY projects and other spaces where ladders may be semi-permanently fixed for the duration of a project pose a risk to unauthorised visitors, and it is the site owner’s responsibility to ensure that ladder access is restricted only to those who should be using them, and not to thrill-seeking teens, for example.  Enabling unauthorised access to scaffolds, roofs and other high up areas where safety gear is a must is a no-no, and ladder guards are the answer.

A ladder guard is an accessory which locks over the front face of a ladder rendering it unusable.  The main component is a plate which hooks over a rung, and is then locked into place by passing a bracket around one of the rungs from the back, which is then secured with a supplied padlock.  When the guard is in place the ladder can’t be climbed.  When these are locked into place over several rungs of a collapsed extension ladder, they also stop the ladder from being extended, rendering the ladder unscaleable.

A ladder guard should be used on building sites where a ladder is the access method to a scaffold; if there is another access method this should also be rendered inaccessible.  Ladder guards can be used on scaffold towers too, which means they can be left set up overnight.  If you have projects going on at home then a ladder guard should be locked on every time the ladder is not being used and there’s no-one in the area, to ensure no unauthorised persons try to climb it.  Children and pets may be curious about the ladder and come to harm trying to scale it.

Overnight use of a ladder guard for home projects also ensures a burglar can’t use the ladder to climb up a scaffold or climb directly to a window, where they could then gain entry to the property.  The same goes for building sites – it’s not just the safety aspects of anti-social behaviour that’s a concern for site managers, but the potential for theft of tools and materials from a project.  A ladder guard restricts access to valuable materials that could be tempting enough for a thief to risk their neck for.

Ladder guards are also useful on above ground swimming pools.  These types of pools are becoming more popular as the filtration technology gets better, and we get longer periods of hot weather in the UK.  They don’t need planning permission or groundwork, so are ideal for family homes, but they can pose a danger to small children. 

Unlike a sunken pool, an above ground pool needs a ladder for access; so bathers can climb up and over the sides without pulling on them and causing damage.  The problem is that when left unattended, non-swimmers may enter the pool.  One option is to remove the pool ladder, but this becomes tiring when you’re removing it multiple times a day.  The ladder then also needs to be stored somewhere and can become a hazard in its own right.

A ladder guard allows you to block access to the ladder, and therefore to the pool, with minimal hassle.  While adventurous and determined children may find a way round the ladder guard, the presence of a barrier also serves as a reminder that the pool should only be used under supervision.

Our ladder guard is suitable for all types of DIY, trade and industrial ladder, so take advantage of the low price and next day delivery to add this important safety equipment to your kit.