Midland Ladder Company Limited

If I Live In A Flat, Do I Need A Ladder?

wendy Rudd July 29, 2021 0

People living in flats don't really need an extension ladder – they won't be clearing guttering or the outside of windows, so there is little point in having a long ladder in a small flat where there isn't the space to store it. A stepladder, however, is a must-have for everyone, regardless of whether they live in a flat or a three-storey townhouse. Stepladders are invaluable around the home for reaching tall cupboards, changing light bulbs and redecorating or spring cleaning and they are much safer than using a chair or small table as a substitute. Stepladders are small and easy to store, even hanging from an over-door hook to make the most of a compact space. In a pinch, a set of kitchen steps can be used as an extra chair when you have guests over and if you only need the ladder for...

Ladder Safety – What Not To Do

wendy Rudd July 22, 2021 0

We're big on ladder safety – we want our customers to use the products they buy from us safely and without sustaining any injuries. Ladders are responsible for almost a third of workplace injuries in the UK, and these are accidents involving people with training and experience in using ladders. The untrained and inexperienced users are much more likely to injure themselves while using a ladder. The good news is that the majority of ladder related accidents are avoidable and due to user error rather than a fault with the equipment (although this certainly does cause some falls and injuries) and with due care and attention everyone can be safer when using ladders. We have put together a few nightmare scenarios; see if you can find the one thing that each fictional ladder user does right am...

Steps With Style

wendy Rudd July 15, 2021 0

When we think about ladders we think about function rather than form. The purpose of a ladder is to provide access to high up places, so as long as it does the job we're not bothered what it looks like. Sure, there are many different types of ladder designed for different purposes, but the differences in the construction of the ladder don't have any effect on how it looks – a ladder is a ladder. People who take a lot of care in their interior decoration may shy away from having a stepladder in the home, as it won't tie in with their aesthetic. Although most stepladders are lightweight and slim enough that they can be slipped down the side of a kitchen cabinet or dishwasher, in small spaces it can be challenging to find a space to hide your stepladder away, so the design-conscious may no...

Looks Can Be Deceiving

wendy Rudd July 08, 2021 0

Those of us who remember Changing Rooms will be familiar with the trompe-l'oeil technique, an art and design trick that means “trick the eye”. Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen was a big fan of the technique to create feature walls that looked like windows onto stunning landscapes, but it can also be used to great effect for outdoor murals. One such trompe-l'oeil mural that has sprung up recently is a man on a ladder in Stourbridge. The mural, painted on the side of Katie Fitzgerald's pub, features one of the bar owners, Eddy, up a ladder. Trina and Eddy, the owners of the bar, called local artist Dj to discuss having a mural painted on the otherwise blank side wall of the building, and during these chats Trina mentioned another Midlands ladder mural landmark that disappeared a few years ago. Trin...

The Top Roof Access Ladders

wendy Rudd July 01, 2021 0

Finding the best roof ladder can be tricky if you're not a professional builder or roofer with the knowledge and experience that the job brings. There is a big roof ladder range from DIY suitable roof ladders and roof hook accessories, to professional standard roof ladders intended for regular use in the rough environment of a building site. The right one for you depends on how much use it is going to get and how much you want to spend – a really long roof ladder could set you back around the same as calling a professional to do the job instead, so it's worth thinking about whether you really need to be up on your own roof or whether someone else is best placed to do it for you. For infrequent roof access there is the option of a roof hook accessory. This clamps on to any straight ladde...

When Ladders And Vehicles Don’t Mix

wendy Rudd June 24, 2021 0

Transporting ladders is unavoidable – unless you have it delivered to the only place it will ever be used there will be a time when it has to be moved using a vehicle, and for this reason there are ladder racks designed to fit on roof racks for easy and safe transportation. Not properly securing your ladders on a vehicle can have serious, sometimes fatal consequences – a motorcyclist was badly injured in America last month, when a ladder came off the back of a pick-up truck and struck his bike. He crashed and was so badly hurt he had to be airlifted to hospital. Another man was killed while retrieving his own ladder from a busy freeway. The ladder had fallen off his truck and into the road, so he pulled over and reversed down the hard shoulder to the scene. He was struck by another ve...

Professional Scaffold, Just Small

wendy Rudd June 17, 2021 0

There are plenty of situations where a ladder is not the best way to work at height. One situation is certainly any tasks which need to be done where the public are around are risky to undertake with a ladder. The added need for materials and tools means that often a single person using a ladder has to take unsafe actions in order to get the job done, which is not ideal. For these situations a mobile scaffold tower is a better option, but so many of them are difficult to put up and pack away on your own. Enter the Youngman Minimax, the scaffold tower system designed to be used by one person, with no additional help needed to put it together or pack it away. The clever construction of the Youngman Minimax range makes them easy to put up and transport – the base unit folds up, the platfor...

Ladders In Unexpected Places

wendy Rudd June 10, 2021 0

Ladders are normally used to scale heights, rather than span horizontal gaps, but they're ideal for this purpose, especially in hard to reach places. Ladders are often used to traverse rock faces in remote areas as they are very portable and adaptable, and easy to fix into rock. That's why anglers in the 1800s used iron ladders to create a walkway along a rock face in Snowdonia National Park, so they could get the best trout fishing in the river below. The ladder walkway, which is on private property, has become a magnet for people looking for the next popular Instagram post; this popularity has meant that the ladders have become badly damaged, and there has been a huge rise in the amount of litter left in the area. The exact location of the ladder walk is being kept secret to deter thr...

Is This A Safe Set-Up?

wendy Rudd June 03, 2021 0

“Is this safe” is a question we should all ask ourselves before we do many things. Crossing the road whilst being distracted, sticking our hands into somewhere we can't see, or carrying out electrical work standing in a puddle – these are all things that can be fraught with danger but easily avoided with a simple mental risk assessment. The question “is this safe?” ought to be followed up with “if not, how can it be done safely?” and perhaps a third question is asking yourself “is this best left to the professionals?” We know from the ‘Idiots on Ladders’ portion of the Ladder Association's Ladder Safety Month that even the professionals can get it wrong at times; sometimes even experienced ladder users, and those who should know better, misuse ladders and put themselves at risk. Vertika...

Stairs For Small Extensions

wendy Rudd May 27, 2021 0

The economic impacts of the pandemic mean that many people, who might have upsized as the family grows, are having to stay put and think of creative ways to get more space, or more income. Extensions are a great way to do this, and if your neighbours or others on the street have already built extensions, then you're likely to get planning permission without any hurdles. Having a two-storey extension can provide not just extra living space, but another bathroom and bedroom. Depending on the layout and access to your house, a two-storey extension with a separate entrance could be a good place for a relative to move into if they can no longer stay in their own home. Alternatively it could be used for a grown-up child moving back after university or even to let out for extra income. Runnin...