Midland Ladder Company Limited

Time To Make A Spring Cleaning Plan

wendy Rudd March 24, 2020 0

With spring in the air there's no time like the present to make a plan for your spring clean and maintenance tasks to ensure you don't miss anything. For most spring cleaning tasks you need a ladder, whether that's a step ladder for dusting on top of cupboards, an extension ladder for clearing your guttering or a tripod ladder to thin out the crown of a tree. It makes sense then that your first task is to check over all of your ladders, to make sure they're fit for purpose and won't cause an accident. For ladders with moving parts, like extension and step ladders, check that they move freely and are not stiff or rusted. If they squeak or are stiff then now is the time to apply some oil and ensure they are working smoothly. Do make sure you wipe off any excess oil, so it doesn't becom...

Time To Make A Spring Cleaning Plan

wendy Rudd March 24, 2020 0

With spring in the air there's no time like the present to make a plan for your spring clean and maintenance tasks to ensure you don't miss anything. For most spring cleaning tasks you need a ladder, whether that's a step ladder for dusting on top of cupboards, an extension ladder for clearing your guttering or a tripod ladder to thin out the crown of a tree. It makes sense then that your first task is to check over all of your ladders, to make sure they're fit for purpose and won't cause an accident. For ladders with moving parts, like extension and step ladders, check that they move freely and are not stiff or rusted. If they squeak or are stiff then now is the time to apply some oil and ensure they are working smoothly. Do make sure you wipe off any excess oil, so it doesn't become...

Ladder Artist Charlie Brouwer Has Some Competition

wendy Rudd March 02, 2020 0

Our favourite travelling artist Charlie Brouwer is renowned for his huge sculptures made entirely from donated ladders given by the local community. His temporary installations are designed to bring the community together in a single endeavour and to represent the way in which people support each other. His ladder sculptures may have some competition in the Giant's Ladder, or Stairway to Heaven thought to have been created by artist Henry Bruce. The enormous wooden ladder stood, until very recently, in the same spot as Bruce's The Giant's Chair, which was in place on Dartmoor for four years. It was destroyed in the recent high winds and only a few people were lucky enough to see it while it was in place. Bruce has not come forward to claim ownership of the sculpture, which now lies in ...

Reinventing The Ladder – Leaning Stepladders And The Sumostance

wendy Rudd February 20, 2020 0

The biggest no-no for working with stepladders is to use them in the closed position as a leaning ladder. Stepladders aren't designed for this purpose, but people often take the risk and use their stepladders as a straight ladder when they need to get closer to the wall, and don't want to fetch the right ladder, or don't have one. The risk of doing this is that the ladder feet are designed to lay flat when the ladder is open, so when the ladder is closed the feet do not form a safe connection with the ground. This leads to the ladder slipping out from under the user, as well as increasing the risk of the ladder toppling over to the side. Now, some ladder manufacturers are producing stepladders which can be used in the closed position as a way of reducing the risk of people using steplad...

The Finest Idiots On Ladders Of 2019

wendy Rudd February 19, 2020 1

We always prioritise safety over anything else – there are few tasks that can't wait for a better day or the right ladder. However, there will always be people who take a risk for the sake of getting the job done, and they don't care if they're risking life and limb to do so – perhaps the call of an early finish and the pub is too strong for some to resist? Here are some of the riskiest ladder users we heard about in 2019. Firstly, an example of ladder transport which has been decried so often in the media we can't believe we even have another example to report. This time, an Uber driver in Walsall allowed the passengers to transport a ladder while holding it outside the vehicle. Two passengers, one in the front and one in the back, held their arms out of the windows holding on to the ...

Winter Gardening Tips

wendy Rudd January 29, 2020 1

Going into 2020 the days are starting to get longer again, although it might be a few weeks before we really notice the difference. The trees and hedgerows are bare, and the natural world seems to be in limbo, waiting for the first signs of warmth that herald the start of spring. This is often the best time to undertake radical pruning of shrubs and hedges as you can see what you are cutting very easily, without the leaves obscuring detail. Many garden jobs can be done from the ground, while tall shrubs and hedges require some kind of height access equipment to be able reach the very top. The problem is that the ground is often very soft at this time of year and therefore, dangerous to use a ladder on. Hailo offer a solution to this problem with their range of garden steps. The wide s...

Telescopic Ladders – A Guide To Buying And Using Wisely

wendy Rudd January 16, 2020 0

Telescopic ladders represent the most recent large scale innovation in the ladder world. Their space saving features, relative light weight and ease of transportation make them a great choice for professional and domestic users alike, with surveyors, caravan owners and those living in small homes among the main customers. Unfortunately, like all popular equipment there are counterfeit versions on the market and it can be hard to spot them. It is vital, therefore, that you purchase from a reputable and knowledgeable supplier like us. We have years of experience and a consistent supply chain, that enables us to sell only genuine and reliable models that put your safety first. Any fake brand ladder can be dangerous, as they are not built to the same standards (EN 131) we rely upon to ens...

Inspirational Ladder Stories

wendy Rudd January 03, 2020 0

We hear a lot about ladder accidents, near misses and rescues involving ladders, but there are some truly inspirational stories out there. Anything with a firefighter in gets our attention because they do such vital work and carry out risky tasks every day in the pursuit of saving lives. That's why when we heard about Alexis Metko's inspirational story we had to bring it to you. Alexis Metko joined the fire service when she was 16 years old, as a volunteer in New Jersey. After moving to Wisconsin, now aged 32 years old, she needed to attain certification to work in that state, and was training when a near fatal accident happened. She was carrying an axe down a 35-foot ladder, when she lost her grip on the handle and fell headfirst towards the ground. Her training supervisor acted in...

Alternatives To Traditional Scaffolding

wendy Rudd December 30, 2019 1

Scaffolding is a must-have for certain jobs. Any projects to the exterior of a building usually means that a lot of time will be spent working at height; whether that job is repointing, painting, cladding or fitting new windows, a considerable amount of time will be spent in the air, and then there is the issue of materials. How will you transport raw materials up to the right height? Where will they sit while you work? Scaffolding answers all these questions, however, sometimes hiring a whole scaffold rig is a bigger outlay than is really needed, or there could be other reasons why a scaffold rig can’t be put up. Ladder jack scaffold systems provide the stability and space of a scaffold tower without taking up a lot of space, so they are perfect for medium sized jobs on the exterior o...

Steppy The Short Step Ladder

wendy Rudd December 18, 2019 0

Fear not, our festive take on ladders is here, sung to the tune of Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer; you'll be singing this all the way to Christmas Day! You know hop ups and kick-stools and platforms and scaffolds,Roofing and access and tripod and gardenBut do you recallThe most useful ladder of all? Steppy the short step ladderNothing's easier to climbAnd if you ever use oneYou'll be saying “this is fine” All of the other laddersHave their uses as we knowBut it's the humble A-frameThat's always gonna steal the show Then one foggy Christmas EveDecking out the hallsSteppy wasn't tall enoughNo, I couldn't reach at all I looked for another ladderI had a taller set of stepsNow I could reach the ceilingAnd put up all my Xmas decs Tinsel strung across the hallLights twinkle on the treeSteppy helped...