Hiking ladders, or Via Ferrata (iron ways) to give them their proper name, have long held our interest due to the incredible applications of this technology and the wider impacts on rural societies.  Ladders are ancient technology; along with the wheel these structures are still in use today because they work.  Ladders provide access to otherwise unreachable places, whether that is the guttering on your house or a remote mountaintop village in rural China, so the children can get safely to school every day.    Via Ferrata are most commonly encountered in tourist destination hiking spots, where the use of ladder technology affords intrepid climbers breath-taking views of mountainous regions, with [...]

The list of ladder-based jobs you do around the home might feel endless, but it's actually just very long!  Here's the top 10 domestic tasks requiring a ladder that you may do this year:   Light bulb changing High level dusting or spring cleaning Gutter clearing Hanging photographs or paintings Putting up shelves Accessing the loft Outdoor maintenance i.e. cleaning security lights or hanging decorations Garden jobs i.e. pruning climbing plants, vines or shrubs Repainting walls and doorframes Window cleaning   Not everyone will need to do all these jobs – many of us have a window cleaner who comes regularly to do that job, but if you're not on an [...]

No Falls Week, running from the 13th to the 17th of May 2024, is a new initiative from the No Falls Foundation, a charity set up to prevent falls from height and support those whose lives have changed following a fall at home or at work.    In the last year alone 40 people died as the result of a fall from height at work, out of more than 5,000 reported accidents.  Self-employed people are less likely to report a fall from height; estimates by the Health and Safety Executive suggest that in the past decade over 425,000 workplace falls have happened.  When you think about the number of domestic ladder [...]

We're staunch advocates for the safe use of ladders, but we also like to have a laugh at the mad things some people do with ladders, that most definitely fall into the unsafe or jaw dropping category.  The best place to go online for the daftest ladder users is Vertikal with their Death Wish series.  One of the best recent examples, which left us with our heads in our hands, was a three-ladder set up where safety had been thought about, but only for approximately ten seconds.    The ladder lunacy in question was two long, fully extended ladders that had been cable tied together to reach over 12 metres, with [...]

Easter is the perfect time to run some ladder refresher training, because nothing motivates people quite like the promise of chocolate!  While a domestic egg hunt for kids involves hiding chocolate at the eye level of a child, running one for adults gives you a lot more leeway in terms of hiding spots, especially when you involve ladders in the search.   Setting up   The safety aspect starts when you hide the Easter eggs – it's not going to be much of a lesson if you end up in A&E before it even gets started!  Select the main ladder styles that your staff use regularly, plus a couple that might [...]

We sell ladders of all styles and sizes, from hop ups to roof access ladders and everything in between.  While you'll always find the widest range of ladders online at the most competitive prices with us, we also sell the ladder in its most pure form – the single section leaning ladder. We have Lyte's single section ladders, as well as a range from Hymer.  The Hymer single ladders have square rungs, making them safe for vertical mounting as a staging or for vertical access across a gap.  These are perfect for DIYers, painters and decorators and plasterers who need a vertical ladder for certain jobs.  This is also a boon for [...]

If we conjure up a mental image of a ladder, the chances are that we see ourselves standing at the bottom of the ladder ready to climb up, rather than at the top ready to descend.  It's true that the majority of the time we ascend before we descend a ladder but there are ladders which we always descend before ascending. Manhole and shaft access ladders are one such model, as they provide access down into the sewers and underground infrastructure that lies silently beneath our feet.  These ladders are fixed into place on the side of the shaft so that they can be accessed in emergencies – no-one has to remember [...]

The internet never disappoints when it comes to amusing, and sometimes downright dangerous evidence of ladder use that didn't quite go to plan, but this image[1] of a conifer that didn't quite get the haircut it needed made us chuckle.  It had the same effect on many commenters, with a lot of people seeing a Spongebob Squarepants pineapple house, and a few comparisons to the well-loved Sesame Street character Ernie with the addition of some eyes and a nose. This half-job was the result of the ladder not being quite long enough for the job, and we're thankful that we got a laugh out of it and that the topiarist didn't put [...]

Zarges are renowned for their vast range of height access solutions, making everything from telescopic ladders, to adjustable staircase ladders, electricians’ ladders and everything in between.  They excel in the mobile work platform market, with their range of single and double sided access platforms offering flexible height access equipment for many industries.  You will find Zarges products used for maintenance, assembly, food production and in other manufacturing plants where employees regularly need to access a range of heights for the production process. While these single and double ended access platforms are perfect for use in manufacturing contexts, whether as part of the process or for maintenance (or both), they don't fold down.  [...]

Large scale projects in potentially hazardous environments need specialist access equipment – although fibreglass ladders are great for most tasks there are many situations in which a fibreglass access tower is the best piece of equipment for the job.  For any tasks at heights over around 3.5 metres, and where two people may be required for completion, a double width fibreglass access tower is the go-to option. The BoSS Zone 1 access towers come in both single and double width options, but it's the double width that allows the space for two people at the same time. The towers are suitable for a working load of 220kg (including equipment).  There is also [...]