Open Day
Ladder open day for Trading Standards Officers
The Test & Research Centre held ladder open days in November for Trading Standards Officers in partnership with the Ladder Association.
22nd November 2024
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Open Day
The Test & Research Centre held ladder open days in November for Trading Standards Officers in partnership with the Ladder Association.
22nd November 2024
In November 2024, the Test & Research Centre (T&R) hosted two open days for Trading Standards Officers (TSO) and staff from the Office for Product Safety and Standards.
With both days fully booked and a waiting list, it was clear that the first Open Day held earlier in the year had gone down well with the Trading Standards community. Delegates attended from not only the east of England but also from the midlands and the south east. This also included a mixture of inland officers and those working at ports and borders.
TSO’s have a broad spectrum of products for which they are the legal enforcement agency. Since around 2010, staffing numbers have reduced significantly. This is largely due to an aging demographic and austerity cuts. Spread across more products and sectors, we felt it was important to share our knowledge and insights. This will help them understand portable ladders on the market.
The purpose of the day was to give TSO’s an overview of portable ladders and share some insights from product testing over recent years.
Don Aers, the Ladder Association Technical Manager, explained the current portable ladders standards in the EN 131 family, together with other standards for products like step stools and loft ladders.
John Darby, T&R General Manager, explained how portable ladders are tested including a tour of the laboratory. Several different example tests were set up, showing how strength and deflections tests are performed.
This sparked some interesting discussions around product dimensions and details like markings and user instructions. The adjacent image shows one of the more humorous “instructions” found in samples.
In the afternoon session, TSO’s had the chance to try out examining some sample ladders, which included both conforming and nonconforming products. As TSO’s may not come across these products regularly, it’s important that they can access easy-to-understand guidance to help their inspections.
To do this, the Ladder Association has produced two guidance documents with help from T&R and TSO’s based in Suffolk that cover the Port of Felixstowe. These guides on telescopic (EN 131-6) and multi hinge-joint (EN 131-4) ladders, take insight from dozens of detained and tested products. They summarise common design and dimensional faults. Following the checklists, TSO’s were able to quickly inspect sample ladders and ascertain if they conformed to the relevant standard.
In the field, they may not have long to look at a product and decide if it needs further investigation. With the guidance in hand, in a few minutes, they can find any product safety flaws or missing markings, allowing them to make an informed decision quickly.
The feedback from the open day has been extremely positive. Delegates felt that they had learned something useful during the sessions. Several commented on the benefits of getting “hands-on” with samples. Feeling product quality, or the lack of it, many felt was highly informative.
One Officer from Norfolk Trading Standards commented, “Good practical lecture with worked examples together with good insight into potential issues. Both trainers demonstrated excellent knowledge of the subject.”
It was also positive to hear that several Trading Standards teams are now expanding, with many taking on multiple new trainees this year.
Because of this, combined with the waiting list this time around, we will be planning on holding this Ladder Open Day again in Q1 next year.
34 Regal Drive, Soham, Cambridgeshire, CB7 5BE.
A UK-based Certification Body, Test Laboratory and training facility that specialises in access equipment.
A member of the British Measurement and Testing Association.
