Responsibility for keeping ladders in good condition is shared among several parties, primarily focusing on employers, facility or safety managers, supervisors, and workers:
- Employers are responsible for ensuring that ladders are suitable for the task, maintained, stored properly, and regularly inspected by competent persons. They must ensure detailed visual inspections at fixed intervals are conducted, records are kept, and ladders with defects are removed from service
- Facility Managers / WHS (Workplace Health and Safety) Managers oversee the planning and implementation of ladder inspections, allocate resources for maintenance and repairs, ensure training is provided, and that safety systems are followed and communicated
- Supervisors must ensure that ladders are regularly inspected, maintained, and safe to use. They are responsible for tagging defective ladders and removing them from use, as well as providing training and monitoring safe ladder use on site
- Workers (employees and contractors) have the responsibility to use ladders correctly, perform pre-use checks for visible defects, report unsafe conditions, and take ownership of their own safety practices
In summary, while the employer holds ultimate responsibility for ladder safety and condition, effective ladder maintenance and safety depend on a collaborative effort involving managers, supervisors, and workers all playing defined roles to ensure ladders remain safe and in good condition
