We watch with great interest as the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) release their regular Product Safety Reports, as often, they’ll show confirmation of unsafe imported ladders having been stopped, tested, and subsequently rejected, at Port.

In April alone, 17 safety reports hit our inboxes of ladders that were all deemed as ‘presenting a serious risk of injury’ and did not meet the requirements of the General Product Safety Regulations 2005. While these ladders varied in type from telescopic, multipurpose to steps, there was one unmissable common denominator – every consignment originated from China.

Across 4 consignments there were 500 dangerous units, some of which we know were destined to hit the listings of Amazon before making their way into the hands and homes of unsuspecting consumers.

We’ll continue to raise awareness of these issues through our  ‘Step Up to Safe Ladders’ campaign and we’re committed to support Trading Standards teams through ongoing collaboration and information sharing.