The Ladder Association is delighted to announce that we have been shortlisted for ‘Sector Representation of the Year’ at the Trade Association Awards 2023.
The annual awards – which are formally supported by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy – recognise, reward and promote best practice amongst trade associations in the UK. The ‘Sector Representation’ category showcases those associations who have led the best representative action for their sector through effective partnership with Government and other key stakeholders.
The Ladder Association has taken a lead role on behalf of our sector to collaborate with the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), Trading Standards, and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on several key initiatives designed to tackle falls from height when using ladders.
The first is the successful ongoing collaboration between the Ladder Association, East of England Trading Standards Association (EETSA), Suffolk Trading Standards Imports Team and the Test & Research Centre, which saw us undertake telescopic ladder market surveillance and testing, and culminated in the release of our report, “Step Up to Safe Ladders” in May this year. The study highlighted the serious issue of substandard telescopic ladders entering the UK market, with 4 out of 5 ladders tested, failing the required safety tests designed to keep users safe. The study has raised awareness of the issues with enforcement agencies, consumers and retailers alike. As a result, a number of those ladders tested have been added to the OPSS Product Safety Alerts, Reports and Recalls list, thereby removing unsafe products from market and reducing the risk to consumers.
The Ladder Association has also extensively collaborated with the HSE to launch revised industry guidance on the safe use of ladders and stepladders. The new guidance, ‘LA 455 – Safe Use of Ladders and Stepladders’ is hosted on the Ladder Association website, and is the first port of call for anyone who uses ladders or manages ladder use. Launched in July 2021 via a live webinar that was attended by over 4,000 people, the content has also been re-purposed as the sole ladder safety guidance on the HSE website. With falls from height remaining the leading cause of fatalities at work, this updated guidance – made possible by effective partnership working between the Ladder Association and the HSE – will undoubtedly help thousands of people work more safely on ladders.
Gail Hounslea, Chairman of the Ladder Association, commented: “Everyone at the Ladder Association is delighted to be recognised in this year’s Trade Association Awards shortlist. Making sure consumers are safe is our number one priority. We are committed to ongoing collaboration with Government and other stakeholders as we’ve seen how effective these partnerships can be in helping reduce falls from height when using ladders.”
The winners will be announced by the Trade Association Forum on 23 February at the awards dinner taking place at Merchant Taylors’ Hall in London.
