LAUNCHED IN 2018, the Ladder Association’s ‘Get a Grip’ on ladder safety campaign has been nominated as a finalist in the Trade Association Forum’s 2019 Best Practice Awards in the category of Marketing Campaign of the Year.

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.

With falls from height still the single biggest cause of life-changing injuries and fatalities in the workplace, the campaign informs and educates ladder users about the risks involved and the need to ‘Get a Grip’ on ladder safety.

In 2017/18, 35 people in the UK left home for work expecting a perfectly normal day, never to return following a fall.

‘If it’s right to use a ladder, use the right ladder and get trained to use it safely’ is the clear message of the campaign which sets out to increase awareness of the need for ladder training to reduce the number and consequences of a fall from height.

Comments campaign manager Lorraine Brown “Now in its fourth phase, the campaign has gone from strength to strength and has attracted support and engagement from a wide range of organisations, including RoSPA, where ‘Get a Grip’ is being used to help support the delivery of their National Accident Prevention Plan, particularly around fall prevention.”

A newly created ‘Ladder Safety Pocket Guide’ includes key tips on ladder safety, information about ladder training and a QR code taking the reader to ‘Abbi’s Story’ – a powerful, heart-wrenching video describing the life-changing consequences a fall from height can have on the whole family.

Says Gail Hounslea “Everyone at the Ladder Association is delighted that the campaign has been nominated for such a prestigious award. More importantly, we’re thrilled that ‘Get a Grip’ is making a measurable contribution to work at height safety, with close to 9,000 Ladder Safety Packs downloaded to date from our website.”

The winners will be announced by the Trade Association Forum on 9 July 2019 at County Hall in London.