Ladders....erm..

I am well aware of the regs regarding ladders, i.e. 3 rungs above the platform or pretty much a metre above, in order to provide a "hand hold" for accessing the platform. But what are the rules regarding the total height of the ladder. I always tie ladders top and bottom if they must be used at all, so basically, when is a ladder too big..:wondering::wondering:

It should be 5 rungs not 3, probaby a typo on your part James coz your thinking of 3ft and a metre lol.

i'd consider a ladder too long if its projecting more than 1.5m or 5ft above the working platform, any higher and people tend to keep trying to climb it because it extends above their eyeline when they've reached the lift

Its that old chestnut, if something looks wrong, it usually is......

Not sure weather the law on ladders has changed,but the maximum height of landings from ladder to ladder used to be 8m,must have changed that now..

I don't think the law has changed much with regard the maximum lenth of the ladder but the heirachy for selecting access to a scaffold has changed. The single 8m ladder would be at the bottom of the heap and a stair tower would be at the top. Most jobs we go on frown on the single big ladder and now try to use multiple single lift ladders. A pain in the backside some times especially as the yard is full of nearly new 8m ladders but got to change with the times.