Ladder Safety Toolbox Talk

In February 2022, a man helping on a construction site in Cheltenham, Victoria, was climbing down an unsecured ladder leaning against a steel mezzanine frame when it moved. He fell more than 4 metres and died at the scene. In 2025 the building company was convicted and fined $270,000. The court found it could have provided a mobile scaffold, guard railing and proper stairs instead of relying on ladders.

Source: WorkSafe Victoria

1. Check the ladder before every use: feet, rungs, locks, rails and labels. If it is damaged, tag it out and get it off site.
2. Use industrial rated ladders to AS/NZS 1892 only, and non-conductive fibreglass ladders anywhere near electrical work.
3. Check the load rating on the label covers you, your tools and anything you carry up. Most falls happen when people go over it without thinking.
4. Set extension ladders at 1 in 4: one out at the base for every four up, which is about 75 degrees.
5. Extension ladders must stick out at least 1 m above the landing and be tied off or secured at the top.
6. Secure the bottom too: tie it, use a stabiliser, or have someone foot it while the top is tied. Never stand it on bricks, offcuts or a pallet to make up height.
7. Keep three points of contact while climbing. Carry tools in a belt or haul them up on a line, not in your hands.
8. Face the ladder going up and coming down, and clean mud or grease off your boots and the rungs before you climb.
9. Keep your belt buckle between the stiles. If you have to overreach, climb down and move the ladder.
10. Never stand on the top cap or top step of a step ladder, or work off the top three rungs of an extension ladder.
11. Open step ladders fully with the spreaders locked. Never lean a folded step ladder against a wall and climb it.
12. Set up on firm, level ground, clear of doorways, traffic, plant and power lines. One person on a ladder at a time.
13. Do not paint, patch or join ladders. Paint hides cracks, and homemade repairs fail without warning.
14. Stop using a ladder outside in strong wind or heavy rain. A gust can move the ladder, or you, without warning.
15. Ladders are for short, light jobs. If the task is long, heavy or needs both hands, use a platform ladder, mobile scaffold or EWP instead. Many principal contractors restrict ladder use on their sites, so check the site rules.

1. Who checked their ladder before using it today, and what did you look for?
2. Which job on this site right now would be safer from a platform than a ladder?
3. Where do damaged ladders go, and who do you tell?
4. What should you do if you can only reach the work by leaning out past the stiles?
5. How is the bottom of your ladder secured today?

• Run it next to a real ladder you use on this job, not in the site office.
• Set the ladder up badly first (wrong angle, untied, too short) and ask the crew to spot what is wrong.
• Walk the 1 in 4 rule with a tape measure so everyone sees what 75 degrees looks like.
• Point out two jobs on this site where a platform would be safer than a ladder and agree who will organise it.
• Finish by doing a pre-use check out loud, then record attendance on the sign-in sheet with the date and topic.

Under the WHS laws, a ladder should only be used when a safer option such as scaffolding or an elevating work platform is not reasonably practicable. When a ladder is used, it must be secured so it cannot move, workers keep three points of contact, and the manufacturer's load rating must be followed.

Source: SafeWork SA