How To Stay Safe When Using A Loft Ladder

Household injuries are among the most common ones – truth be told, due to the amount of time you spend at home, you’re probably more likely to get hurt there than in any other place. That’s why it’s important to pay extra attention to your safety whenever you’re carrying out any task that may involve risk – in this case, we’ll take a closer look at ladders, especially loft ladders.

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Do you need a ladder or stairs to access your loft?

Before looking at how safe ladders are, it’s important to know whether ladders for lofts are even the right option for you. Everything depends on the purpose of your loft space – are you using it as extra storage space or as living space. In the first case, it’s assumed that you have no need to frequently access your attic and installing a ladder is enough to ensure you can go up and down comfortably whenever you need. However, the situation changes when you decide to convert your loft into a habitable room – then building regulations require providing permanent access to your loft which can only be ensured by building a fixed staircase.

How to stay safe when using a ladder

While the answer to the question of how to use ladders may seem obvious, there’s a huge number of accidents related to their use every single year which clearly shows that there are at least a few things we tend to overlook. To make sure you stay safe when accessing your loft, we’ve put together this short list of safety tips worth keeping in mind:

Make sure your ladder is installed correctly. Your safety depends mainly on two things – the quality of your ladder and its installation. But even the best model won’t be able to stop you from falling down when the ladder itself is unstable – always check whether its frame is securely attached.
Use the ladder properly. Another common cause of accidental falls is carelessness. You may easily lose your footing if you’re not paying attention – it is very important to adhere to the principle of keeping three points of contact while climbing ladders.
Always inspect your ladder before climbing it. Since this ladder is not being used frequently, there’s a chance some of the potential damages or other issues may escape your attention – that’s why always check its condition before use.
Check your surroundings before unfolding the ladder. Unfolding a 2- or 3-section loft ladder requires space – make sure that there are no pieces of furniture standing in the way.
Take your time. Mistakes happen easily when you’re in a hurry – but when one wrong step can lead to serious injuries, it’s better not to take unnecessary risks. So don’t rush and remember about your safety.
Ask for assistance whenever necessary. If you’re using your loft for storage, there’s a big chance that you mainly visit it whenever you need to either place something there or bring something down, e.g., holiday decorations. But going up and down a ladder carrying heavy boxes is tricky, so it’s best to have another person with you to help you with this task.