The Ladder Association were delighted to be featured recently on the BBC Morning Live programme, highlighting the real and serious dangers of substandard imported telescopic ladders available for sale to UK consumers via online platforms.
The segment, part of their ongoing ‘Step Up to Safe Ladders’ campaign, saw them partner once again with the Test & Research Centre to put 3 ladders bought from Amazon and eBay to the test. This latest round of testing follows years of campaigning and three previous market surveillance studies to raise awareness of the product safety issues faced when buying ladders via online platforms.
Sadly (but unsurprisingly) all 3 samples in their latest tests failed the strength tests before the full test load was applied. These ladders claimed to meet current product standard EN 131, but when tested during filming, did not meet the minimum safety requirements, posing serious risk to the user when used in real-life.
Viewers also heard first-hand from Joffrey Bogemans, a London-based electrician, who suffered a nasty fall from height after a telescopic ladder he bought in good faith from Amazon (just like the one we bought and tested) snapped during normal use.
Despite having researched the product thoroughly online in advance and taken all the necessary precautions on the day, Joffrey fell from a height of 4.5 metres. Joffrey reported the unsafe ladder to the Ladder Association via their website and was willing to speak publicly to support their campaign and prevent the same thing happening to others.
The segment also featured interviews with the Ladder Association’s Executive Director, Peter Bennett OBE, alongside General Manager of the Test & Research Centre, John Darby.
