The latest report is a follow-on from the telescopic ladder market surveillance report undertaken by the Ladder Association in 2022.

The surveillance report found that over 80% of commercially available telescopic ladders tested, failed to meet the minimum safety requirements designed to keep users safe.

Worse still, this research found over half of the failed ladders were marked and sold as ‘compliant’ in a deliberate attempt to mislead consumers.

Despite ongoing campaigning, no action has been taken to improve the problem, it points out.

In a bid to see if the retailers have addressed the issue, the Ladder Association re-tested a proportion of the same products¹ from last year’s study, bought from online retailers Amazon and eBay, as well as popular online marketplace OnBuy.com.

Following identical testing procedures, every set of telescopic ladders failed the required safety tests, meaning they are non-compliant and dangerous, proving that the earlier failures were not ‘one-offs’.

The latest study also found over 80% of the re-tested ladders claimed to comply with product standard EN 131, but not one of the products met the standard.

As it stands, online marketplaces selling products supplied by third-party sellers, have no responsibility for preventing unsafe goods from being sold on their platforms, and no legal obligation to inform consumers if they have purchased unsafe goods.

This gives rogue manufacturers and suppliers based anywhere in the world, free rein to sell unsafe – and in worst cases deadly – products direct to unsuspecting consumers in the UK.

In many cases, no checks are being made at all before consumers receive the products and use them at home.

While there are manufacturers producing ladders that meet the safety standards, the study again showed that the telescopic ladders tested and sold by some of the country’s biggest online platforms fall well below basic safety requirements.

Many of these ladders appear fit for purpose and some even display bogus compliance labelling, giving customers false assurance.

Working at height can be risky enough, without the added danger of poor-quality ladders – every 11 minutes in the UK, someone attends A&E after sustaining an injury involving a ladder, data from NHS shows.

A fall from height can cause life-changing injury, and in some cases, can even be fatal.