Transporting ladders on a work van is a common issue for tradespeople everywhere. If you have a job that requires the use of ladders, then you’ll need to take them from client to client.
The ladders need to be secured for transport but easily accessible for when you need to use them. This is where van roof racks and ladder clamps can help save time while keeping your ladder secure.
The trouble with transporting ladders is that you need to be mindful of the law, potential dangers, risks surrounding damage to property (including the ladders themselves), and the rules for different lengths of overhang.
We’ve compiled a comprehensive guide to share exactly how to safely transport ladders on a work van. This includes information on the risks and how to prevent accidents.
Why Secure Ladder Transportation is Crucial:
Ensuring your ladder is secure during transportation is just as important as learning to properly use the ladder and other equipment. If you get it wrong – the results could be catastrophic.
If you don’t secure the ladders properly, there’s a risk to your safety or those around you, you could be breaking the law (which will have repercussions), and you could cause damage to your ladders, your vehicle, or someone else’s property (which can be dangerous and expensive).
Safety Risks
Unsecured ladders prove to be a safety risk when travelling. The main problem is that if the ladder works loose and falls off the van while you’re transporting it, it could damage your van, other vehicles or buildings, and seriously injure other road users.
Even if it seems reasonably secure, it could become a projectile in the event of a crash or sudden breaking.
So, before you drive anywhere, you need to have peace of mind that your ladders won’t budge – even in the event of a crash. The only way to achieve this is to observe the correct way to attach ladders to your vehicle and use the vehicle specific recommendations when it comes to roof racks and other apparatus.
Legal Requirements in the UK
When you’re working in the UK, the transportation of ladders is regulated by certain laws and regulations. Below is a quick rundown of what each says and what that means for you.
The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986
This regulation covers the securing on suspended implements (which includes ladders) and states that any time the vehicle is in motion, the implements – in this case ladders – must be secured to the vehicle itself, or relevant apparatus in a way that doesn’t cause danger and isn’t likely to become dangerous to any person or vehicle on the road.
Section 40A Road Traffic Act 1998
This act states that it is an offence if they use or cause another person to use a vehicle in dangerous condition. A number of things can cause a vehicle to be considered "in dangerous condition" and one of those is the weight, distribution or manner in a which a load is secured.
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
Employers must follow this act to ensure that employees are safe when they are working. If a business is sending a worker to transport ladders, they are responsible for ensuing this is done safely.
Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992
This is more of a general act that states managers and business owners have a duty of care for their workers, which includes ensuring equipment is transported safely. If you anyone is found to breach any of these acts, they could be fined, gain points on their license, be banned from driving, or in some cases even prosecuted.
Protecting Your Equipment and Vehicle
Aside from protecting people when dealing with securing your load, it’s important to protect your equipment too. If a poorly secured ladder falls off your van’s roof, it could badly damage your van, your other equipment and the ladder itself, all of which could lead to costly repairs. This can also create a loss of earnings if it means you can’t get customers’ jobs done on time.
Best Practices for Transporting Ladders:
By learning the best practices for ladder transportation UK, you’ll be able to ensure that the ladder is secure every time you affix it to your van.
Choosing the Right Equipment:
The safest way to transport anything on top of your van is to kit it out with equipment that’s specifically designed for your vehicle.
A roof rack can be a valuable bit of kit and can help you transport other things besides ladders. It’s essential to choose the right roof rack for your vehicle so that everything is secured as safely as possible.
Ladder clamps are a fantastic way of ensuring your ladder won’t budge. These heavy-duty clamps are purpose-built to keep your ladder safely in place whilst travelling. They have been designed to be more secure than just tying them down and some models allow you to lock the clamps to prevent theft.
Tie down straps can also be used to secure equipment that’s being transported. They’re a handy, lightweight way to secure anything to your vehicle and be satisfied it won’t move.
Proper Ladder Placement:
Part of safely securing a ladder on a van involves ensuring the placement is correct. If there’s too much overhang, or the weight distribution is off, then the ladder won’t be considered safe for transport, even if it’s secured extremely well.
Overhang is a very important factor in ladder placement. Different amounts of overhang have different requirements, which are as follows:
| Overhang | Front of Ladder | Back of Ladder |
|---|---|---|
| < 1 metre | no action required | no action required |
| 1 to 2 metres | no action required | no action required |
| Between 2 and 3.05 metres | front and side markerboard required | ensure the overhang is clearly visible |
| 3.05 metres and above | give the police 2 working days' notice | give the police 2 working days' notice |
Securing the Ladder:
Take care to evenly distribute the weight while observing rules on overhang. Once you’re satisfied that the position of the ladder is the best it can be, then secure ladders on van with the help of some van accessories.
It’s advised to use a roof rack as this will protect your vehicle and you can tether the ladder to it.
Once the ladder is on the roof rack, use either ladder clamps or tie down straps to secure it in a fashion where there is no scope for movement.
Routine Safety Checks:
Every time you transport a ladder on a van, it’s essential to complete some routine safety checks.
Start by checking the ladder is in generally good order. Once you’re satisfied, lift it onto the roof rack and position it accordingly. Also take into consideration how having a roof rack may affect your van.
Double check the positioning of the ladder before securing it, and once it’s fixed down, ensure there’s no scope for movement.
The ladder should be easily visible, so you might want to attach a hi-vis vest to each end for added visibility.
How to Find Van-Specific Parts and Accessories:
When you’re choosing accessories for your van, it’s important to buy parts that have been designed to fit your vehicle specifically. The Rhino Van Accessories page has a drop-down menu for all makes and models to help you find the best accessories for your van. If you scroll down the home page, it also has clickable buttons for the make of your van if you find it easier to navigate that way.
Best-selling items are displayed under the vehicle list, including ladder clamps and roof racks. So, if you know what it is you’re looking for, you can go straight to the product page and buy it from there.
There’s also a search bar at the top of the website, to help you to navigate to any particular product you’re looking for. That will throw up similar and exact matches of what you type in so you can browse what’s on offer. Each product has clear pricing visible and a section where you can read any customer reviews that have been left.
The site also provides some installation guides, but if you’re close enough to the wigan depot, your purchase might qualify for free installation at the branch.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
If you’ve read this far, it’s likely that you’re now an expert on how to transport ladders. Providing you do all the safety checks and observe the laws, you’re unlikely to make any mistakes when transporting your ladders on a van.
The most common mistakes are often that the weight distribution is uneven, or the length of overhang hasn’t been checked.
Another common mistake is not checking the height of the vehicle once there is a load on the roof rack. This can cause problems for low barriers and bridges.
Conclusion
Transporting ladders on the top of a work vehicle can be a minefield. With the appropriate equipment and safety checks in place, you should be able to safely move your work vehicle with ladders on top from A to B without any issues.
The most important thing for avoiding any dangerous mistakes is to use equipment that fits your van, use ladder clamps for extra security and perform all the safety checks before every journey.
From roof racks to ladder clamps, at Rhino Commercial we have a wide range of van accessories to help you get the most out of your work van. Browse our store today to find the perfect fit for your van’s make and model.
