Fibreglass ladder?

[MisterBoy]

I had never twigged that one reason fibreglass ladders are preferred is the heat/electrical insulation properties.
How much safety does it actually gain if you should happen to do something dumb?

All metal ladders I've used have plastic/rubber feet - how come these don't give the same protection?

I'm just getting a new set and wondering if I should go for fibre - just for basic stuff like changing bulbs and light fittings, nothing major.

 

[Murdochcat]

Fibre glass every time for me

 

[ericmark]

It is often not the shock which kills, it is hitting the ground when you fall off the ladder after getting a shock.

I remember in the days of cathode ray tubes TV's getting a class II model which put around 60 volts on the aerial, on returning it as faulty, was told it was less than x mA so was permitted, can't remember how many mA, but it does not matter how many if it causes one to fall off a ladder, it does not make the ground softer.

 

[accelerator]

All metal ladders I've used have plastic/rubber feet - how come these don't give the same protection?

Because the metal could still come into contact with a conductor, e.g. wet grass.

 

[AndyPRK]

fibreglass datasheet said it was heavier, which put me off.

 

[JohnW2]

I have to say that I don't really see why it should be significantly more 'hazardous' to undertake electrical work whilst standing on a metal ladder than when doing the same work when standing on whatever the ladder would have been standing on (as has been said, nearly always with rubber/plastic feet). I suppose when up a ladder there the additional risk of falling off the ladder as a result of a non-fatal electric shock but, particularly in the case of short ladders or stepladders, I don't see that as being a significant additional risk (but maybe an issue with tall ladders).

It shouldn't matter what one is standing on, since the crucial thing in all cases is to be very sure that whatever one is working on is not (electrically' 'live') and that's as true when standing on the floor or a fibreglass ladder as when standing on a metal ladder.

 

[sparkymarka]

I would try a fibreglass ladder or steps before you buy ! I am not keen as they don’t seem as sturdy as aluminium ladders/ steps
I’ve got a pair of both same brand and height ….the metal ones any day ….

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

fibreglass datasheet said it was heavier, which put me off.

They are, which makes them more cumbersome, perhaps increasing the risk of you struggling to reach, to do what you are trying to do, instead of lugging the ladder/steps about. I only use alloy, and just use proper care.

 

[ebee]

Well fibreglass as an insulator do have the advantage in that respect obviously.
Metal ladders can be more convenient for many reasons but they do introduce additional potential hazards.
I would weigh up the hazards, mitigate them and use metal (usually aluminium).
Where the hazards can not be mitigated sufficiently and conveniently then yes fibreglass are best ( or wood).
It’s another of those “horses courses” things we experience in real life.

One place I viewed a potential hazard a few years back was on a national trust property, big old stone buildings, overhead supply cables at height then clipped to walls and running down a bit, the insulation was frayed in several places (I was informed that snow and ice cleared quite well around some places on those walls “all by themselves “ . Oh yes.

I contacted the DNO. They had a laid back approach about renewal until I mentioned I was on site for just a couple of days but some builders were around a while and had a habit of carrying long metal ladders about the place in easy reach of these frayed conductors, the chances of those ladders becoming a live part touched by someone surrounded by soil at the same time was only reduced by my continually harping on to those builders about the possible hazards.
The DNO team turned up before I left the site , the foreman of the DNO crew did look and exclaimed “ Oh Dear!” .

I’ve seen many builders, roofers etc, carrying long ladders but never fibreglass, always aluminium or sometimes steel.
Mind you I retired over 5 years ago so it might have all changed now!

 

[JohnW2]

Well fibreglass as an insulator do have the advantage in that respect obviously. ... Metal ladders can be more convenient for many reasons but they do introduce additional potential hazards. .... I would weigh up the hazards, mitigate them and use metal (usually aluminium).

I suspect that, in the absence of the 'rules and regulations' which apply to some people, that's what many/most of us would do.

Where the hazards can not be mitigated sufficiently and conveniently then yes fibreglass are best ( or wood).

Agreed, but particularly in a domestic context (and remembering that this is a DIY forum), I suspect that would arise only very rarely.

You go on to cite what is probably one of the very few exceptions (a situation in which there are bare/frayed/damages live conductors around which a metal ladder might touch) to what I wrote - namely that there really should never be a need for a non-conductive ladder, since the existence of such a need implies that one has not been as careful as one should have been to make it certain that whatever one was going o work on was not 'live'.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Koolpc]

I have a fibreglass skirting board ladder!

 

[SUNRAY]

Well fibreglass as an insulator do have the advantage in that respect obviously.
Metal ladders can be more convenient for many reasons but they do introduce additional potential hazards.
I would weigh up the hazards, mitigate them and use metal (usually aluminium).
Where the hazards can not be mitigated sufficiently and conveniently then yes fibreglass are best ( or wood).
It’s another of those “horses courses” things we experience in real life.

One place I viewed a potential hazard a few years back was on a national trust property, big old stone buildings, overhead supply cables at height then clipped to walls and running down a bit, the insulation was frayed in several places (I was informed that snow and ice cleared quite well around some places on those walls “all by themselves “ . Oh yes.

I contacted the DNO. They had a laid back approach about renewal until I mentioned I was on site for just a couple of days but some builders were around a while and had a habit of carrying long metal ladders about the place in easy reach of these frayed conductors, the chances of those ladders becoming a live part touched by someone surrounded by soil at the same time was only reduced by my continually harping on to those builders about the possible hazards.
The DNO team turned up before I left the site , the foreman of the DNO crew did look and exclaimed “ Oh Dear!” .

I’ve seen many builders, roofers etc, carrying long ladders but never fibreglass, always aluminium or sometimes steel.
Mind you I retired over 5 years ago so it might have all changed now!

Many of the sites I've worked on had banned metal ladders and steps (in fact many had banned ladders and step altogether), however as I understand it this led to an increase in accident reports. I'll mention I've basically not been working for close to 10 years (only picking up the 'just jobs' and the 'we really need someone to get to the bottom of this' type of jobs since then) so I don't have personal recent site experience to quote.

A short set of steps is OK, say up to 7 tread but after that I find they get cumbersome/heavy and past say 11 tread they feel insecure as they twist.
Ladders have felt better, if anything more stable in the longer lengths but again cumbersome/heavy.

Obviousely there are differnet makes which may feel very different.

 

[JohnW2]

Many of the sites I've worked on had banned metal ladders and steps (in fact many had banned ladders and step altogether), however as I understand it this led to an increase in accident reports.

It's getting silly. One of my neighbours runs a building/decorating business (dealing mainly with commercial properties) and tells me that, amongst other things, on most sites they are now not even allowed to use 'step-ups'!

As another example, a week or two ago we had a guy here from our water supplier dealing with a drain problem outside. When I asked him why he was wearing a hard hat, whilst working on a shallow drain pipe in the middle of the garden, he said that he would be sacked if anyone had discovered that he wasn't wearing it 'at all times'!

As I see it, the main problem with all these silly H&S rules is that they probably result in complacency as regards rules which are sensible and actually 'matter'.

 

[MisterBoy]

It's getting silly. One of my neighbours runs a building/decorating business (dealing mainly with commercial properties) and tells me that, amongst other things, on most sites they are now not even allowed to use 'step-ups'!

As another example, a week or two ago we had a guy here from our water supplier dealing with a drain problem outside. When I asked him why he was wearing a hard hat, whilst working on a shallow drain pipe in the middle of the garden, he said that he would be sacked if anyone had discovered that he wasn't wearing it 'at all times'!

As I see it, the main problem with all these silly H&S rules is that they probably result in complacency as regards rules which are sensible and actually 'matter'.

On the other hand, if you wear it at all times you don't have to remember to put it on. Isn't it standard practice to require hard hat and good boots/shoes on site regardless if you're just doing an inspection?

 

[JohnW2]

On the other hand, if you wear it at all times you don't have to remember to put it on. Isn't it standard practice to require hard hat and good boots/shoes on site regardless if you're just doing an inspection?

Perhaps, but in the case I mentioned it seemed particularly silly since, as the guy said, he was almost never in a situation in which a hard hat was remotely necessary.