Why You Should Avoid Buying Substandard Telescopic Ladders Online

Telescopic ladders have become popular for their convenience and space-saving design, but buying a cheap or substandard version online can be a serious safety risk. Many low-cost ladders sold on unverified platforms fail to meet essential safety standards, meaning they may not support the advertised weight or lock securely in place. This can lead to sudden collapses or instability during use, putting you at risk of falls and injuries.

Another major concern is the lack of quality control. Reputable brands invest in rigorous testing and certification, while counterfeit or poorly made ladders often cut corners on materials and construction. Thin aluminum, weak locking mechanisms, and poor welds are common in substandard models. These flaws aren’t always visible in product photos, making it hard to judge quality before purchase.

Buying from unreliable sources also means limited or no warranty and poor after-sales support. If the ladder fails or arrives damaged, you may have no recourse for refunds or replacements. Trusted retailers and manufacturers provide guarantees and comply with safety regulations, giving you peace of mind that your ladder is built to last and safe to use.

Ultimately, a telescopic ladder is an investment in your safety. Spending a little more on a certified, high-quality product from a reputable seller ensures durability, stability, and compliance with safety standards. When it comes to working at height, cutting costs can lead to costly accidents—so choose wisely and avoid the risks of substandard ladders.

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Work related mental ill-health, mainly stress, is the single largest cause of illness at work yet is rarely treated in the same way as many workplace issues.

Using a new chemical?  Complete a COSHH assessment.  Using a computer at work?  Conduct a DSE Assessment.  Got a stress at work problem?  Many companies are still unaware of the legal requirement to carry out a Stress Risk Assessment or are avoiding doing so.  The reality is that happier employees are more effective, so it is in the interests of all parties that this solvable problem is tackled rather than ignored.

Arco Professional Safety Services share key elements from their ‘Stress and Mental Wellbeing Course’ which can help managers acquire the knowledge and confidence to manage mental wellbeing and support their teams more effectively, both proactively and reactively whether issues are caused by work or outside factors.

Move to a Proactive Culture.  Promoting wellbeing as a state to be talked about, worked towards and actively encouraged reduces negative stigma around the phrase ‘mental health’ and proactively talking about stress is one of the best ways to begin tackling it.  Managers are ideally placed to help handle employee stress as they have a greater understanding of the people in their team, their roles and the workplace stress risk factors they face.

Clarify Available Resources.  Popularising stress and mental wellbeing resources such as Stress Risk Assessments (SRA’s) and Wellness Action Plans (WAP’s) and making them easily accessible through company intranet links and proactive conversations increases awareness and the likelihood they will be utilised.

Hazard Spot.  As with traditional health and safety hazards, identifying and managing issues that are likely to cause stress before they become problematic and intervening immediately where stress or mental ill-health is identified will be more cost effective, better for the individual, team, business and manager compared with ignoring the problem or leaving it too late.

Work or Personal Cause?  Establishing whether the cause of stress is related to work, home or a combination of both is a vital first step and one that can build trust between person and manager and lead to the early identification of solutions.

Absence.  When a person is absent due to mental ill-health, agree on a method and frequency of contact, and what they are comfortable speaking about including what should be kept confidential, then actively engage with the person as agreed.  The sooner we engage and make the person feel visible, valuable, connected and supported, the speedier the return to work is likely to be.

Support. Support. Support.  Avoid giving advice.  Colleagues need to feel that they are being taken seriously, are listened to and supported.  Managers shouldn’t assume that they know how their employees feel; instead, they should ask how they feel.  If managers do not feel able to speak with their employees, it is important that they find someone who can, such as a mental health first aider, wellbeing champion or another person who can relate to the individual.

Stress Risk Assessments (SRA).  Carrying out SRA’s based on the HSE Stress Management Standards to establish and resolve the causes of stress in the workplace is vital.  If a person’s stress is work-related then it needs to be addressed at work and the causes tackled together at work rather than referring them elsewhere.  Even if the person’s stress is not work-related, it is worth conducting an SRA to establish how the following factors may impact upon the person and whether adjustments may be required.  The six key factors to assess in an SRA are:

• Demands; workload and what the person is having to deal with at work.
• Support; high demand needs high support.
• Role; is the role a demanding role; is the person suited to the role?
• Relationships; how they are getting on with peers, management etc.
• Control; do they feel in control of their working day?
• Change; how is the business managing changes and how are they coping with them?

Reasonable Adjustments.  Once the causes of stress are established, reasonable adjustments can be made.  Adjustments may be temporary until the person feels they can cope or permanent if the demands of the role are clearly unsustainable.  Like a regular Risk Assessment, they key is to identify the risks and establish what can be done to remove, reduce or control them.

Phased Returns.  Phased returns may involve shorter hours, removal and gradual re-introduction of job-role elements.  Providing mentors and checking-in regularly (versus checking-up) can all help to prevent relapse and increase the likelihood of a faster and full recovery.  The persons relationship with their manager is a key factor in the speed of return.

Wellness Action Plans (WAP).  Whether work-related or not, encouraging employees to complete a WAP can help promote wellness in already healthy employees and help those suffering or returning from a mental ill-health absence by looking at many aspects of the persons situation and how wellness can be sustained or how they can be supported back towards wellness during difficult times.

Coaching for Personal causes.  For non-work-related stress, managers can use a coaching approach.  Coaching identifies personal recovery aims, realistic behavioural options and encouraging practical steps to act and move towards recovery.   Helping employees identify what is causing their stress, why it is stressful to them, how they can tackle it and where they can go for help and support is key. 

The Bio-Psycho-Social Model (BPS).  This important model recognises the biological, psychological and social aspects in the onset of mental ill-health issues and in the move back towards wellness.  Unhelpful behaviours in the three areas are identified and the person coached or encouraged to move towards more helpful behaviours.  The question: “Is what the person is doing biologically, psychologically and socially……helpful or not?”

Biological:  Diet, hydration, drugs and stimulants, medications, exercise, sleep and relaxation.

Psychological:  “What is the person believing and saying about themselves, other people and the world?”

Social:  “How are their relationships and interactions with other people?”

Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP).   EAP’s offer a wide range of support aimed at providing practical help to an individual, including common mental health issues, bereavement, financial concerns and many more challenges people face in their day to day lives.  Other support includes Human Resource assistance, Mental Health First Aiders, Wellbeing champions, useful websites, helplines and support groups.

Mental Health First Aiders (M.H.F.Aiders).  M.H.F.Aiders can provide temporary support to struggling individuals and where necessary signpost them to sources of help and support.  It is important that they are not viewed as counsellors or provided to avoid fixing the real sources of stress in the workplace.

Anxiety and Depression.  When stress is repeated or prolonged it can cause anxiety and depression which are mental illnesses requiring diagnosis by a mental health professional.  While medications are a key factor in many people’s recovery, a combination of biological improvements, psychologically healthier beliefs and internal language combined with better social interactions are likely to be more effective than the sole prescription of anti-depressants for example in the treatment of anxiety or depression.  It is therefore important to ensure employees are receiving tailored care appropriate to their lives and personal situation.  What is helpful in an individual’s recovery, is unique to that individual.

With the right support in place, positive mental health and wellbeing can be regained and sustained.  Arco Professional Safety Services offer several courses to help clients develop a comprehensive approach towards Stress and Mental Wellbeing including;

• Stress and Mental Wellbeing for Managers
• Mental Wellbeing Awareness for Employees
• MHFAider training.

RECALL OF NEWTON, NEWTON FAST, AND NEWTON EASYFIT HARNESSES – EUROPEAN VERSIONS

Recall of certain batches of the European Version of NEWTON harnesses manufactured in 2022 (references C073AA01 C073AA02), NEWTON FAST (references C073CA01 and C073CA02) and NEWTON EASYFIT (references C073EA00, C073EA01, and C073EA02) due to a nonconforming batch of FAST LT buckles that could lead to a fatal fall. Immediately stop using the harnesses affected by this recall.

Last updated March 4, 2025

An IRATA Assessor & Instructor Workshop will be held at Arco Professional Safety Services Ltd, Unit 5, Raleigh Hall Industrial Estate, Eccleshall, Staffordshire, ST21 6JL on Saturday, 15 March 2025 at 09:00 AM. The IRATA compulsory workshop agenda will be followed.

For further booking information, please contact Steven Dawson at Steve.Dawson@arcoservices.co.uk or by telephone 07723023920.

Europe wide alert for the:

Product recall alert forPETZL Fall protection/anchor device for climbing – 10 centimetre ice screw

Product category

Protective equipment

Product

Ice anchor

Name

Laser speed 10 cm

Brand

Petzl

Barcode

3342540832695

Product description

Products were found and measures were taken also in

Ireland
Slovenia
United Kingdom in respect of Northern Ireland

• lost hillwalkers
• missing persons suffering from mental health or dementia
• injured persons who are in a location which is not easily accessible to the emergency services
• persons who are injured and need carrying to safety
• persons cut off due to flooding and many more

Arco Professional Safety Services Launches New Online Awareness-based Training with New System

Arco Professional Safety Services, the UK’s leading safety training company, has launched a new Learning Management System (LMS), offering over 50 e-learning awareness courses with the ability for customers to self-serve their health and safety training requirements. These courses, which can be completed remotely, are designed to provide a basic understanding of the various hazards that may be found in the workplace and are an ideal starting point to further, more in-depth training.

All employers have a legal obligation to ensure their employees are appropriately trained for the job they do. The Arco LMS offers a wider variety of training courses beyond the experiential training and classroom learning available at their training facilities, enabling more opportunity to implement training programmes for their workforce. Starting from just £20, courses available through the LMS platform include asbestos awareness, control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH), emergency first aid at work refresher (EFAW), fire awareness, manual handling and risk assessment. Employers can review the e-learning courses available and select those most appropriate to their needs, efficiently and cost-effectively.

The system allows employers to create, view and manage appropriate training programmes suitable for specific individuals, roles or companies. This training can also be linked to a comprehensive offering including bespoke learning modules, videos, documentation, course booking options for assessing or practical application of knowledge and assessments, which can be set up by the Arco Professional Safety Services training team. View the elearning courses available at https://academy.arcoservices.co.uk/learn or contact us to arrange a bespoke training package.

Arco’s specialist instructors have a wealth of industry experience and can provide businesses with the most relevant training to help keep workers safe. Offering a wide range of courses, Arco Professional Safety Services cover training for the below disciplines, alongside the LMS system:

• Working at Height
• Confined Spaces
• Respiratory
• Health and Safety

Brian Grunes, Training Manager says: “We have a core purpose to help keep people safe at work and have developed this new Learning Management System to make it easy for business to choose, book and deliver the most appropriate awareness-based training courses for their employees. From Fire Awareness to First Aid and Ladder Safety, our comprehensive e-learning course offering is brought together in one, simple to use, online resource to help businesses maintain a safe working environment for everyone.”

‘I died twice’ – the story of a North Sea oil rig accident

‘I still feel like it happened to somebody else’, says James Ramsay ahead of his Safety & Health Expo ‘Survivor’s story’.

Falling seven metres headfirst, dying twice and mistaking his parents for royalty – James Ramsay’s oil rig accident and subsequent recovery is quite the story.

James, who will recount his experiences at Safety & Health Expo in London this week, had been unloading a barrel on a North Sea oil platform when a crane knocked him off his feet, his hardhat falling off in the process.

The then 21-year-old had to be resuscitated twice on that day in 1998 – once on the rig, once in the helicopter airlifting him to hospital. Doctors gave him a 2% chance of survival.

James recalls a disorienting return to consciousness upon awaking from a nearly three-week induced coma. “Two people were sitting there who I didn’t recognize – it was my mum and dad. I asked if I had school today. They started crying – which I thought was quite strange as I didn’t know who they were.”

The scene took a surreal turn on one occasion when he mistook his parents for Princess Charles and Lady Diana. When other visitors routinely embraced his parents he surmised that “they must be something special”.

Remarkable recovery

Although the accident left him blind in one eye and deaf in one ear, his recovery has otherwise been remarkable. James had to relearn basic skills like reading, writing and talking.

He’s fulsome in praising the surgeons who rebuilt his face after “one side of my face was totally crushed. I’ve got the NHS to thank for looking like this”.

James, who says the recovery is an ongoing process, now works at his family’s Midlothian-based firm, RTR Scaffolding. Outside of work he enjoys running and doing Brazilian Jui Jitsu – “it is like human chess with no hitting to the head”, he says.

So astonishing is the story that when he gave a talk to NHS staff, one attendee told James: “Your fantasy writing is amazing – and I said, ‘that happened, that was me!’”.

Even James himself is sometimes incredulous that he is the story’s main protagonist. “On 8 July this year it will be 25 years since it happened, and I still feel like it happened to somebody else.”

Drop in the ocean

James says the driver of the crane that knocked him over wasn’t appropriately licensed.

Following an investigation a court handed the oil company, which James declines to identify, the maximum possible fine – but that only totalled £20,000. “And they were making £1.5 million a minute,” says James. “That was a big dent in their profits,” he adds sarcastically.

James says the oil company hired a 12-strong team of Queens Council (QC) lawyers – “the best” in the business, his own lawyer acknowledged.

Safety improvements

oil and gasExtracting a volatile, combustible substance from the ground in often harsh weather conditions, oil rigs present an extremely high risk working environment.

The logistical difficulty of reaching the nearest hospital elevates the risk further still. “I was 130 miles away from Aberdeen – and when you have an accident, the first five minutes is the most crucial,” points out James.

Although James believes the enormous tax revenues the industry generates for governments is a huge disincentive for tightening regulations, he acknowledges that there have been meaningful safety improvements since his accident.

The UK Health and Safety Executive reported no fatal injuries at offshore platforms within its jurisdiction in 2021 and four fatalities in the previous 10 years

The worst oil rig disasters to date occurred earlier, many in the 1980s. The highest ever fatality rate, 167 deaths, resulted from multiple explosions on the Piper Alpha North Sea oil platform in 1998.

James says the introduction of Risk Assessment Method Statements (RAMS) in 2005 was a pivotal improvement. “If you do anything wrong and something happens, then you’re in breach of what you’ve just signed, which is a legal document.”

The father of three now conducts RAMS for RTR Scaffolding. “I don’t want anybody to go through what I went through,” he says.

‘No dress rehearsal’

James is also currently completing ominously named ‘survival’ training, now a prerequisite for working offshore, so he can deliver his talk to the offshore industry.

His near-death experience – “seeing my body just lying there like it’s going up to heaven” – has given James a healthy perspective on life. “I just treat life like there’s no dress rehearsal,” he says.

Minor ailments have also been put into a different perspective, he jokes: “When somebody phones me at half six in the morning and says ‘I can’t come in today, I’ve got a really sore head…’ Sore head? I’ll give you a sore head!

Accidents are “inevitable” – two fifths of construction workers believe

Over the last three years, on average there were an estimated 11,000 cases of hearing problems each year caused or made worse by work, according to the Labour Force Survey.¹

Noise levels can be a major factor in work-related injuries and long-term conditions, and it’s important to understand as an employer what you can do to reduce or remove the risk to employees.

The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 state that it is the employer’s duty to remove or reduce risks to health and safety from noise and use hearing protection zones where necessary, which are designated areas of the workplace where access is restricted and where hearing protection is compulsory.

The regulations require you as an employer to:

• Assess the risks to your employees from noise at work
• Take action to reduce the noise exposure that produces those risks
• Provide your employees with hearing protection if you cannot reduce the noise exposure enough by using other methods
• Make sure the legal limits on noise exposure are not exceeded
• Provide your employees with information, instruction and training
• Carry out health surveillance where there is a risk to health.

There are strict legal exposure limits with regards to noise levels at work. Short-term exposure to excessive noise produces varying degrees of inner ear damage that is initially reversible but can become permanent through regular exposure. The peak sound pressure anyone can be exposed to is 137 decibels, while there are daily or weekly exposure limits of 87 decibels² and exposure action values set at 80 and 85 decibels.

Whether your team work on a glass bottling line, with freezers or wheeled trollies or are involved in milling and sawing operations, the risk to health and hearing is clear, so it’s important to have a good idea of the noise hazards around them.

Once the noise risk has been recognised, formal measures are required to reduce exposure to it. They must be implemented whenever an employee’s exposure to noise is likely to exceed the upper exposure action values of 85 decibels for daily or weekly exposure, or a peak sound pressure of 137 decibels. But remember, hearing protection should only be used as a last resort where there are risks to health and safety that cannot be controlled by other means.

As a priority, establish whether the noise exposure can be prevented or reduced by:

• Using quieter equipment or a different, quieter process
• Bringing in engineering/technical controls to reduce, at source, the noise produced by a machine or process
• Using screens, barriers, enclosures and absorbent materials to reduce the noise
• Redesigning the layout of the workplace to create quiet workstations
• Limiting the time people spend in noisy areas
• Introducing a purchasing policy for low noise machinery and equipment
• Regularly maintaining the machinery and equipment that takes account of noise

While risk remains, an employer must make hearing protection available upon request to any employee likely to be exposed above the lower action value and provide hearing protection to any employee likely to be exposed above the upper action value.

For more expert advice on noise prevention, please visit: https://www.arco.co.uk/expert-advice/noise.

As experts in safety, Arco can offer noise and hearing solutions across the full hierarchy of control, including identifying they hazards with risk assessment support, workplace site surveys to assess and monitor noise, hearing protection products, noise awareness training and ear fit testing, helping you to ensure you are fully compliant.

Our online Noise Awareness training course is aimed at all levels of employees who may be exposed to noise or managing noise in workplaces and will give both managers and employees an improved awareness of the risks associated with noise and how these can be reduced or removed. View all our training courses here: https://www.arcoservices.co.uk/training

Sources:

[1] https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/deafness/index.htm

² https://www.hse.gov.uk/noise/employers.htm#noise