Ladders are work equipment under PUWER and access equipment under the Work at Height Regulations 2005, so two regimes apply at once. Neither bans them. What the law does is make you justify the choice: a ladder is acceptable for low risk, short duration work, or where site features mean nothing better can be used, and the assessment has to say which of those applies.
The two inspections, and why people confuse them
The pre-use check is done by the user, every time, before the ladder is used and after anything that might have damaged it. It is not recorded. The detailed visual inspection is done at intervals by a competent person, and it is recorded. A business that records the second and skips the first has the paperwork and not the safety, because most ladder defects appear between inspections.
What the checklist covers
Stiles for bends, splits and dents. Feet for wear, contamination and missing pads. Rungs for wear, looseness and grease. Locking mechanisms and stays. Platform and guardrails on step ladders. Labels and the marked maximum load. Any repair that has been attempted, because a ladder that has been welded or bolted back together is scrap. Anything failing goes out of service that day, physically tagged and removed rather than leant against a wall.
How often, and why the regulations name no interval
There is no statutory frequency. PUWER regulation 6 requires inspection at suitable intervals where equipment is exposed to conditions causing deterioration liable to result in dangerous situations, and suitable depends on how hard the ladder is worked and where it is kept. A ladder on a van in daily site use needs looking at far more often than one in a maintenance store.
Angle, footing and the practical rules
A leaning ladder is set at roughly 75 degrees, which is the 1 in 4 rule: one unit out for every four units up. It should be secured, normally tied at the top, and should extend about a metre above a landing place where it is used for access. Those are the details that make a ladder acceptable in an assessment, and the ones that get skipped when somebody is only going up for a minute.
Fixed ladders, which are a different problem
A fixed access ladder is part of the structure rather than portable equipment, so it is inspected as part of the building or plant and it is where hoops and cages appear. Modern guidance has moved away from treating a cage as fall protection, because a cage does not arrest a fall, and fixed ladders on new installations are more often specified with a fall arrest system on a rail. An existing caged ladder is not automatically unsafe, but the assessment should not assume the cage is doing more than guiding.
Questions people ask about ladder inspection
How often should ladders be inspected?
The regulations set no interval. A pre-use check is done every time by the user, and a recorded detailed inspection is carried out by a competent person at intervals suitable to how the ladder is used and stored.
What angle should a leaning ladder be at?
About 75 degrees, which is the 1 in 4 rule: one unit out from the wall for every four units of height.
Are ladders banned on construction sites?
No. They are permitted where the risk assessment shows the work is low risk and short duration, or where site features prevent the use of more suitable equipment.
Should ladders be tagged?
Tagging is not required by law. It is a common way of showing an inspection has happened, and it works only if the tag reflects a real inspection rather than a monthly ritual.