Finding the right Roof Ladder

Working on a roof comes with dangers, making it vitally important that anyone involved adheres to the safety procedures and use the correct roof equipment.  Roughly 50,000 people in the UK take a trip to A&E every year regarding ladder incidents in people’s homes; this is why research and knowledge of how to use a roof ladder are essential.

Before you begin, it’s important to know if your ladder is the correct measurement for the task at hand. As a rule of thumb, your ladder should be long enough to reach the eaves peak of the roof ridge.

Once this has been successfully measured and your ladder is stable on the ground independently, you are good to go!

What makes a roof ladder unique is the hook at the top and the wheels on the front of the ladder itself. The wheels are used to roll the ladder up the roof surface which stops damage to the tiles. Most sufficient roof ladders also have weight-spreading bars on the back of the ladder, which even out the impact on the roof, helping to avoid damage to the roof tiles.

Roof ladders are used mostly by tradespeople such as satellite installers, chimney repairers, and most obviously, roofers.

Ever wanted a roof ladder but already have an existing ladder you love? It is possible to turn a normal aluminium ladder into a roof ladder with a ladder hook, an attachment that connects to any standard which provides a roof hook fixing that makes it into a roof ladder. Additionally, the best ladder hook also has a wheeled part, which helps get the ladder into position on the roof.

The best ladder hook also has a wheeled part, which helps get the ladder into position on the roof.

Moreover, when using a roof ladder the hardest part is getting the ladder into position; although roof ladders are designed to be reasonably easy to position, complications come when getting the ladder onto the roof. The ladder used to access the gutter level should be long enough that at least three rungs protrude above the guttering line and the ladder should be made secure and stable on the ground. Always use a second person to help get the roof ladder from the ground onto the roof, due to these certain types of ladders being quite heavy.

Once positioned on the roof, it is a good idea to clamp the roof ladder to the access ladder to prevent them from coming apart.

Even though you will probably have someone else with you when setting up and using roof ladders if the access ladder falls and you are alone, you could be stuck on the roof for a while and the access ladder falling could injure someone on the ground.

It is also a good idea to invest in a roof ladder safety kit, which includes a harness, rope, karabiner, tensioning straps, and other safety accessories that keep you attached to the ladder, avoiding the danger of slipping from the ladder and then falling off the roof.

Safety equipment like this is especially important if using a roof ladder in wet conditions (which we would not advise you do), as the combination of wet roof tiles and wet aluminium is a very slippery one and a simple safety kit could save a life.

Working on a roof comes with dangers, making it vitally important that anyone involved adheres to the safety procedures and use the correct roof equipment.  Roughly 50,000 people in the UK take a trip to A&E every year regarding ladder incidents in people’s homes; this is why research and knowledge of how to use a roof ladder are essential.

Before you begin, it’s important to know if your ladder is the correct measurement for the task at hand. As a rule of thumb, your ladder should be long enough to reach the eaves peak of the roof ridge.

Once this has been successfully measured and your ladder is stable on the ground independently, you are good to go!