A ladder is a tool that fits easily in a cupboard, is cheap and is quick to set up, which is why almost every site has one. However, it isn’t always enough: some jobs require extra care and additional safety infrastructure, especially at height. Ladders are more useful when the job is low-risk, takes no more than 30 minutes in one position, is on firm, level ground, and where you can maintain three points of contact with the ladder.
Here, we will explore other tools for working safely at height, especially on construction sites, and discuss the limitations of ladders.
Lifting tools to use on site
When working at height, safety comes first. Falls from height are the leading cause of fatal injury at work in Great Britain, causing 31 of 126 worker deaths in 2025/26, and construction is the hardest-hit sector.
On site, ladders have clear limits:
- They leave you without both hands free.
- They can slip or tip on uneven, soft or slippery ground.
- There’s no guardrail preventing falls.
When a job requires both hands, stable footing, or fall protection, choose equipment designed for it; opt for something tailored to the task. Some of the most common equipment you might want to select includes:
- MEWP hire: powered access platforms that put the operative in a guarded basket or deck and include scissor lifts and boom lifts.
- Truck loading platforms.
- Telehandlers: lift materials to height so nobody has to carry loads up a ladder.
- Vacuum and manual lifters: handle glass, panels and kerbs without lifting by hand.
Some plant hire companies also provide the training required to operate access equipment, including the widely used IPAF training, which culminates in certification for MEWP users.
Every MEWP job also needs a rescue plan, so that someone on the ground knows how to use the emergency controls to lower the platform if the operator becomes ill or the machine fails. On boom lifts, operators should wear a harness with a short restraint lanyard attached to the basket’s anchor point.
Mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs): Why they’re important
MEWPs include scissor lifts, which rise vertically, and boom lifts, which can reach up and over obstacles. They put the operative in a guarded basket or platform exactly where the work is, at heights ladders and towers can’t safely reach.
MEWPs are important when working on site because they overcome the main limitations of ladders. They keep both hands free, so you can do the job properly, and their guardrails surround the operator to prevent falls.
MEWPs are best suited for high-level work, steel erection, cladding, and access over obstructions, or for use on rough ground with rough-terrain models. Before you choose this type of equipment, make sure the operator has the right training to handle the specific machine, whether it’s a boom lift or a scissor lift, and that you run a meticulous inspection of the site, including checking ground conditions, overhead hazards and the machine’s pre-use inspection, and have a rescue plan.
Enhance safety on site
If you want your operator to work on a fully safe site, make sure you equip it with all the safety measures you need. Where a fall can’t be fully prevented, extra measures can reduce damage and prevent injury. These include safety nets, rigged as close as possible to the working level by trained installers (FASET-trained in the UK). They protect everyone working above and catch falling materials too.
You can also place soft landing systems, such as airbags or bean bags, under the area where someone could fall to soften any possible fall, or use fall arrest systems (a harness, energy-absorbing lanyard and suitable anchor), which stop a fall once it has started. They need enough clearance below, trained users, regular inspection, and a rescue plan, since anyone left hanging in a harness is in danger. Fall restraint is preferred over fall arrest: a shorter lanyard stops the wearer from reaching the edge, so no fall happens.
Choosing the right equipment
Start from the task, not from what’s in the cupboard. First, ask whether the job can be done from the ground, for example, with long-handled tools or by assembling parts at ground level and lifting them into place.
If the job can’t be done from the ground, think about how long it will take, whether it needs both hands, what loads are involved and what the ground is like. A short, light task may suit a ladder; anything longer, heavier or more awkward usually calls for a low-level platform, a scissor lift or a boom lift.
Whatever you choose, plan the job, use competent people, inspect the kit, and have a rescue plan in place. A ladder still has its place on site, but only once you’ve ruled out something safer.
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