Ladders in poor condition are a common cause of falls at work, among which neck injuries like whiplash are only one potential consequence

Whiplash injury: a sore, stiff or swollen neck, back and neck pain and headaches are but a few symptoms you might suffer after a whiplash accident. Such incidents don’t only happen on the roads – falls at work as a consequence of a slip or trip can leave you with a whiplash injury, and it’s an employer’s responsibility to reduce these risks.

That’s why the Health and Safety Executive of the UK government are currently running a scheme called the Ladder Exchange. Emphasising the importance of checking equipment before every use for defects and potential problems, the HSE offers workers the opportunity of a part exchange for broken ladders, with discounts of up to 50% in conjunction with retailers and other organisations (HSE, 2009).

The agency hopes that by removing dodgy ladders from the workplace, the rate of injuries and fatalities as a result of falls from ladders can reduce. In 2007, “45 workers died and 3750 suffered a serious injury,” when falling from a height (HSE, 2009).