Introduction
This guide is designed for health and safety managers and on-site leaders in the manufacturing, construction, and logistics industries to implement ladder and stepladder (aluminum/FRP/wood, portable/fixed) inspection and maintenance procedures without hesitation. It provides a frequency matrix for pre-use, weekly, monthly, annual, and post-event inspections, along with judgment criteria for “Good/Acceptable/Unacceptable” and recording templates for checklists, tags, and ledgers. This system prevents dependency on individuals and scattered records, enabling early detection of non-conformities and shortening the lead time for corrective actions. It is structured as a ready-to-use procedure for on-site training, visualizing KPIs such as non-conformity rates and corrective action lead times (LT).
Issues and Background
Market Data (Premise for Standards and Operation)
In Vietnam, the system dictates that TCVN standards are voluntary, while QCVN national technical regulations are mandatory. For ladder and stepladder safety, the practical approach is for companies to establish internal standards for frequency, judgment, and recording, while referencing the technical requirements of TCVN/ISO. Many accidents are caused by operational errors. Typical examples include setting up a ladder at an angle other than approximately 75°, having the top extend less than 60cm above the landing, failing to maintain three points of contact, overloading, and ignoring slippery floors or the effects of wind. Furthermore, environments with high temperature and humidity, salt damage, or chemical exposure accelerate deterioration. In coastal areas, aluminum corrosion and bolt seizure are common, while in chemical plants, FRP is prone to whitening and fiber exposure. Therefore, we recommend shortening inspection intervals for frequently used equipment or in harsh environments and setting up comprehensive annual inspections by qualified personnel.
Risk Identification (Easily Overlooked Signs)
Signs often overlooked on-site include distortion or buckling of side rails, wobbling or cracks in rungs, wear or hardening of rubber feet, incomplete engagement of spreader bars or locking mechanisms, fraying or cuts in extension ropes, and loosening of rivets or bolts. By material, typical signs are whitening, fiber exposure, or powdering for FRP; cracks, corrosion pits, or unusual noises for aluminum; and rot, warping, or splinters for wood. If even one of these is confirmed, immediately stop use, isolate the equipment, and attach a red tag to determine if it can be repaired. Always conduct an additional inspection after an event such as a drop, impact, submersion, or electrical contact. As a rule, equipment with wobbly rungs, cracked side rails, or missing rubber feet must be prohibited from use and replaced. Numerical standards like the 75° angle and 60cm or more of top extension should be incorporated into daily inspection training as “pass/fail lines.”
Product/Service Introduction (The Tools to Run the System)
Features (Templates and Operational Design)
We provide a set of templates and procedures to run the operation “without hesitation and with consistent quality.”
Inspection Sheet: Clearly states the observation points for each part (side rails/rungs/spreader bars & locks/feet & rubber pads/ropes & rivets, etc.), with a three-tier judgment: Good, Acceptable, Unacceptable. This is linked to operations: Acceptable = continue use + requires observation, Unacceptable = immediate isolation & red tag. We recommend a minimum of 4 photos (front, side, hinge area, feet) and recording symptom keywords (e.g., whitening, buckling, loose, missing). The checklist is designed to be completed in 2-3 minutes per ladder.
Frequency Matrix: ① Pre-use = All units to be used that day. ② Weekly = Equipment used 3 or more days a week and rental equipment. ③ Monthly = Visual and functional check of all units. ④ Annual = Comprehensive inspection by a qualified person (dimensions, looseness, fasteners). ⑤ Post-event = Additional inspection within 24 hours after a drop, impact, water immersion, or electrical contact. Results are visualized on-site with Green (Usable) / Yellow (Requires Monitoring) / Red (Do Not Use) tags.
Record-Keeping: Tags should include the date, judgment, inspector’s name, and next inspection date. The ledger should contain Serial No. / Location / Usage Frequency Category / Past Results / Corrective Action History / Scheduled Disposal Date, and be linked to photos in the cloud. Example file name: LAD-000123_2025-07-01_preuse_OK.jpg. Use QR codes to link directly to the individual equipment ledger. Set a 3-year retention period and check for delays in corrective actions at a monthly review meeting.
Case Studies (Before → Action → After)
- Logistics Center A: Before / No daily inspections; defect discovery was left to workers. Action / Introduced weekly + annual inspections, tags, and a ledger. After / Reduced non-conformity rate by 40%, shortened corrective action lead time by 30%, and reduced waiting time for replacement arrangements by 25%.
- Construction Company B: Before / FRP ladders deteriorated prematurely at a coastal work site. Action / Added inspection points and replacement criteria specific to salt-damage areas. After / Maintained zero breakages for 12 months, extended average lifespan by 1.5 years, and reduced unnecessary preemptive replacements by 20%.
- Chemical Plant C: Before / Judgment on reusing equipment after a drop or impact was based on personal discretion. Action / Enforced the rule of additional inspection within 24 hours post-event and red-tag isolation. After / Reduced near-miss incidents by 50%, established a “do-not-use” decision process within 10 minutes, and achieved a 100% corrective action initiation rate.
Hasegawa’s Reliability (For Long and Safe Use)
Quality Control & Certification
Hasegawa ensures quality through a 5-layer system: “Design Compliance → Material Management → Process Control → Inspection → Traceability.” In the design phase, we reference requirements from standards like EN 131, JIS, and ISO 14122-4, as well as OSHA concepts, to clarify CTQs (Critical to Quality) such as assumed loads (including user + tools + materials), slip resistance, and insulation/conductivity properties. For materials, we confirm lot compliance with supplier certificates and incoming inspections, and select surface treatments and FRP resins that account for corrosive or chemical environments.
In our processes, we establish work standards for fastening torque, adhesion conditions, rivet clinching depth, etc., and conduct regular tool inspections and worker training. Inspection is a three-tiered system—incoming → in-process → shipping—that includes visual and dimensional checks on all units, as well as sample-based functional and durability tests (rung pull-out, hinge operation, foot slip resistance, etc.). For FRP, we focus on checking for whitening and fiber exposure, and for aluminum, we check for buckling, cracks, and corrosion pits.
Traceability links the Serial No. / Production Lot / Drawing Version / Inspection Records and integrates with the ledger. This also aligns with on-site inspection tags, centralizing the history from non-conformity occurrence to isolation, correction, and re-evaluation. We provide genuine replacement parts like rubber feet, end caps, spreader bars, and ropes for each model, bundled with a parts list, replacement procedure manual, and precautions. Preventive replacement is planned according to usage frequency and environment, and is carried out in conjunction with annual inspections to minimize downtime.
Customization & Support System
We optimize the material selection × dimensions × attached mechanisms to match the usage environment and work content. For example, we propose FRP for sites with electrical work or risk of chemical splashes, lightweight aluminum for frequent transport, and corrosion-resistant surface treatments or materials for salt-damage environments. We can also combine options such as non-standard dimensions, rung pitch, effective width, handrails, casters, and leg adjustment mechanisms, and verify usability and safety with an on-site trial (PoC) before full implementation.
Our implementation process follows 5 steps: ① Requirements Hearing, ② Site Survey, ③ Specification Proposal / Risk Assessment, ④ Prototyping & Verification, ⑤ Mass Production & Training. Training is based on classroom learning (approx. 60-90 min) + hands-on practice (approx. 30 min), and we distribute the judgment quick reference chart, checklist, tags, and ledger in a ready-to-use format. Post-implementation, we also offer support menus such as 30-day and 90-day follow-ups to ensure adoption, as well as on-site assistance with annual inspections and photo reviews. This ensures that the “Frequency × Judgment × Record” model runs smoothly on-site, continuously reducing equipment downtime and accident risks.
Conclusion
The key takeaway of this article is to standardize ladder safety through a “Frequency × Judgment × Record” system. First, take an inventory of your assets and establish an internal frequency matrix for pre-use, weekly, monthly, annual, and post-event inspections. Standardize the “Good/Acceptable/Unacceptable” criteria with a quick reference chart, and visualize the history with tags and a ledger. For KPIs, review the non-conformity rate, corrective action lead time (LT), and replacement cycle compliance rate on a monthly basis. When implementing, utilize Hasegawa’s inspection sheets and templates, and feel free to consult with us about any questions or site-specific applications. You can check reference standards and official documents from the links at the end. After the system is established, planning preventive replacements in conjunction with annual inspections by qualified personnel will continuously reduce accident risks and downtime. You can enhance traceability by linking photos and QR codes.