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The main place that you see wooden ladders is at home, or on a farm. Generally these adders are no longer used for industrial application, for good reason. These are heavy, hard to carry around and more importantly often unsafe. Timber is much harder to identify problems with, which is why so many break. Small hairline cracks often go undetected on these ladders, and then they snap when you are right at the top. Today, with the technology we have you are much better using a fiberglass or aluminum ladder.

If you have to use a wooden one, look over it very carefully. Paint will stop you from being able to identify any problems with the ladder, but you really need to do a thorough job. Ladders that are built incredibly strong, and that are looked after are usually fine. Like anything though, if you leave it out in the weather for days on end you can expect it to break the first time you go to use it! A lot of people use wooden ladders for loft entries, which work quite well.

These are cheap, and because they are indoors they tend to stay in a good condition for many years. Again though, you need to check that they are safe. Aluminum loft ladders are stronger and lighter weight, but at the same time they cost more to get and you generally can’t knock one up in your back shed! If you are using a wooden ladder at work, get it checked by a professional; there is a good chance that they will deem it unsafe for general work purposes.

Read about a Wooden Loft Ladder or about Loft Ladder.