EN131 Professional Step Ladders

An EN131 step ladder is a ladder that is certified to the industry standard when it comes to safety. EN131 now has two classifications EN131 Professional and EN131 Non-professional, therefore if buying for trade or for use at work it is best practice to purchase to the professional classification.

As a rule, there are no laws against not purchasing the EN131 standard, however, if you are a business purchasing ladders you have the responsibility to ensure your employees have safe and certified equipment. Should an accident occur whilst not using certified ladders the HSE would not look favourably on your case. As a domestic user, we would again recommend buying at least EN131 Non-professional to ensure safety and cheaper imports and potentially unsafe products are continuing to flood the market.

The process for testing EN131 step ladders is not just a quick strength test, but a longer process to ensure regular use will not cause any ladders to buckle. Testing includes torsion tests, twist tests, lateral deflection, base slip testing among others. EN131 Professional testing also puts ladders under tougher durability requirements. More information can be seen on our blog: EN131 Explained.