LaddersThe angle, the footing, and the rules that prevent most falls.Practical skillsEducational reference. Falls from height are among the commonest seriousDIY injuries.1Check the ladderNo damage, feet intact, locks engaged.2Set the angle1 unit out for every 4 up — about 75°.3Firm, level footingNever on soft ground, never on a box or a brick.4Secure the topTie it off, or have someone foot it.5Three points of contactTwo feet and a hand, at all times.6Do not overreachBelt buckle inside the stiles. Move the ladder instead.EXTENSION LADDERSExtend at least 1 m above the landing pointNever stand on the top three rungsNever carry heavy loads upEducational reference. Most ladder falls happen below three metres,and most involve overreaching rather than the ladder failing.Ladderslearnposters.com
Ladders — printable life skills wall chart from LearnPosters. Free vector PDF, US Letter and A4.

Ladders, step by step

Educational reference. Falls from height are among the commonest serious DIY injuries.

  1. Check the ladderNo damage, feet intact, locks engaged.
  2. Set the angle1 unit out for every 4 up — about 75°.
  3. Firm, level footingNever on soft ground, never on a box or a brick.
  4. Secure the topTie it off, or have someone foot it.
  5. Three points of contactTwo feet and a hand, at all times.
  6. Do not overreachBelt buckle inside the stiles. Move the ladder instead.

Extension ladders

  • Extend at least 1 m above the landing point
  • Never stand on the top three rungs
  • Never carry heavy loads up

Educational reference. Most ladder falls happen below three metres, and most involve overreaching rather than the ladder failing.

Questions about the Ladders poster

What’s on the Ladders poster?
6 numbered steps, with a full worked run-through. Educational reference. Falls from height are among the commonest serious DIY injuries. Check the ladder — No damage, feet intact, locks engaged.; Set the angle — 1 unit out for every 4 up — about 75°.; Firm, level footing — Never on soft ground, never on a box or a brick.; Secure the top — Tie it off, or have someone foot it.; Three points of contact — Two feet and a hand, at all times.; Do not overreach — Belt buckle inside the stiles. Move the ladder instead.. Educational reference. Most ladder falls happen below three metres, and most involve overreaching rather than the ladder failing.
Who is the Ladders poster for?
Ladders belongs to the Practical skills section rather than to a school year, because life skills is not something one grade owns. Anyone learning safety can pin it up — a beginner, a student mid-course, or someone revising years later.
When should you use the Ladders poster?
One out for every four up. Three points of contact, always. A wall chart earns its place by being glanceable from where the work is happening, so Ladders belongs on the wall where that life skills work actually happens, within glancing distance, rather than filed away.
What other posters go with Ladders?
Carbon Monoxide, Household Chemicals and Child Safety at Home sit alongside Ladders in the Practical skills section. Printed together they make a wall rather than a single sheet, which is how a reference set actually gets used.Carbon MonoxideHousehold ChemicalsChild Safety at Home
Is the Ladders poster free to download and print?
Yes. Ladders downloads as a free PDF with no account, no email and no watermark, like everything else in the Practical skills section. Print as many copies as you like for a home, a classroom, a library or a tutoring group; reselling the file is the only thing the licence rules out.Read the licence
What size does the Ladders poster print at?
Ladders is a vector PDF laid out for US Letter, and prints on A4 with Fit to page — the same file, no separate download. Because every mark on it is drawn rather than photographed, it stays sharp enlarged to A3, A2 or A1 at a copy shop. Colour carries emphasis only, so a greyscale print of Ladders loses nothing.Printing guide

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