New Safety Standard for Ladder Accessories Published

CHICAGO –The American Ladder Institute (ALI) has completed and published a new standard for the safe design, construction and testing of accessories most commonly used in conjunction with portable wood, metal and reinforced plastic ladders. The new American National Standard Safety Requirements for Ladder Accessories (A14.8) prescribes both general design requirements and specific design verification test requirements for bottom-end, top-end and miscellaneous accessories, as well as guidance on the proper selection, use and maintenance of them. This makes the standard valuable to manufacturers and end users alike.

The requirements in A14.8 are based upon and coordinate with ALI’s other safety standards for portable ladders. “Ladder accessories are used on thousands of portable ladders every day, so this standard fills a critical need to provide specific requirements for the safe design, construction, testing and guidance on the use of them. It’s been developed by industry experts on ladder safety and is an important addition to ALI’s existing set of ladder safety standards,” said Alan D. Kline, chairman of the A14.8 subcommittee that developed the standard. “Sound requirements and good guidance for ladder accessories are critical to using ladders safely.”