Section 66: Ladders

66. Ladders (1) Every ladder shall be of good construction, sound material, adequate strength and suitable for the purpose for which it is used and shall be properly maintained. (2) No ladder shall be used unless— (a) it is securely fixed in a position to prevent it from slipping or falling, except that when this is impracticable a person shall be stationed at the base of the ladder to prevent it from slipping or falling; [Issue 1] O2 – 46 Revised Laws of Mauritius (b) it stands on a firm and level footing except in the case of a suspended ladder; (c) it is secured where necessary to prevent undue swaying or sagging; (d) it is equally and properly supported on each stile or side; (e) in the absence of adequate handholds, it extends at least one metre above the place of landing or the highest rung to be reached by the feet of the person using the ladder, or if this is impracticable, to the greatest practicable height; and (f) there is sufficient space at each rung to provide adequate foothold. (3) Subsection (2) shall not apply to any folding step-ladder, provided that it has a level and firm footing and is used in the fully open position with any spreaders locked.