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COPYRIGHT 2006 Consumers Union of the United States, Inc.
Household ladder injuries are one element of sweat equity you may not hear about on home-improvement shows. While human error may explain some of the roughly 180,000 emergency-room visits and 150 deaths reported each year by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, so might lax safety rules and questionable designs.
Six telescoping and seven tall multiuse ladders we evaluated presented risks that were serious enough for us to judge them Not Acceptable (see SafetyAlert on facing page).All 13 compete with regular extension ladders for taller tasks. Threats we found include crushing hazards to hands and fingers, ladder feet that slid out during testing, and injury risks when we tried to use some models fully extended.
We also found some less-robust models among 6-foot stepladders, which have occupied the highest rung in sales. While there are no mandatory safety rules for consumer ladders, manufacturers typically assign them maximum weight ratings from 200 pounds (Type III) to 300 pounds (Type IA) based on a voluntary standard published by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). All the ladders in our Ratings met that standard.
But four stepladders we rated have steps that bent under the higher weight we used to help account for the stresses of climbing and weight-shifting (see Guide to the Ratings on page 44 for details).
Other ladders proved less stable, and some scored low overall despite their high weight ratings. Here are the details:
Some walked and wiggled. Even the most stable stepladders twisted enough for their feet to "walk" slightly when we stood on them and simulated the twisting and weight-shifting typical when painting or sanding. The Davidson W-2212-06S tipped and swayed more than others of the same kind.
A steeper learning curve. Multiuse ladders have climbed fastest in sales as manufacturers tout their compactness and versatility. But the complexity created by having to lock various parts into place explains their mediocre ease-of-use scores. Adjusting the Jaws JJT14 involves a lengthy process of loosening and tightening.
TOUGHER STANDARDS NEEDED
Ladders must resist bending under step-load tests with weights up to four times their weight rating as well as side-twisting tests as part of meeting the ANSI standard. But some experts believe that the standard falls short.
Harold Stillman, who chaired the ANSI task force that most extensively revised ladder standards, notes that side-stability tests haven't been substantially updated since 1980. "The tests provide an easy out for manufacturers--they can stick with old designs that easily pass."
James Glancey, associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Delaware, sees a common theme in many ladder-injury trials on which he has consulted. "By far, the most common failure is where one of the side rails bends inward right below the lowest...
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