The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) is responsible, through its Technical Committees, for the development of European standards, The Commission has also been asked to draw up a list of the most important measures to be taken in this field. Among them is the European Standard EN 131. Part 7 deals with mobile ladders with platform, that is, those ladders which do not use any motorization but have mechanisms to facilitate movement.
In its first part, the document includes both a description of the platform mobile ladders and the terminology and definitions of their different components and accessories. The general, finishing, compositional and dimensional requirements are detailed in EN 131-7 below. In addition, the different tests that are necessary to perform to test the safety and strength of ladders to avoid any accident of the user are incorporated. Finally, some marking recommendations are listed in addition to the requirements described in parts 2 and 3 of EN 131.
EN 131-7 can be considered as the most demanding part of European Standard EN 131, being in turn the most violated part among manufacturers, distributors and owners. The problem arises when a customer, whether an end consumer, buys one of the market’s platform mobile ladders marked EN 131 but does not comply with part 7 of the standard.
European Standard EN 131-7
The provisions of the European standard EN 131-7 are:
- The maximum height of the platform may not exceed 5 m.
- The platform surface may not exceed 1 m². The dimensions, both in width and length, must be between 400 mm and 1000 mm.
- The maximum load shall not exceed 150 kg, including both the user and any tools, equipment or materials. In addition, its use is only allowed by one person at a time.
- Wide steps, steps and platforms should be completely horizontal.
- The platform socket must be equal to or greater than 50 mm.
- The height of the guard rails shall not be less than 950 mm and shall not exceed 1100 mm.
- The depth of the side guard and the width of the front guard shall be greater than 400 mm.
- The handrail is mandatory if: 45º≤ angle of the climb section ≤60º and the platform height is more than 1000 mm.
- If the ladder requires stabilizers and/or ballast to meet stability requirements, these must be supplied with the ladder.
- Ladders designed according to EN 131-7 can be adapted to the standard EN ISO 14122 for access to machines and installations.
In Spain there are some organizations, such as the Spanish Association of Portable Ladders Manufacturers (AFESPO), which order certified strength tests of the mobiles ladders with platform to check whether the EN 131 marking is correct, in order to avoid these bad practices.
From KTL-Ladders we want to underline that the responsible for the marking of EN 131 on ladders are manufacturers and distributors, but especially owners –individuals or companies-, who, subsequently, make the stairs available to the end-user.
