HEALTH & SAFETY


THE FM’S ACCESS EQUIPMENT DECISION FRAMEWORK


Francis Camilleri, Technical Director at T.B. Davies and Chair of the British Standards Institution committee, offers a practical framework to help FM teams make confident, compliant access equipment choices.


Facilities managers don't need another reminder that working at height is risky. What you need is a simple, dependable way to quickly choose the right access equipment without falling back on habit or guesswork.


HSE guidance is clear: ladders can be a sensible option for low-risk, short-duration tasks, but they shouldn't automatically be the first thing you reach for. The Work at Height Regulations also make it clear that work must be properly planned, supervised, and carried out by competent people using appropriate equipment.


Yet in the rush of daily facilities management, whether responding to call-outs, managing multiple sites or juggling contractors, it's easy to default to what's convenient rather than what's correct. This article offers a practical framework to help FM teams make confident, compliant access equipment choices.


Start with the Ladder Association


STEP check Where the Work at Height hierarchy has been properly applied, and avoidance or collective protection is not reasonably practicable, selecting a ladder or step can be the right outcome. The Ladder Association's STEP method works because it forces a pause before you climb. It's quick, practical, and it stops rushed decisions that can lead to accidents.


Site: Is the ground firm, level and stable, with a safe area around the job?


Task: Is a ladder genuinely suitable, or is something else safer?


Equipment: Is it the right type, in good condition, and set up correctly?


People: Are they competent through training, knowledge and experience?


This four-point check takes less than a minute but dramatically reduces risk. The key is making it an automatic part of your standard operating procedure.


Match the equipment to the task, not


the habit The right choice of access equipment depends on the specific working environment and task requirements. Let's look at the three most common FM scenarios.


Office environments


Most office tasks are small but frequent: checking ceiling tiles, resetting sensors, replacing light fittings, and


44 | TOMORROW’S FM


accessing above suspended ceilings. If it's light work, short duration, and you're not relying on two hands for extended periods, a stepladder can be the right choice.


But the moment the job becomes sustained work, involves repetitive reaching, or requires tools that need two hands to operate properly, you're better off moving to a platform- based option.


Warehouses and logistics areas


Warehouses bring repetition: picking, stock checks, overhead access, and constant movement. In that environment, mobile steps and platforms often beat ladders on both safety and productivity.


You get a more stable working position, fewer rushed moves, and less 'make-do' behaviour. If the task runs longer or covers a wide area, a properly specified mobile tower can be a safer, more efficient solution than repeated ladder moves.


When equipment is easier to use safely, people work faster and with less fatigue. That's a significant productivity advantage in high-volume environments.


Plant rooms and M&E maintenance areas


Plant rooms are where equipment choices are properly tested: tight spaces, pipework, awkward reach, imperfect floors, and limited set-up room. Sometimes a ladder is still the most practical option, but the margins are smaller.


If the task needs two hands, takes time, or involves uncomfortable positioning, it's usually better to step up to a platform solution early.


Don't ignore the ‘in-between’ equipment There's now a useful category of access equipment that sits between conventional steps and full podium steps. These products are designed to keep the portability of stepladders while providing greater stability.


They're typically easier to get through corridors, lifts and thresholds than a conventional podium, but often offer features standard steps don't, such as guardrail support and a more secure working position.


When a ladder isn't the best answer The point is not to avoid ladders entirely; they remain an essential and appropriate tool for many FM tasks. The goal is to stop treating them as the default choice.


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