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Inspection template in the LeanSuite app

Last reviewed

Ladder inspection checklist: weekly

A ladder inspection checklist records the condition of one portable ladder: rails and rungs, feet, locks and spreaders, labels, and anything hiding damage such as paint, oil or grease. This weekly version has 7 questions and ends with the two that matter most, an unsafe ladder tagged out and the inspector's sign-off. Give each ladder an ID so its history stays with it.

OSHA 29 CFR 1910.23(b)(9) expects portable ladders to be inspected for visible defects before first use in each work shift, and (b)(10) says a defective ladder is tagged and taken out of service. So this weekly record backs up the user's own check before climbing; it does not replace it. Maintenance stores, the tool crib or the area lead usually own it. The failure it is built to catch is the stepladder with a cracked rail that gets used anyway because it is the only one near the line, or a fiberglass ladder painted over so a split no longer shows.

What it is for, as built: Weekly inspection of portable ladders.

Use this template in LeanSuite

The full question list

The 7 questions in the inspection

Every question is answered Yes, No or N/A. Each No is flagged and asks for a photo and a comment, so the finding arrives with its evidence.

Condition

  1. 1Rails and rungs are straight with no cracks or bends
  2. 2Feet are intact and non-slip
  3. 3Locking mechanisms and spreaders work
  4. 4No paint hiding damage, no oil or grease
  5. 5Labels are legible

Result

  1. 6Unsafe ladders were tagged out
  2. 7Inspector signed

Worked example, illustrative

A filled-in example

One section as it might be filled in on the floor, with every other section of the inspection answered Yes. The place and finding are made up to show how the inspection reads and scores.

Result: fail, 71.4% against a pass mark of 90

  • 7 questions, all of them count.
  • 2 answered No, so 5 of 7 are Yes: 5 ÷ 7 = 71.4%.
  • 71.4% is under 90, so the inspection fails.

What happened next: Tool crib tagged it out, fitted a new foot and degreased the rungs, back on the rack within two days.

Scored here as one point per question with N/A left out. In the app each answer carries the points set on the template, so change them after you clone it if your plant weighs some checks more.

Ladder Weekly Inspection

Inspection, weekly

Ladder ID
L-14, 8 ft fiberglass stepladder

Condition

  1. Rails and rungs are straight with no cracks or bendsYes
  2. Feet are intact and non-slipNo
  3. Locking mechanisms and spreaders workYes
  4. No paint hiding damage, no oil or greaseNo

    Comment: Left rear foot pad gone, bare metal on the floor. Grease smeared on the top three rungs from a bearing job.

    Photo attached to each No

  5. Labels are legibleYes
Drawn from this template's own questions, not a screenshot of the app. Illustrative answers.

When to use it

  • Once a week.
  • The person responsible for the area or equipment answers each question on the spot.
  • Each record starts with: Ladder ID.

How it is scored

The template is built with points per answer and a pass mark of 90. In this library every audit is set to pass at 80 and every inspection at 90. Each submitted inspection shows its score and pass or fail, and every No is flagged with its photo and comment.

Change the points or the pass mark after you clone it. How rules and scoring work.

Read and print

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All safety inspections and audits templates

FAQ

Ladder inspection checklist: weekly: common questions

  1. Weekly for every portable ladder on the register, on top of the user's own look before each climb. Inspect again straight away if a ladder has been dropped, struck by a truck, used outdoors in frost, or exposed to chemicals or heat, and after any repair. A ladder that moves between departments needs a check when it arrives.

  2. The tool crib attendant, maintenance stores or the area lead, whoever owns the ladders in that area. They need to know what a hairline crack in fiberglass looks like, why paint on a ladder is a problem, and how the spreaders should lock. A ladder tagged out goes to the maintenance lead or EHS lead to decide repair or scrap.

  3. A fail is a ladder that can let someone down from height: a cracked rail, a bent rung, a missing foot, a spreader that will not lock. Tag it out of service on the spot and move it where nobody can grab it, because the ladder nearest the job is the one that gets used. In this template every No is flagged and asks for a photo and a comment, and an inspection that scores under its pass mark of 90 is a fail.

  4. Keep the ladder ID, date, inspector, the defect found and a photo, and whether the ladder was repaired, scrapped or returned to service. The history on each ID shows which ladders take abuse and which areas keep damaging them, and it proves the tag-out happened when a ladder goes missing from the rack. In LeanSuite each submitted inspection is stored with its score, its pass or fail, and the photo and comment on every No.

  5. 7 questions in 2 sections: condition and result. Every question is answered Yes, No or N/A.

Use this template in LeanSuite

It is ready in the Template Marketplace inside Lean Creator as “Ladder Weekly Inspection”. Clone it into your plant, change any question, then schedule it to a person, role or asset with reminders. Auditors complete it on a phone or tablet, with photo evidence where required.

Not on LeanSuite yet? On a 90-day pilot our team sets up your account and digitizes the forms and checklists you use today, this one included.

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