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Inspection template in the LeanSuite app

Last reviewed

Working at height and ladder inspection checklist

This inspection covers the equipment people use to work above the floor: portable ladders, platforms and fixed access, harnesses, lanyards and anchor points. Its 14 questions also look at how the work is done, from firm footing to three points of contact and permits. Use the ID field to give each ladder or harness its own record, so a damaged one can be traced and kept out of service.

The area lead, maintenance supervisor or EHS lead runs it monthly, with the person who uses the equipment where possible. OSHA's walking and working surfaces rules in 29 CFR 1910 Subpart D cover ladders, guardrails and the duty to provide fall protection. A failure on the floor: a harness with frayed webbing kept in a toolbox, a lanyard that has already arrested a fall still in service, an anchor nobody can confirm is rated, or a mezzanine gate wedged open. For the weekly check of each portable ladder, use the ladder inspection checklist.

What it is for, as built: Inspect ladders, platforms and fall protection before use or on a regular schedule.

Use this template in LeanSuite

The full question list

The 14 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.

Ladders

  1. 1Rails, rungs and feet are free of cracks, bends and damage
  2. 2Feet are non-slip and in good condition
  3. 3The rating label is readable
  4. 4Locking spreaders and hinges work
  5. 5The ladder type and length suit the job

Platforms and fixed access

  1. 6Guardrails and toe boards are in place
  2. 7Gates close on their own
  3. 8Stairs and steps are clear and slip-resistant

Fall protection

  1. 9Harnesses and lanyards are inspected and in date
  2. 10Anchor points are rated and marked
  3. 11A rescue plan exists and people know it

Use

  1. 12Ladders are set on firm, level ground
  2. 13People keep three points of contact
  3. 14A work-at-height permit is used where required

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: pass, 92.9% against a pass mark of 90

  • 14 questions, all of them count.
  • 1 answered No, so 13 of 14 are Yes: 13 ÷ 14 = 92.9%.
  • 92.9% is at or above 90, so the inspection passes. The No still needs its fix.

What happened next: EHS lead cut the harness up and scrapped it the same day, then issued a new one and tagged it.

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.

Working at Height and Ladder Inspection

Inspection, monthly

Ladder or equipment ID
Harness H-09, maintenance store

Fall protection

  1. Harnesses and lanyards are inspected and in dateNo

    Comment: Harness H-09 has frayed webbing at the left shoulder and the shock absorber cover is torn. Last inspection tag is from eight months ago.

    Photo attached to the No

  2. Anchor points are rated and markedYes
  3. A rescue plan exists and people know itYes
Drawn from this template's own questions, not a screenshot of the app. Illustrative answers.

When to use it

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

More in safety inspections and audits

All safety inspections and audits templates

FAQ

Working at height and ladder inspection checklist: common questions

  1. Monthly for each ladder, platform, harness and anchor on the register, with the person who uses it where possible. Inspect again after a fall arrest, after a ladder is dropped or struck by a vehicle, after a harness has been in paint or chemicals, before a shutdown brings in extra work at height, and whenever a user reports a doubt.

  2. The area lead, maintenance supervisor or EHS lead does it, with the user alongside. They need to know what frayed webbing and a deployed shock absorber look like, which anchors are rated, and the plant's ladder rules under OSHA 29 CFR 1910 Subpart D. A failed harness or ladder goes to the EHS lead, who takes it out of service and records the replacement.

  3. A fail means someone could fall or the equipment could fail to catch them: frayed webbing, a lanyard that has already arrested a fall, an unrated anchor, a bent rung or a gate wedged open. Take the item out of service now, tag it and remove it from the area. Nobody works at height from it until it is replaced. 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 equipment ID, date, inspector, each defect with a photo, and the date a failed item was destroyed or replaced. Keep the training record for the user alongside. Over months the register shows which harnesses live in toolboxes and which anchors nobody can trace to a rating, and both of those need a decision. In LeanSuite each submitted inspection is stored with its score, its pass or fail, and the photo and comment on every No.

  5. 14 questions in 4 sections: ladders, platforms and fixed access, fall protection, and use. 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 “Working at Height and Ladder 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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