Appropriate ladder for a museum store?
Hi there, I have just moved most of our objects in storage into a new store room which has a high ceiling (10ft). As we have had to fit as many items as possible into this space, we have gone as high as we can but this now poses a problem as the ladder we have won't let us reach this height safely. The Trustees have agreed to purchase a new ladder and I was wondering if anyone is able to recommend an appropriate ladder? Our smallest aisle is 29.5 inches wide and it does have to fit this as well as being easy to move around/collapse as space is limited. The aisles are also quite short. A suggestion was made to buy a caged ladder, but my concern is mobility with the objects in hand, particularly in a tight space. What are your thoughts?
Thank you very much in advance.
It is not easy to make suggestions for the kind of ladder you will need for your store as the legislation of working at height will apply according to your specific circumstances. Taking into consideration that you will be lifting objects up to 3 metres high you also need to consider health and safety issues relating to lifting objects up or taking them down and objects possibly falling. All these together will determine what kind of equipment you will need. I suggest contacting your local HSE office (the address is in the phone book) and they can refer you to the appropriate inspector or the environmental health officer. They can advise you about health and safety measures (e.g. providing training) and recommend the equipment you should purchase to fulfil all the health and safety regulations. I hope this helps.
Andor Vince
Collections Care Officer
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Cambridge