Ladder & Step Inspector
Recurring inspection of ladders and steps for defects, labelling, and load capacity. A competent person appointed under the Industrial Safety Ordinance, documenting each check per TRBS 1203.
BetrSichV · DGUV Information 208-016 · TRBS 1203
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What does a Ladder & Step Inspector do?
A Ladder and Step Inspector is a competent person (befähigte Person) appointed by the employer to run the recurring inspection of ladders and steps as work equipment. Two provisions of the Betriebssicherheitsverordnung (BetrSichV, the German industrial safety ordinance) carry the duty. § 3 BetrSichV obliges the employer to derive the type, scope and interval of inspections from the risk assessment. § 14 BetrSichV requires that a competent person performs the inspection and that the result is recorded. TRBS 1203 sets out what makes a person competent, while DGUV Information 208-016 sets out what an inspector actually looks at.
Every item is examined individually, by sight and by function. Stiles and rungs are checked for cracks, deformation or corrosion, feet for wear and secure seating, hinges, fittings, spreader restraints and locking devices for correct operation, and the labelling for legibility. Load rating is assessed, along with the question of whether the type of ladder still suits how it is being used: a leaning ladder that has become a permanent working platform is not acceptable simply because it is undamaged. Each item carries a unique identifier so findings can be traced across its service life, and each result is recorded as release, repair or withdrawal.
The real difficulty is completeness rather than technique. Ladders and steps sit scattered across workshops, stores, vehicles and site containers. They get borrowed, moved and replaced without anyone reporting it. That is what a supervisory authority notices: not a poorly filled inspection sheet, but a ladder in daily use that appears in no register. The competent person therefore keeps the inventory, stays connected to purchasing, and confirms that withdrawn items are genuinely destroyed rather than quietly returned to the floor.
No state-recognised examination exists for the role. TRBS 1203 ties competence to technical education, relevant professional experience with the equipment, and current knowledge of the applicable rules. The employer selects the person and remains answerable for that choice. The employer also stays bound by § 4 ArbSchG to provide safe work equipment and by § 12 ArbSchG to instruct staff in its use. Inspection does not replace instruction, and instruction does not replace inspection. The accident-prevention regime of DGUV Vorschrift 1 applies in addition.
Core duties of the Ladder & Step Inspector
- Carry out the recurring inspection of ladders and steps as a competent person under BetrSichV § 14.
- Set or confirm inspection intervals derived from the risk assessment per BetrSichV § 3.
- Inspect stiles, rungs, feet, fittings, spreaders, and locking devices per DGUV Information 208-016.
- Check labelling, load rating, and suitability of the ladder type for its use.
- Assign a unique identifier to each ladder to enable traceability over its life.
- Record each inspection under § 14 (7) BetrSichV with type of inspection, scope, result, and the name and signature of the competent person.
- Tag defective ladders and remove them from use until repaired or scrapped.
- Decide on repair, replacement, or withdrawal and record the decision.
- Maintain the inspection register and make it available to the supervisory authority.
- Advise the employer on safe storage and on user instruction under § 12 ArbSchG.
When is a competent person for ladders required?
The Betriebssicherheitsverordnung requires every employer who provides ladders and steps as work equipment to have them inspected by a competent person. The risk assessment under § 3 BetrSichV determines the inspection interval; for ladders in normal use this is commonly set at once per year, though heavy use, harsh environments, or higher-risk applications justify shorter intervals. There is no fixed statutory interval, so the assessment must be documented. Separate from that, § 4 (5) sentence 3 BetrSichV obliges the employer to have ladders checked for obvious defects before each use. That check is done by the user, needs no competent person, and does not replace the recurring inspection.
A competent person must meet the criteria of TRBS 1203: a suitable technical education, recent and relevant professional experience with the equipment, and up-to-date knowledge of the applicable rules. No certification body issues a licence; the employer appoints the person and bears responsibility for that choice. The appointment should be documented, and many employers send staff to a one or two-day course following DGUV Information 208-016 to demonstrate the required knowledge. The inspection itself, its result, and the identity of the inspector must be recorded and kept for the supervisory authority.
- Ladders or steps provided as work equipment (BetrSichV)
- Inspection interval derived from the risk assessment (BetrSichV § 3)
- Competent person qualified per TRBS 1203
- Inspection content per DGUV Information 208-016
- Heavy use or harsh environment shortens the interval
Where ladder inspection applies
- Construction and trades
- Facility management
- Retail and warehousing
- Manufacturing and assembly
- Utilities and energy
- Agriculture and forestry
- Hospitality and events
- Public buildings and schools
How CIVAC supports the Ladder & Step Inspector role
CIVAC keeps ladder inspection as a role with a file of its own. The written appointment of the competent person (befähigte Person), the qualification evidence under TRBS 1203 and the inspection interval taken from the risk assessment sit in one place and survive a stand-in, a holiday or a handover.
The recurring inspection runs as a scheduled task built from a role template that carries the check points of DGUV Information 208-016, the identifier of the item inspected and the result; a reminder is raised before the interval runs out. A defect creates a follow-up task for repair or withdrawal that stays open until somebody closes it with a result. Training is documented per person, inspection records and the appointment sit in the documentation area, and the append-only audit trail shows who inspected, who decided and when. Data is held in the EU, at 49 euros per role per month, with an external appointment available.
Frequently asked questions
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