How do I report a dangerous telescopic ladder?

Photograph the whole ladder, the affected rung or section, each relevant lock indicator and the identification labels without operating it again. Save the seller and listing details, then use the telescopic ladder report form. Also follow the appropriate official consumer or workplace reporting route.

Telescopic ladders collapse into compact nested sections for storage. That convenience makes the identity and behaviour of individual locking points especially important when describing a suspected failure.

Telescopic ladder warning signs

A visible warning sign does not by itself establish the cause or legal status of a product, but it can justify stopping use and making a report. Record any of the following:

  • one side or rung section retracts while the other side remains extended;
  • a lock indicator does not show the expected engaged position;
  • a rung can move after it appeared to lock;
  • rails are dented, bent, cracked, loose or no longer aligned;
  • feet, end caps, buttons or other components detach or are missing;
  • the ladder closes unexpectedly or the controlled-closing feature behaves differently from the instructions;
  • labels, model details, instructions or maximum-use information are missing or inconsistent;
  • the delivered ladder differs from the photographs or claims in the online listing.
Do not test a suspect lock by climbing the ladder.

A photograph of the ladder as found is safer and often more useful than a video created by repeating the failure.

How to identify the affected section

Photograph the ladder from both sides and number the sections in your notes from the bottom upwards. State whether the ladder was fully or partly extended and which section moved. If visible, record the lock indication on the left and right of the same rung.

Describe what you observed in sequence: for example, “both indicators appeared engaged; the third section on the right retracted when weight was applied”. Avoid assuming the internal technical cause unless it has been assessed.

Evidence for a telescopic ladder report

  • Full ladder from both sides
  • Affected rung and section number
  • Left and right lock indicators
  • Rail damage or misalignment
  • Model, batch and product labels
  • Instructions and packaging
  • Online listing and seller screenshots
  • Receipt, order number and delivery date

Markings or claims about a standard should be recorded exactly as shown. Their appearance alone does not prove that the ladder has been independently tested or complies with a particular standard.

Reporting an unsafe telescopic ladder sold online

Capture the full listing address and the seller’s displayed business details. Include claimed dimensions, load, materials, certification or standard references, and save images showing how the lock is described. Note whether the same product appears under several seller or brand names.

Report the listing to the marketplace as a product-safety concern and retain the platform reference or response. You can also submit it to FOLO-UP even if you have not bought the ladder: an online listing signal can be reviewed alongside reports from owners and published safety records.

Consumer and workplace reporting routes

For a consumer product, use the official route for your UK nation as set out in government guidance. For a telescopic ladder supplied for work, notify the employer or responsible person and consider the HSE defective-product route. The seller or marketplace should also be told.

Report the telescopic ladder

Select “Telescopic ladder” in the form and describe the exact rung, section and locking behaviour.

Start a telescopic ladder report

Official UK information

Use GOV.UK’s consumer-product reporting guidance for the official route in your nation. HSE also publishes work-at-height ladder guidance and a defective workplace product reporting route.