5 ways to automate ladder and step checks

#1 - Simple checklist

Who it's for: Single-site venues where the manager runs the check themselves and wants the paper checklist on a phone instead.

What it is: A ladder and step check confirms access equipment is safe to use. This version is the tick-list of 8 checks, a pass/fail result, and a notes field. It covers the feet and non-slip ends, the stiles, the rungs or treads, the locking and stay mechanisms, any platform, and that the ladder is free of damage and the right type for the job.

In practice: A single-site venue checks its step ladders before a stock-rotation day. The supervisor works each one, confirms the locks engage and the feet aren't worn, marks pass or fail, notes a step ladder with a cracked tread to take out of use, and the check is logged.

Why it works: The list lives on the canvas, so each ladder is checked the same way, and the notes field records the damaged one so it's removed rather than "used carefully" until someone falls.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (8 inspection points)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field

#2 - With guidance

Who it's for: Venues where the check is delegated to whoever is on the rota.

What it is: The simple check with a guidance note: check the feet, stiles, rungs, and locking mechanisms before use, make sure the ladder suits the job, and crucially, a damaged ladder gets tagged out of use and removed, never "used carefully". The note explains why a small fault matters at height.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. The tag-out-of-use rule is spelled out
2. Staff know the right ladder for the job matters as much as its condition
3. The check is consistent whoever runs it

Why it works: The guidance sits with the checklist, so a new starter knows a damaged ladder comes out of service, not back on the hook.

Steps included:

• 1 guidance note (tag damaged ladders out of use)
• 1 checklist (8 inspection points)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field

#3 - With a signature

Who it's for: Venues where the check needs a name against it for accountability. Groups where head office wants to know who signed off each site's check, and single sites where a different person checks every time.

What it is: A signed check is the simple check plus a signature captured at sign-off. The 8 checks and the notes field stay the same; the signature confirms who did the check and when they signed it.

In practice: A venue with rotating staff. Whoever checks the ladders works the 8-point list, notes anything worn or damaged, and signs. The next day the manager knows exactly who to ask about the note, not just that someone left one.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. A signature naming who did the check, captured at sign-off
2. A record of when the check was signed, next to what was ticked
3. Accountability without asking anyone to take a photo

Why it works: The name goes on the record at the moment the work finishes, not from memory later. When a ladder is later found faulty, the conversation starts with who signed it off, which is specific instead of general.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (8 inspection points)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field
• 1 signature (sign-off)

#4 - With photo evidence

Who it's for: Teams that want proof the ladder was actually checked and sound, not just a ticked list.

What it is: The simple check plus a close photo of the ladder feet and stiles after inspection, taken on completion as a record alongside the ticks. One specific, telling spot rather than a vague wide shot.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. A close photo of the ladder feet and stiles, captured at the time
2. Proof that holds up to an auditor, not just a ticked box
3. A visual record kept alongside the checklist

Why it works: A photo taken on completion is far stronger than a tick. It shows the actual condition things were left in, not just that someone said the check was done. A single named spot like the feet and stiles is easy to shoot and easy to review.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (8 inspection points)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field
• 1 photo of the ladder feet and stiles

#5 - With Poppi checking the photo

Who it's for: Venues where the check photo gets taken but nobody looks at it. Multi-site groups where head office can't review every site's photos every day.

What it is: A photo-checked ladder is the simple check plus a close photo of the ladder feet and stiles that Poppi (AI) reviews the moment it's saved. Poppi answers one question about that photo, set by you: are the ladder feet and stiles free from visible damage, cracks, or bending? A single named spot is something an AI can actually judge, where a wide photo of the whole ladder is not. If the answer is no, Poppi posts what it spotted to the team chat, so the ladder is removed before someone uses it.

In practice: A three-site group closes down each evening. Each site photographs the ladder feet and stiles as part of the check. Poppi reads the photos: clear, no cracks, feet secure. All green, nothing changes. At one site the photo shows a bent stile and a worn foot. Poppi answers no and posts the reason to the team chat ("The photo shows bending in the stile and wear on the feet"). The site supervisor reads it before leaving and tags the ladder out of service.

What it adds to the simple checklist:

1. A close photo of the ladder feet and stiles that gets checked the moment it's saved, not just stored
2. A team chat message with Poppi's reason the moment a photo fails the check
3. The manager stops being the only person who ever looks at the photos

Why it works: The check happens in the seconds after the photo is taken, while staff are still on site. That's the only moment a problem is still cheap to fix. A manager reviewing photos the next morning can only record that the ladder was suspect; Poppi catching it immediately gets it removed the same day.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (8 inspection points)
• 1 pass/fail result
• 1 notes field
• 1 photo of the ladder feet and stiles
• 1 Poppi decision (judges the photo against your question)
• 1 Poppi action (posts to the team chat if the photo fails the check)

How to pick the right version

You don't need to know our product to choose. Every version here is the simple check plus one addition, so pick the additions your site actually needs.

Do other people run the check?

If you check yourself and know what to look for, the plain list is enough: #1. The moment rota staff check, the guidance needs to be on the screen: #2.

Does the check need a name against it?

If knowing it was done is enough, skip this one. If you want who signed it off on the record, #3 adds a signature.

Do you need photo proof?

A ticked checklist says the work was done; a photo shows it. If you want visual proof the ladder feet and stiles are sound, #4 adds a photo.

Does anyone actually look at the photos?

If a manager genuinely reviews every photo, #4's record is enough. If photos get taken and filed unseen, #5 has Poppi (AI) check each one as it's saved, and tell the team chat when something's wrong.

Need more than one addition? Open the version with the addition that matters most in the playground and add the others as steps. That's how the product works anyway: every option here is one step added to the same list.

Related workflows

• Working at height risk assessment - assessing the work the ladder is used for
• PPE condition check - keeping protective equipment serviceable
• Workplace safety walk - the wider hazard walk

Conclusion

A ladder is one of the most common pieces of equipment and one of the most common causes of serious falls, and a small fault is invisible on a tick-only log. A recorded, checked list turns its condition into something you can prove. Every version above is the same simple check plus one addition: guidance, a signature, a photo, or an AI check on the photo. Pick the ones your site needs and combine them in the playground.

→ Build your own ladder and step check on Pilla.