Check Before You Climb
Confirm the rules before you work. A practical guide to ladders, step stools, trestles, horses and telescopic planks, including Falcon aluminum equipment.
Download the ladder and plank user guide (PDF) · Scaffold ratios and provincial requirements
Choose by task and permitted use
Check duration, reach, two-handed work, lateral forces, floor conditions, nearby openings, electricity and traffic. Choose a guarded working platform where a ladder cannot provide a safe work position. A material-support sawhorse is not automatically a personnel platform.
Extension ladders, stepladders, stools and trestle scaffolds have different support and standing rules. Follow the exact label and manual. Falcon’s 130/FT130 instructions distinguish stool, trestle and ladder-type scaffold use; permission to stand on the top of one designated stool must not be generalized to taller trestles or ordinary stepladders. Falcon operating documents.
The ladder 4:1 rule is different from scaffold stability
For US construction non-self-supporting ladders, horizontal setback is approximately one-quarter of the working ladder length measured along the rails from the foot to the upper support. A 4 m (approx. 13.12 ft) working length gives about 1 m (approx. 3.28 ft) setback. This sets a leaning angle; it is not the scaffold’s height-to-base rule. Fully opened stepladders and stools do not use that calculation. Confirm the local rule and manufacturer’s angle indicator. OSHA construction ladder rules.
Telescopic planks: extension is not support span
Falcon’s EP listing identifies one-person planks with a 250 lb (approx. 113.4 kg) total load rating. The PDF includes EP6, EP7, EP8 and EP10 adjustment ranges. A support’s higher capacity does not increase the plank rating. Overall extended length must not be mistaken for the permitted clear span between supports. Falcon EP reference.
- Confirm the exact plank, approved supports and permissible support span.
- Check extension overlap, stops/locks, end bearing, overhang and lateral retention.
- Include the user, PPE, tools and materials in the load check; evaluate the whole assembly.
- Provide the required platform width, access, edge protection and fall-protection arrangements.
- Obtain manufacturer clarification if the combined assembly’s instructions conflict. Connectable-plank ratings do not automatically apply to telescopic planks.
Inspect before access
Check feet, rails, steps, hinges, spreaders, extension locks, plank sections and fasteners. Tag and isolate damage or unauthorized repairs. Maintain inspection and corrective-action records; apply the manufacturer and jurisdiction’s intervals. The scaffold rules apply when ladders or trestles form a scaffold. CCOHS ladder guidance.
Why Arclight selects Falcon
Falcon’s manufacturing history in BC’s Okanagan dates to 1978. We value its Canadian manufacturing heritage, task-specific equipment, published ratings and operating/repair information. Falcon also distributes other brands; Made in Canada is confirmed by exact model. Falcon history.
For Custers scaffolds, we similarly value traceable testing, configuration manuals and replacement-part information from an established Dutch manufacturer. Read our Custers evidence and company-history section. Trust is supported by the actual documentation, suitable selection and service for the equipment’s intended use.
Reviewed October 3, 2026. This international framework includes Canada, US and Great Britain examples. Confirm the governing country/jurisdiction, equipment instructions and required site review before work.