Ive got tall hedges to cut. What are my options for reaching them?
A. The most obvious is a stepladder. However, these are notoriously dangerous and many accidents result from their use every year. Two major dangers are – a) using flimsy Domestic Duty steps which are not robust enough for the task – b) using steps sideways-on to the hedge so that overreaching causes the steps the topple over in the opposite direction. The safest form of steps is an alloy “Groundsman” Tripod Stepladder ( click here for our Specialist Ladders page ). This has a single back leg which can be pushed into the hedge allowing the Tripod to be used face-on rather than sideways-on. Many people are happy with a Combination Ladder which can be used as a normal straight ladder and a tall pair of steps ( click here for Combination Ladders page ), but care is still needed with these. Probably the safest option is a small scaffold or scaffold tower. These do not have to be expensive and give a very large, stable base area ( perhaps 4′ x 4′ ) which is far less likely to topple over. M
