1.) Platform Step Ladders are indeed heavier and more bulky, thus increasing the burden of carrying them, especially the taller ones.

 

2.) Having no top rungs, there is no place on a Platform Step Ladder to place one's tools while working. Regular step ladders have a good sized top shelf, many coming with holes and slots for screwdrivers and pliers. So if workers are accustomed to using this provision for tools, they will likely find this an inconvenience, because most Platform Step Ladders have no such provision. There is a mere cross-brace at the top that serves as a safety railing.

 

3.) The platform itself could also potentially become a safety hazard. When a worker is standing on a rung of a regular step ladder, he is stationary as there is no allowance for moving around. However, with a Platform Step Ladder, the worker can move around a fair amount, and with no guard rail behind him, he could step back too far and fall backwards off the platform ladder, potentially resulting in serious injury or even death. In principle, this is much like a baker scaffold that allows the worker to move around. If the railing was missing from one side, it would certainly create a fall hazard. I have personally seen someone fall from a baker scaffold where the platform was only about four feet from the ground and hurt himself. I believe that hazard also exists with the Platform Step Ladder as there is allowance for movement but no fall protection provided behind the worker.

 

4.) When ascending or descending a regular step ladder, one can grasp the center of the upper rungs for support. With no upper rungs on a Platform Step Ladder, the worker has no choice but to use the side rails. If both hands are free, that is fine, but if something is being carried with one hand, then the other hand is not centered but off to one side. If the worker's foot slips, as has happened on numerous occasions in the workplace, the hand on the side rail may pull the worker to one side with him/her falling in one direction and the platform ladder going the opposite direction.

5.) As well, Platform Step Ladders are not designed to use in leaning against a wall. Even though this is not a good practice with any step ladder, as the ladder can potentially slip out from underneath one, in certain unique circumstances and with extra precautions taken, such as with bracing, it is the only way to get the job done. If the worker can perform work only on the platform, then Platform Step Ladders cannot be used for this, as they need to be opened up for the platform to fall into place.

6.) If access to Platform Step Ladders is restricted to even sizes, as for example, 4, 6 or 8 feet, then the worker might find it very uncomfortable trying to work from the platform if he is one foot either too low or too high. This could potentially lead to workers using a brick, pail, or something similar on the platform to give them added height, which creates another serious safety hazard.

7.) When working on a Platform Step Ladder, the sense of balance is also decreased. With a regular step ladder, the tendancy is to lean into the ladder as one is working, creating more balance through several points of contact with the rungs of the ladder. As Platform Step Ladders are designed so that one works only on the platform, there are no rungs for the worker to lean into, and so has only two points of contact, his/her two feet for balance. The fewer the points of contact, the less balance is created.

8.) Finally, because one is to perform work only on the platform and not on the rungs, a greater number of platform step ladders may be required to accomplish the required tasks. So where one regular step ladder would do, now you may require several platform step ladders if you are to work at different heights. This increases the expense, storage space and time involved in the use of more than one ladder and all has to be taken into consideration. Service trucks may have to carry several Platform Ladders of various sizes where such are enforced.
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