The Technical Director of Cardiff-based access equipment specialist TB Davies has been appointed Chair of the British Standards Institution’s B512 Technical Committee.
Francis Camilleri will lead the body responsible for developing and maintaining UK and European ladder safety standards, giving him a direct role in shaping the national standards programme for portable access equipment.
The BSI B512 committee establishes national standards for portable ladders and coordinates the UK’s contribution to European ladder standards through CEN Technical Committee 93.
Its membership includes representatives from the Ladder Association, the Health and Safety Executive, Trading Standards and industry bodies.
The committee is responsible for standards including BS EN 131, which governs the design, testing and marking of ladders sold for use across construction, trade and domestic markets.
Camilleri has served as a member of B512 for six years alongside his role as Chair of the Ladder Association Technical Committee.
Through this work, he has represented the UK at European standards level and contributed to revisions of important ladder safety standards. His appointment as B512 Chair represents a further step in his work to support product safety and responsible manufacturing.
The appointment comes as concerns grow over the number of potentially unsafe ladders entering the UK market.
Market surveillance research undertaken by the Ladder Association found that more than 80% of telescopic ladders tested during recent exercises failed critical safety assessments. Many of the products were falsely marked as meeting the EN 131 standard.
The issue is particularly serious on online marketplaces, where platforms have no legal requirement to verify the safety of products offered by third-party sellers.
Francis Camilleri said:
“Ladder standards exist to protect people who work at height every day. The B512 committee does important, often unseen work to ensure those standards remain current, rigorous, and enforceable.
“The volume of non-compliant products reaching the UK market is a serious concern. One of my priorities as Chair will be to ensure that B512 continues to provide the technical foundation that regulators, enforcement bodies, and responsible manufacturers need to tackle that problem. Standards are only effective if they are clear, up to date, and actively used.
“I am proud that this appointment recognises the work TB Davies and the wider Ladder Association have put into standards development over many years. It is a responsibility I take seriously.”
Robert Adamson, Standards Development Manager at BSI, said:
“Francis brings a strong combination of technical knowledge and practical industry experience to the role of Chair. His track record in the Ladder Association and his long-standing involvement with B512 mean he understands both the standards landscape and the real-world safety challenges the committee exists to address.
“We look forward to working with him as we continue to develop standards that keep people safe when working at height.”
