Cemeteries are not only workplaces but also public places visited on a daily basis: it is essential to take care of the safety of visitors using the equipment.

Staircases are the most frequently used cemetery equipment by visitors, who use them to reach the deceased placed in the burial niches at height.

Stairs must ensure the safety of everyone, even if they are used by elderly people with reduced mobility.

Current safety regulations stipulate that ladders for professional and public use must comply with Legislative Decree No. 81.2008 (T.U.S.L.) Art. 113.

Ladder manufacturers are required to provide:

• certificates and attestations, issued by authorised laboratories, proving compliance with the relevant standards;

• product use and maintenance manuals.

Certified ladders are normally insured against manufacturing defects, for liability towards third parties; the insurance covers any damage in the event of accidents resulting from such defects, provided that they are correctly positioned and used.

For any damage attributable to the use of non-certified ladders (or ladders that have lost their certification), the cemetery operator will be held liable, based on Article 2043 of the Civil Code: 'Compensation for an unlawful act: any intentional or negligent act, which causes unjust damage to others, obliges the person who has committed the act to compensate for the damage'.

Since the article in question also covers damage resulting from culpable conduct, which can also be traced back to merely omissive conduct, the latter is configured as 'serious' if the omission takes the form of failure to comply with legal requirements.

In the event of accidents and injuries during ascent/descent or handling, visitors are not compensated by INAIL as is the case for workers.

Cemetery stairs can lose their certification Certification is valid as long as they remain intact and functional. Wear and tear and lack of maintenance are the main causes of breakage, deterioration and loss of functionality. This results in the loss of safety requirements and certification: the staircase must be taken "out of service".

Is it possible to repair and continue using a deteriorated or damaged ladder?

If the extent of the damage is minor, it can be repaired in the following ways:

• looking for qualified personnel who, in addition to repairing, will be required to recertify the ladder, becoming formally responsible;

• sending the ladder to the manufacturer who will maintain and certify it.

In both cases (difficulty in finding personnel willing to formally assume a risk, high cost of transport), it will be cheaper to replace the ladder with a new, certified one

Which are the longest-lasting ladders to buy in order to remain guaranteed over time?

The choice of certified cemetery ladders capable of ensuring high safety standards over time is important to ensure the safety of users and the legal liability of operators.

For a correct choice, it is necessary to know the different types.

∙ Robust and generally inexpensive but heavy iron ladders. Difficult to handle and prone to rust corrosion.

∙ Stainless steel ladders that are robust and heavy (and therefore difficult to handle), have high costs.

∙ Aluminium ladders are light, easy to handle and not prone to rust. They are, however, less robust and over time the steps, which are generally welded or riveted, tend to sag.

All types will sooner or later have to be decommissioned or repaired.

FEDA ladders, all of which comply with Legislative Decree no. 81/2008 (T.U.S.L.) art. 113 and in some cases with the European standard UNI EN 131 versions 1-2-7, have greater longevity characteristics as they are made with combinations of stainless steel and aluminium, which guarantee the right balance between strength and lightness.