Ladders and wind: at what wind force do you stop?

The limit: wind force 6

Arbouw puts it briefly in its guidance for workers: do not use the ladder at wind force six or higher. On the Beaufort scale, wind force 6 is a "strong breeze", an average wind of 39 to 49 kilometres per hour. According to the Dutch weather service KNMI, at that wind you can only just hold an umbrella.

What the law says

The Dutch Working Conditions Decree names no wind force. Article 7.23 says temporary work at height only takes place when the weather does not endanger the workers' safety and health. The Belgian Code says the same in article IV.5-3. So anyone who goes up a ladder in a strong wind must be able to explain why that was safe.

Why stopping earlier is often wise

Wind force 6 is an average. Three things make it worse in practice:

• Gusts. With a forecast of wind force 5, the gusts can be much stronger. It is exactly a gust that pushes a ladder, or a sheet in your hands, sideways.
• Height and corners. At height and around the corner of a building it often blows harder than at street level.
• What you are holding. A sheet, a window or a solar panel catches wind like a sail. That is why you only carry light loads on a ladder.

How do you know how hard it is blowing?

• Check the forecast of the KNMI (Netherlands) or the KMI (Belgium) for the wind force and the gusts for the hours you are working.
• A handheld anemometer costs little and measures on the spot.
• If you can only just hold an umbrella, you are around wind force 6.

If in doubt, postpone the work or choose equipment with a guardrail, such as an anchored mobile scaffold. Which equipment fits when is in ladder, mobile scaffold or aerial platform.

Frequently asked questions

At what wind force may you not use a ladder?

Dutch construction uses wind force 6 or more as the limit. The law names no number, but forbids work at height when the weather endangers safety.

How many kilometres per hour is wind force 6?

On average 39 to 49 kilometres per hour, or 10.8 to 13.8 metres per second.

Does this apply to a stepladder indoors?

Indoors, wind usually plays no role, except with open windows, open doors or in a hall that is open.

Does securing a ladder help in wind?

It helps against a ladder that slips, but not against you being pushed off balance. At wind force 6 or more you do not go up, not even on a secured ladder.

Sources

• Arbouw: The ladder as a workplace? When yes, when no (Dutch)
• Dutch Working Conditions Decree (Arbobesluit), article 7.23
• Belgian Code on well-being at work, Book IV, Title 5, article IV.5-3 (Dutch)
• KNMI: the Beaufort wind scale (Dutch)

This article is a practical explanation, not legal advice. Sources checked on 24 September 2026.