Ladder Safety Requirements

Working with ladders can be dangerous; follow safety rules at all times.Ladder image by Towards Ithaca from Fotolia.com

Working with ladders can be hazardous. Both fixed ladders and portable ladders that are moved from one location to another, such as those used by residential window cleaners and house painters, must be used carefully to avoid accidents. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, known as OSHA of the United States Department of Labor has regulations governing the construction, performance and use of ladders.

Ladder Access to Landings

Wherever a portable ladder is used to give access to an upper area, such as a roof, OSHA regulation 1926.1053(b)(1) states that the upper rails of the ladder must be three feet higher than the surface that users of the ladder will be stepping onto. If the ladder is not long enough to allow three feet of clearance, then the same regulation states that the top of the ladder must be fastened to a fixed support so that it cannot slip back when someone is climbing off or back onto the ladder.

OSHA regulations for portable ladders state that these ladders should not be placed on slippery surfaces. This can mean on ice or where the floor surface is contaminated with greasy substances. Metal and smooth concrete surfaces are also considered slippery. Regulation 1926.1053(b)(7) states that if ladders must be used in slippery conditions, then ladders must be fitted with slip-resistant feet. Even then, ladders must still be lashed to fixed supports wherever possible.

Damaged ladders can be particularly hazardous if used, and OSHA regulations demand that defective ladders should not be used until they are repaired. OSHA regulation 1926.1053(b)(16) defines missing rungs, steps or cleats as structural defects. Other defects include broken side rails and corroded metal on the ladder. The regulation stipulates that defective ladders should be tagged with "Do Not Use" notices.

When a ladder is placed for use, its angle from where it rests against a fixed surface at the top and the bottom of the ladder where it rests on the ground should not be more than a quarter of the length of the ladder itself. For example, if a ladder is placed against a wall, the distance from where the bottom of the ladder rests on the ground to the wall that the top of the ladder is resting against must not be greater than a quarter of the total length of the ladder. This regulation, 1926.1053(b)(5)(i), is to prevent a ladder from slipping backwards under load.