How to Balance a Ladder

General

1). Check any labeling on the ladder to discover the maximum load it is able to bear. Make sure that your weight, plus that of any materials you plan to carry, is less than this figure. If not, use a sturdier ladder. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires that ladders should be able to support three to four times the intended load.
2). Make sure that only one person is on the ladder at anytime.
3). Check that the ladder---if it is made of metal or fiberglass---has rubber or plastic slip-resistant feet. Make sure the feet are clean and free from any grease or stones that may prevent them making contact with ground and gripping securely.
4). Place wooden boards under a ladder that is set on uneven ground which slopes away to the side at an angle of more than 16 degrees, or from the front of the ladder at an angle of more than six degrees. Brace the boards against walls or other firmly fixed objects, to ensure they do not slip and that the feet of the ladder rest on a flat, level surface. Check that, when standing in front of the ladder, the rungs appear horizontal.
5). Climb the ladder with your body over the center of the rungs. Do not lean your body out to the right or left of the ladder, or you may unbalance it. Reach with your arms only as far as you comfortably can without stretching. As a guide to keeping the ladder well balanced, your belt buckle should always be within the vertical sides of the ladder as you work.

1). Check that the ladder you have chosen is long enough for the task. This means the top of the ladder should extend 3 feet beyond the point you need to reach. You should never stand on the top three rungs of a straight single or extension ladder, when it is balanced against a wall.
2). Lean the ladder against the supporting wall so that there is an angle of about 75 degrees between them. Some ladders have an angle indicator marked on the vertical part, a line which appears parallel to the wall when the correct angle is reached. If not, judge the angle by comparing the distance of the feet of the ladder from the wall with the height of the top rung. The distance of the feet from the wall should be roughly a quarter of the height of the top rung above the ground.
3). Avoid resting the top of the ladder against plastic guttering or glazed panels, as this may make the ladder unstable.

1). Check that all four feet of the stepladder are touching the ground. Avoid using a stepladder that does not make secure contact with all four feet. Propping a stepladder foot, for example by placing a wedge under it, should be avoided.
2). Make sure all the legs of the stepladder are fully opened and that any locking devices are engaged, before use.
3). Avoid stepping off the top of a stepladder onto a higher level, as you may unbalance the ladder as you do so. Such circumstances call for a straight ladder, which should extend at least three rungs above the stepping-off point.
4). Place the stepladder so that it is directly in front of the job to be done, rather than on the side of it.
5). Avoid standing on the top step, or the bucket shelf. Never stand on the back section of a stepladder.