Ladders in Construction: Design and Safe Use

This standard addresses falls from ladders on construction sites. It sets rules for how ladders are built and how you set up, use, inspect, and remove them from service.

Who it applies to

The ladder rules are part of Subpart X, which applies to all stairways and ladders used in construction, alteration, repair (including painting and decorating), and demolition workplaces covered under 29 CFR part 1926 (1926.1050(a)).

Ladders used on or with scaffolds have additional requirements in Subpart L. Subpart X does not apply to integral components of equipment covered by Subpart CC (1926.1050(a)). Subpart CC is the part 1926 subpart titled Cranes and Derricks in Construction.

Job-made ladders are covered (1926.1053(a)). This guide covers portable ladders, not the additional fixed ladder design rules in 1926.1053(a).

A stairway or ladder must be provided at all personnel points of access where there is a break in elevation of 19 inches or more and no ramp, runway, sloped embankment, or personnel hoist is provided (1926.1051(a)).

What the standard requires

Load capacity

• Each portable ladder, self-supporting or not, must be capable of supporting at least four times the maximum intended load without failure. The exception is extra-heavy-duty type 1A metal or plastic ladders, which must sustain at least 3.3 times (1926.1053(a)(1)(i), 1926.1053(a)(1)(ii)).
• "Maximum intended load" means the total load of all employees, equipment, tools, materials, transmitted loads, and other loads anticipated to be applied to a ladder component at any one time (1926.1050(b)).
• Ladders must not be loaded beyond the maximum intended load for which they were built, nor beyond the manufacturer's rated capacity (1926.1053(b)(3)).

Rungs, steps, and side rails

• On portable ladders, rungs, cleats, and steps must be spaced not less than 10 inches and not more than 14 inches apart, measured between center lines (1926.1053(a)(3)(i)). Step stools and extension trestle ladders have different limits (1926.1053(a)(3)(ii), 1926.1053(a)(3)(iii)).
• The minimum clear distance between side rails for all portable ladders is 11 1/2 inches (1926.1053(a)(4)(ii)).

Setting up the ladder

• Extension above the landing. When a portable ladder is used for access to an upper landing surface, the side rails must extend at least 3 feet above that surface. When that is not possible because of the ladder's length, the ladder must be secured at its top to a rigid support that will not deflect, and a grasping device, such as a grabrail, must be provided (1926.1053(b)(1)).
• Angle. Non-self-supporting ladders must be used at an angle where the horizontal distance from the top support to the foot is approximately one-quarter of the working length of the ladder (1926.1053(b)(5)(i)). Wood job-made ladders with spliced side rails use one-eighth (1926.1053(b)(5)(ii)). Portable ladders used on structures or conductors in conjunction with overhead line work need not meet the one-quarter rule (1926.955(b)).
• Surface. Ladders must be used only on stable and level surfaces unless secured to prevent accidental displacement (1926.1053(b)(6)).
• Clear area. The area around the top and bottom of ladders must be kept clear (1926.1053(b)(9)).
• Electrical. Ladders must have nonconductive side rails if they are used where the employee or the ladder could contact exposed energized electrical equipment, except as provided in 1926.955(b) and (c) (1926.1053(b)(12)).

Climbing and working

• The user must face the ladder when ascending or descending (1926.1053(b)(20)).
• Each employee must use at least one hand to grasp the ladder when progressing up and/or down (1926.1053(b)(21)).
• An employee must not carry any object or load that could cause the employee to lose balance and fall (1926.1053(b)(22)).
• The top or top step of a stepladder must not be used as a step (1926.1053(b)(13)).
• Ladders must not be moved, shifted, or extended while occupied (1926.1053(b)(11)).

Paragraphs (b)(21) and (b)(22) do not use the phrase "three points of contact."

Inspection and defective ladders

Ladders must be inspected by a competent person for visible defects on a periodic basis and after any occurrence that could affect their safe use (1926.1053(b)(15)). A competent person is one who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them (1926.32(f)).

Portable ladders with structural defects must either be immediately marked in a manner that readily identifies them as defective, or be tagged with "Do Not Use" or similar language, and must be withdrawn from service until repaired. Examples in the text include broken or missing rungs, split rails, and corroded components (1926.1053(b)(16)).

Repairs must restore the ladder to a condition meeting its original design criteria before it is returned to use (1926.1053(b)(18)).

Training

You must provide a training program for each employee using ladders and stairways, as necessary. It must enable each employee to recognize the related hazards and train each employee in the procedures to minimize them (1926.1060(a)).

You must ensure that each employee has been trained by a competent person in these areas, as applicable (1926.1060(a)(1)):

• The nature of fall hazards in the work area
• The correct procedures for erecting, maintaining, and disassembling the fall protection systems to be used
• The proper construction, use, placement, and care in handling of all stairways and ladders
• The maximum intended load-carrying capacities of ladders used
• The standards contained in Subpart X

Retraining must be provided as necessary so that the employee maintains the understanding and knowledge acquired (1926.1060(b)).

Written programs and records

Neither 1926.1053 nor 1926.1060 calls for a written ladder program, a written inspection record, or a training certification. Within 1926.1053, the one marking duty for portable ladders is the defective ladder mark or "Do Not Use" tag (1926.1053(b)(16)).

Easy-to-miss requirements

• The extension has a limit. In no case may the extension be such that ladder deflection under a load would, by itself, cause the ladder to slip off its support (1926.1053(b)(1)).
• Slip-resistant feet are not a substitute for care. Ladders must not be used on slippery surfaces unless secured or provided with slip-resistant feet, and those feet must not be used as a substitute for care in placing, lashing, or holding the ladder (1926.1053(b)(7)).
• Stacked ladder runs need a landing. When two or more separate ladders are used to reach an elevated work area, they must be offset with a platform or landing between them, except when portable ladders are used to gain access to fixed ladders (1926.1053(a)(10)).

Related guides

• Fall protection
• Scaffolding

Source

This guide is based on the text of 29 CFR 1926.1053 as published on osha.gov. The regulation itself always controls. States that run their own OSHA-approved State Plans may have additional or stricter rules.