Roofing
Portable ladder safety field guide: OSHA extension and step ladder rules
The setup that keeps a simple tool from putting a worker on the ground: the right ladder and duty rating, the 4 to 1 angle, the 3 foot extension and tie-off, three points of contact, no over-reaching, and the inspection that pulls a damaged ladder out of service.
Direct answer
Safe portable ladder use means picking the right ladder for the height and duty rating, setting an extension ladder at the 4 to 1 angle, extending it about 3 feet above the landing, tying it off, keeping three points of contact, and never over-reaching past the side rails. OSHA 1926.1053, 1910.23, ANSI A14, and the AHJ govern.
Key takeaways
- The 4 to 1 rule sets an extension ladder base out 1 foot per 4 feet of working height, about 75 degrees.
- A ladder reaching a roof must extend about 3 feet above the eave, with the top tied off and base secured.
- Three points of contact means two hands and one foot, or two feet and one hand, on the ladder while climbing.
- Use non-conductive fiberglass ladders anywhere near electrical, including overhead service drops; aluminum and wet wood conduct.
- Match duty rating to worker plus tools: ANSI Type IAA 375 lb, IA 300, I 250, II 225, III 200; Type IA or IAA for roofing.
What safe ladder use is, and why a simple tool hurts so many people
Safe portable ladder use is the small set of habits that keeps an extension or step ladder from tipping, sliding, or dropping the person on it: the right ladder for the job, set on a firm base at the right angle, secured at the top, climbed facing the rungs with three points of contact, and inspected before anyone trusts it. None of it is complicated. That is the trap.
An extension ladder and a step ladder are on every roofing, service, and repair job, and people treat them as furniture because they are familiar. That familiarity is exactly why ladders hurt more workers than almost any other tool on site. Nobody reads the label, nobody checks the angle, nobody ties it off for a five minute job, and the fall takes about a second. There is no time to catch yourself off a ladder.
The failures repeat from job to job. The wrong ladder for the height or the load. The angle set by eye and set wrong. No extension above the landing and no tie-off, so the top slides when a foot pushes off it. Over-reaching to save a trip down. A damaged ladder nobody pulled out of the fleet. Every one of those is preventable with setup, angle, three points, and the right ladder. The work of getting it right belongs at the truck, before the climb, the same way you settle fall protection and roof access before the crew is exposed.
Why ladder falls keep landing at the top of the injury list
Ladders are one of the leading sources of fall injuries and deaths in construction, and the count does not move much year to year. Falls from portable ladders send tens of thousands of workers to the emergency room annually and kill well over a hundred on the job, and the ladder rules are consistently among OSHA's most frequently cited standards. A simple tool, a leading injury. That is the whole problem in one line.
The reason is the gap between how easy a ladder looks and how little forgiveness it has. A worker leans an extension ladder against the gutter, climbs with a bundle of shingles under one arm, reaches to the side to set them down, and the combined weight crosses outside the rails. The ladder kicks out or twists. Or the top was never tied, so the first hard push of a foot at the top slides the ladder sideways off the eave. The mechanism is boring and it does not care about experience.
These falls are simple but deadly, and that is the case for treating ladder setup as real work instead of a reflex. The numbers do not come from exotic accidents. They come from the wrong angle, the missing tie-off, the over-reach, and the cracked rail nobody flagged, repeated across thousands of ordinary jobs. Roof falls have their own guide, and fall protection on the roof has another. This one is about the ladder that gets you there.
How do you pick the right ladder for the job?
Pick the right ladder by matching three things: the type to the task, the length to the height, and the duty rating to the total load. Get any of those wrong and the rest of your setup cannot save it.
Type first. A step ladder is self-supporting, opens into an A-frame, and is for work where you do not need to reach a separate upper level. An extension ladder is not self-supporting, leans against a structure, and is for getting to a roof, a high wall, or a landing. Using one as the other is where a lot of falls start. A step ladder leaned shut against a wall has no business holding anyone, and an extension ladder used freestanding has nothing to lean on.
Length next. An extension ladder has to be long enough to set at the right angle and still extend about 3 feet past the landing, so the working length is always shorter than the ladder. A step ladder has to be tall enough that you are not standing on the top, because the top cap and the step below it are not climbing steps. If the only way to reach the work is the top of the ladder, the ladder is too short.
Material matters near power. Aluminum ladders conduct, so anywhere there is electrical exposure, including overhead service lines into a building, the call is a non-conductive fiberglass ladder, not metal. That single choice has saved a lot of roofers reaching past a service drop at the eave.
Reading the duty rating: worker plus tools, and do not exceed it
The duty rating is the maximum load the ladder is built to carry, and it counts everything on the ladder: the worker, the tools on the belt, and the material in hand. ANSI A14 sets the rating types, and the rating is stamped on the side rail. The number you compare against is your body weight plus everything you carry up, not just what the scale says at home.
For commercial and roofing work the practical floor is a Type IA or Type IAA. A bundle of shingles, a nail gun, a hose, and a worker add up fast, and a light-duty homeowner ladder is the wrong tool the moment the load climbs. The duty rating is a hard ceiling, not a target. Loading a ladder past its rating is how rails buckle and rungs let go, and it happens with no warning.
Confirm the rating against the work before the ladder leaves the shop, and pull any ladder whose rating label is gone. A ladder with no legible rating cannot be matched to a load, and a ladder you cannot match to a load does not belong in the fleet.
| ANSI A14 type | Duty class | Rated load (worker plus tools) |
|---|---|---|
| Type IAA | Special duty | 375 lb |
| Type IA | Extra heavy duty | 300 lb |
| Type I | Heavy duty | 250 lb |
| Type II | Medium duty | 225 lb |
| Type III | Light duty | 200 lb |
What should you check before you climb?
Inspect the ladder before every use, top to bottom, with your hands and not just your eyes. The inspection takes under a minute and it is the step that catches the failure before the failure catches you. A ladder that fails any of it comes out of service and gets tagged so nobody grabs it by mistake.
Run the rails for cracks, bends, dents, and splits, especially near the feet and the top where loads concentrate. Check every rung and step: none loose, bent, missing, or slick with mud, grease, or ice. Look at the feet, the slip-resistant pads that keep the base from sliding, and replace them when they are worn smooth or torn off. On an extension ladder, work the rung locks (the dogs) and the rope and pulley, and confirm the locks seat fully on a rung. On a step ladder, open it and check that the spreaders lock flat and the hinges are tight.
Tag out and remove anything damaged. A bent rail or a cracked rung is not a field repair, and a ladder that has taken a hard fall off a truck gets pulled even if it looks fine, because the damage that drops you is often the crack you cannot see. The rookie move is to keep using the shop's worst ladder because it is the one nobody else wanted. That is the one that fails.
- Rails: no cracks, bends, splits, or dents, especially near the feet and top.
- Rungs and steps: none loose, bent, or missing, and all clean of mud, grease, and ice.
- Feet: slip-resistant pads present and not worn smooth or torn.
- Extension locks and rope: dogs seat fully on a rung, rope and pulley sound.
- Step ladder spreaders and hinges: lock flat and tight, no play.
- Duty rating label legible, and the rating matches the load.
- Tag out and remove any ladder that fails, so it cannot be grabbed by mistake.
What is the 4 to 1 ladder rule?
The 4 to 1 rule sets the angle of a leaning extension ladder: the base sits out from the wall 1 foot for every 4 feet of working height up to the support point. A ladder touching the wall 16 feet up has its feet about 4 feet out from the base of the wall. That works out to roughly a 75 degree angle, and it is the angle that keeps the ladder from tipping back or sliding out.
The angle is a balance between two failure modes. Set the base too far out and the ladder is too shallow, so the top can slide down the wall and the bottom can kick out. Set it too close and steep, and the ladder can tip backward as you climb, especially as you near the top. The 4 to 1 angle puts the load down the rails into the feet instead of out across them.
The field check is the firefighter arm test. Stand with your toes at the feet of the ladder and reach straight out at shoulder height. If your palms land on a rung with your arms straight, the angle is about right. It is a rule of thumb for a quick set, not a substitute for the manufacturer's angle markings, which many ladders now carry on the rail. Confirm the angle requirement against OSHA and the AHJ for the work.
Extend 3 feet above the landing and secure both ends
When a ladder is used to reach an upper landing, the side rails have to extend about 3 feet above that landing so there is something to hold while stepping on and off. The top of the ladder is the most dangerous moment of the whole climb, the transition where a hand and a foot move at the same time, and the extension gives the hand a rail to hold through it. A ladder cut off level with the eave leaves nothing to grab, and that is where people pitch backward.
Where the ladder cannot extend that far because of its length, OSHA's rule is to secure the top to a rigid support that will not deflect and provide a grasping device, such as a grab rail, so there is still a handhold. Either way, the top gets secured. The number itself, and the exact rule for where extension is not possible, should be confirmed against OSHA and the AHJ for the work, but the principle does not move: give the worker a handhold above the landing.
Secure both ends. The top gets tied off so it cannot slide sideways or kick out when a foot pushes off it. The base gets blocked or held so it cannot walk out at the bottom. An unsecured ladder that felt solid on the way up is the one that slides on the way down, when your weight shifts onto the top rung and the angle changes.
What are three points of contact?
Three points of contact means keeping three of your four limbs on the ladder at all times while climbing: two hands and one foot, or two feet and one hand. It leaves you anchored to the ladder through every move, so a slipped foot or a bad rung does not become a fall. It is the single habit that prevents the most ladder falls, and it is the first thing that breaks when a worker tries to carry something up.
Face the ladder, going up and coming down. People get hurt turning around to climb down, or backing down facing out, because that breaks the grip and the sight line at the same time. Keep your body centered between the rails and climb deliberately. The ladder is for getting to the work, not for working with both hands full while balanced on a rung.
That is why you do not carry tools and material up by hand. Three points of contact and a load in your arms cannot both be true. Use a tool belt, a bucket on a hand line, or hoist the material separately, so both hands are free for the rails. The bundle of shingles carried up under one arm is the classic version of this, and it is the one that puts a foot wrong at the top.
Do not over-reach: keep your belt buckle between the rails
Over-reaching is leaning out to the side far enough that your weight crosses outside the rails, and it is what turns a stable ladder into a tipping one. The field rule is to keep your belt buckle, your navel, between the side rails. When the work is past where you can reach with your buckle still between the rails, you climb down and move the ladder. Every time.
The reason people over-reach is the same every time: moving the ladder is a trip down, a few steps, and a trip back up, and the reach saves all of that. It saves it right up until the ladder goes over sideways, and now the worker is on the ground and the job is stopped for the rest of the day. The math never works. The move costs a minute, the over-reach can cost a career.
This is the mistake that experience does not fix. Twenty-year people over-reach because they are confident and in a hurry, and confidence is exactly what gets you when the ladder tips. Plan the work so the ladder gets moved often, and a crew that resets ladders without complaint is a crew that has internalized the one rule that keeps them off the ground.
Step ladder rules: fully open, spreaders locked, off the top
A step ladder only works the way it was built when it is fully open with the spreaders locked flat. The spreaders are the hinged braces between the front and back legs, and locked, they are what makes the ladder a stable, self-supporting A-frame. A step ladder that is not fully open, or whose spreaders are not locked, is not a ladder. It is a piece of metal looking for a way to fold up under you.
Do not lean a closed step ladder against a wall and climb it. A step ladder is not built to be used as a leaning ladder, the feet are wrong for it, and the legs can slide out from under you because nothing is bracing them. If you need to lean a ladder against something, you need an extension ladder, not a folded step ladder.
Stay off the top two. The top cap and the step right below it are not climbing steps, and standing on them puts your center of gravity above the ladder with nothing to hold. If the work needs you that high, the step ladder is too short and you need a taller one or a different setup. Manufacturers mark the highest standing level, so go by the label.
A firm, level base under both feet
A ladder is only as stable as what its feet sit on, and the base is where a surprising share of falls actually begin. Both feet need firm, level, solid ground. No boxes, no scrap lumber, no bucket to make up the last few inches of height. No soft soil that lets one foot sink under load, and no ice or wet, slick surface that lets the base slide.
On a slope or uneven ground, level the ladder with manufactured levelers built for it, the adjustable legs that bolt to the rails, not with shims jammed under one foot. A flat stone or a board under one foot moves, and it moves at the worst time. The slip-resistant feet have to be in contact and in good shape, because they are what fights the kick-out at the bottom.
Inside, watch for a slick finished floor where the feet can skate. The base that walks out is the one nobody secured because the setup felt solid standing on the ground. It stops feeling solid the moment your weight is at the top and the angle loads the feet.
Secure the ladder so it cannot move
Securing the ladder means the top cannot slide and the base cannot kick out, by tie-off, by blocking, or by a person holding it until it is tied. The first choice is to tie the top to a fixed, rigid point so it cannot move side to side or slide off the support. A ladder bracket or stabilizer at the top spreads the contact and holds the ladder off the gutter, which keeps it from sliding along the eave.
Where the top cannot be tied immediately, block or stake the base so it cannot slide out, and have a second person foot the ladder, holding it steady, until the top is tied. Holding the base is a stopgap for the moment of setting and climbing to tie off, not a substitute for tying off on a ladder anyone will use for real work.
The job that feels too quick to tie off is the one that catches people. The five-minute task talks you out of the tie-off, and then a foot pushes off the top rung, the ladder slides, and the five-minute task becomes a fall. If someone is going up, the ladder gets secured.
Can you use a metal ladder near electrical?
No. A metal ladder near electrical is a path to ground through the person on it, so anywhere there is electrical exposure the ladder has to be non-conductive fiberglass, not aluminum. This is one of the few places in ladder work where there is no judgment call and no exception worth taking. Aluminum conducts, a wet wood ladder conducts, and the worker is the connection between the line and the earth.
On roofing and service work the exposure people forget is the overhead service drop, the lines running from the pole to the building, usually landing right at the eave where the ladder goes up. Raising a long aluminum ladder near those lines, or leaning one against a wall below them, puts metal where it must never be. Keep the ladder and everything on it clear of overhead lines by a wide margin, and treat every overhead line as live.
Use fiberglass for any work on or near electrical, including reaching past a service drop to the roof edge. Confirm required clearances from overhead and energized lines against OSHA and the AHJ, because the safe distance depends on the voltage and the work, and the higher the voltage the wider the clearance has to be. The fall protection guide covers the roof-edge exposure that often sits right next to this one.
Do not set up in front of a door or in traffic
A ladder set in front of a closed door is a ladder waiting to be knocked out from under the worker on it. Someone pushes the door open, the door hits the ladder, and the person up top comes down. If the ladder has to go in a doorway, the door gets locked, blocked, or guarded so it cannot be opened into the ladder, and someone has to own that the door stays shut.
The same thinking covers any traffic. Keep ladders out of walkways, drive lanes, and the path forklifts and carts take, or cone and barricade the area so nobody walks into the base or backs equipment into it. A bumped ladder is a slid ladder. Pick the setup spot for what moves around it, not just for where the work is.
Getting onto the roof: 3 feet above the eave, tied, and braced
A ladder used to access a roof has to extend about 3 feet above the eave so there is a rail to hold while stepping onto and off the roof, and the top has to be tied off so it cannot slide along the gutter. That step from the ladder to the roof, and back, is the highest-risk moment in roof access, and it is where the extension and the tie-off earn their keep.
A ladder stabilizer or a roof ladder bracket holds the top off the gutter and widens the contact against the fascia or wall, which stops the side-to-side slide and keeps the ladder from crushing the gutter. Leaning the ladder directly on the gutter is how the gutter bends and the ladder slips at the same time. The bracket fixes both.
Roof access through a hatch, a fixed ladder, or a stair is its own subject, and the roof access guide covers the hatch, the climb below it, and the railing and gate at the opening. This section is about the portable ladder you set against the eave to get up there, and the rule for it is the same as any landing: extend above it, tie it off, and give the hand something to hold.
A note on fixed ladders
Fixed ladders, the permanent ones bolted to a wall or a shaft, follow a different set of rules than the portable ladder this guide is about. The headline change is the move away from the old cage as fall protection toward a ladder safety system or a personal fall arrest system on tall fixed ladders, a transition OSHA has been phasing in for general industry.
If you are climbing a fixed ladder to a roof or a piece of equipment, the cage-versus-safety-system question, the heights at which it applies, and the deadlines live in the roof access guide, where they belong with the hatch and the rest of the access path. Confirm what the specific building needs against OSHA and the AHJ, because fixed-ladder rules turn on height, install date, and the adopted edition.
When the ladder work needs fall protection too
A ladder is not, by itself, fall protection, and there are points where the ladder rules and the fall protection rules meet. Tall fixed ladders fall under the fixed-ladder fall protection requirements above. Extended work performed from or near a ladder at height, or stepping off a ladder onto an unprotected surface, can pull a personal fall arrest system into the picture on top of the ladder rules.
The line is whether the exposure is the climb itself or the work once you are up. The climb is governed by the ladder rules in this guide. The exposure at the roof edge, the leading edge, or a hole, once you are off the ladder, is governed by the fall protection standards, and the roof fall protection guide covers what those systems have to meet. Read the two together when a job has both, and let the competent person and OSHA settle which system applies where.
Carrying and raising an extension ladder
Most of the bad moments with a long extension ladder happen before anyone climbs it, in the carry and the raise. A 28- or 32-foot extension ladder is long, heavy, and awkward, and raising it is when the top end swings up through whatever is overhead. The one thing that has to be clear before you raise it is the overhead lines. A metal ladder swung up into a service drop kills, and it kills the person raising it, not someone up top.
Carry a long ladder balanced at its center, watching the ends in tight spaces so you do not clip a coworker or a window with the swing. Raise it with the base footed against the wall or a solid stop so it cannot slide as it comes up, and walk it up hand over hand, or use a second person on a long one. Two people on a heavy ladder is not soft. It is how you keep from losing control of the top as it goes vertical.
Look up before the ladder does. The habit of clearing the overhead before raising is cheap, and the failure to do it is one of the ways a routine setup turns into a fatality.
Wind, ice, and wet rungs
Weather changes the ladder. Wind catches a long extension ladder like a sail, both raising it and standing it against the wall, and a gust at the wrong moment takes the top away from you. Ice and rain make the rungs and the feet slick, so the base slides and the foot slips at the same time. Cold and wet are when the slip-resistant feet matter most and when they let go.
Clean the feet and the rungs before you climb. Mud, grease, snow, and ice on a rung are what put a boot through into open air, and a few seconds with a rag or a scrape is the whole fix. In high wind, the call is often to wait, because no setup makes a long ladder safe in a gust. The roof is not going anywhere, and the work that gets a worker hurt to beat the weather is the work the schedule could have moved.
Train the crew and inspect the fleet
The rules in this guide only work if the crew knows them and the fleet is sound, and both are the employer's job, not the individual worker's. OSHA requires that workers be trained to recognize ladder hazards and use ladders safely, and that ladders be inspected and kept in working order. A crew that sets the angle by eye, skips the tie-off, and over-reaches is a training gap, not a discipline problem.
Run the inspection as a real program, not a glance. Every ladder gets checked before use, damaged ladders get tagged and pulled the same day, and there is a record of what is in the fleet and what got removed. The ladder that hurts someone is almost always the one everybody knew was bad and nobody took out of rotation.
Tools like FieldOS make the inspection and the tag-out something you can log from the truck, so a damaged ladder gets flagged, removed, and tracked instead of going back on the rack for the next crew. The point is not the app. The point is that the bad ladder leaves the fleet and there is a record that it did, because the alternative is finding out which ladder was bad the hard way.
When to use a lift or scaffold instead of a ladder
A ladder is for short-duration work where you climb, do a small task, and come down. When the work at height is long, heavy, or needs both hands and a wide reach, the ladder is the wrong tool and a scissor lift, a boom lift, or a scaffold is the right one. The fix for over-reaching, for working with both hands full, and for being up there a long time is not a better ladder habit. It is a platform you can stand on and work from.
The honest test is the work, not the height. Hanging a long run of gutter, working a stretch of fascia, or setting equipment along a wall is platform work, and forcing it onto a ladder is how the over-reach and the fatigue creep in. A lift or scaffold costs money and setup time, and it is cheaper than the fall every time the work is more than a quick reach.
Match the access to the task before the crew starts. The decision to use a lift instead of a ladder is a planning decision, and it is a lot easier to make at the estimate than from the top of a ladder that is the wrong tool for what turned out to be a two-hour job.
Field checklist
Want this checklist to run itself on every job — with photo proof and a signed record crews can hand the customer? That's FieldOS.
What to document
The record is what proves the fleet is sound and the crew was trained when an inspector asks or a fall puts it in question. Log the ladder inspections, the tag-outs and removals, and the training, so there is a paper trail showing the bad ladders left service and the crew knew the rules before they climbed.
Capture the ladder identity and duty rating, the inspection date and result, what was found and what was done about it, who inspected it, and the training each worker has had on ladder use. When a ladder gets tagged out, record why and confirm it left the fleet, because a tag that comes off without a record is a ladder back in rotation.
| Rule | The right way | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Right ladder and duty rating | Type and length match the task; rated load above worker plus tools | Type IA or IAA for most roofing and service work |
| 4 to 1 angle | Base out 1 ft per 4 ft of height, about 75 degrees | Confirm with the arm test and the rail markings |
| 3 ft extension and tie-off | Rails about 3 ft above the landing; top tied, base blocked | Or secure the top and add a grab rail |
| Three points of contact | Two hands one foot, or two feet one hand, facing in | Hoist tools, do not carry them up |
| No over-reach | Belt buckle stays between the rails | Climb down and move the ladder |
| Inspection and tag-out | Checked before use; damaged ladders tagged and removed | Log the removal so it does not return |
Common mistakes
- Grabbing the wrong ladder for the job, or loading one past its duty rating.
- Setting the 4 to 1 angle by eye and getting it wrong, too shallow or too steep.
- No 3 foot extension above the landing, and no tie-off, so the top slides off the eave.
- Over-reaching to save a trip down instead of climbing down and moving the ladder.
- Using a metal ladder near electrical or under an overhead service drop.
- Leaving a damaged ladder in the fleet because nobody tagged it out and removed it.
- Carrying tools and material up by hand and breaking three points of contact.
- Leaning a closed step ladder against a wall, or standing on the top two steps.
Standards and references
OSHA is the floor. For construction work, including roofing, re-roofing, and repair, portable ladders are governed by 1926.1053 and the related ladder rules in subpart X. For general industry, the parallel requirements live in 1910.23. Those standards carry the rules behind the 4 to 1 angle, the extension above the landing, securing the top, the duty rating, and the condition the ladder has to be in to stay in service.
ANSI A14 is the ladder construction and use standard behind the duty ratings, the Type IAA, IA, I, II, and III classes, and the markings on the rail. The manufacturer's instructions and the duty rating stamped on the ladder control the load and the highest standing level, and they govern over any rule of thumb. The American Ladder Institute publishes the A14 standards and the training behind them.
Hedge the specifics to the source that controls them. The exact angle, the extension distance, the duty-rating numbers, and the OSHA section numbers should be confirmed against the current OSHA standard and the AHJ for the work, because the rules are amended between editions and the jurisdiction adopts and enforces them. The principles do not move: the right ladder and the 4 to 1 angle, three points of contact and no over-reach, and tie-off and inspection. Get those right every time and the source numbers fall in behind them.
Units and terms
Ladder work uses a handful of terms that show up on the label and in the standard, and they are worth getting straight because the rating and the rules turn on them.
Duty rating is the maximum load in pounds, worker plus tools plus material, and the ANSI Type sets the class. The 4 to 1 ratio describes the lean of an extension ladder, base out to height up, and it works out to about 75 degrees. Three points of contact is two hands and one foot, or two feet and one hand. A self-supporting ladder, like a step ladder, stands on its own; a non-self-supporting ladder, like an extension ladder, leans on a structure.
- Duty rating / Type
- Maximum rated load in pounds, worker plus tools; ANSI Type IAA 375, IA 300, I 250, II 225, III 200
- 4 to 1 ratio
- Extension ladder base set out 1 ft for every 4 ft of working height, about a 75 degree angle
- Three points of contact
- Two hands and one foot, or two feet and one hand, on the ladder at all times while climbing
- Self-supporting ladder
- A ladder that stands on its own, such as a step ladder opened into an A-frame with spreaders locked
- Non-self-supporting ladder
- A ladder that leans on a structure for support, such as a single or extension ladder
- Stabilizer / ladder bracket
- A top attachment that holds the ladder off the gutter and widens its contact against the wall
FAQ
What is the 4 to 1 ladder rule?
The 4 to 1 rule sets a leaning extension ladder so the base sits out 1 foot for every 4 feet of working height, about a 75 degree angle. A ladder reaching 16 feet up has its feet roughly 4 feet out. The arm test confirms it; verify the angle against OSHA and the AHJ.
How far should a ladder extend above the roof?
A ladder used to reach a roof should extend about 3 feet above the eave so there is a rail to hold while stepping on and off, and the top should be tied off. Where the ladder cannot extend that far, secure the top and add a grab rail. Confirm the rule against OSHA and the AHJ.
What are three points of contact?
Three points of contact means keeping three limbs on the ladder while climbing: two hands and one foot, or two feet and one hand. It keeps you anchored if a foot slips or a rung fails. Face the ladder and hoist tools on a line instead of carrying them, so both hands stay free for the rails.
Can you use a metal ladder near electrical?
No. A metal ladder near electrical gives fault current a path to ground through the worker, so use non-conductive fiberglass anywhere there is electrical exposure, including overhead service drops at the eave. Keep the ladder well clear of overhead lines. Confirm required clearances against OSHA and the AHJ, since they depend on the voltage.
What ladder duty rating do I need?
Match the duty rating to your weight plus all tools and material on the ladder, never just your body weight. ANSI A14 rates ladders Type IAA at 375 lb, IA at 300, I at 250, II at 225, and III at 200. For most roofing and service work, a Type IA or IAA is the practical choice.
What should I check before using a ladder?
Inspect by hand before every climb: rails for cracks and bends, rungs and steps for damage or slick spots, feet for worn pads, extension locks and rope, and step ladder spreaders and hinges. Confirm the duty rating label is legible. Tag out and remove any ladder that fails, so nobody grabs it by mistake.
How far can I reach from a ladder before I should move it?
Keep your belt buckle between the side rails. When the work is past where you can reach with your buckle still centered, climb down and move the ladder rather than lean out. Over-reaching crosses your weight outside the rails and tips the ladder, and it is one of the most common ways workers fall.
Can a stepladder be leaned against a wall?
No. A step ladder is built to be used fully open with the spreaders locked into a self-supporting A-frame, not leaned closed against a wall, where the legs can slide out. If you need to lean a ladder on a structure, use an extension ladder. Stay off the top cap and the step below it as well.
Do I have to tie off a ladder?
Secure the top of any ladder used for real work so it cannot slide or kick out, by tying it to a rigid point, and block or foot the base. A ladder bracket or stabilizer helps hold an extension ladder off the gutter. The five-minute job that talks you out of the tie-off is the one that slides.
When should I use a lift or scaffold instead of a ladder?
Use a scissor lift, boom lift, or scaffold when the work at height is long, heavy, or needs both hands and a wide reach. A ladder is for short-duration tasks where you climb, do a little, and come down. Forcing platform work onto a ladder is what drives over-reaching and fatigue. Plan the access at the estimate.
People also ask
Codes cited in this guide
This guide is written and reviewed against the published standards below. Always confirm the current adopted edition with the authority having jurisdiction.