Ladder Safety: OSHA Requirements for Portable Ladders, Step Stools, and Fixed Ladders

Ladders kill more workers than most people expect. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports over 160 fatal ladder-related injuries in the workplace each year, and ladder falls send another 20,000-plus workers to emergency rooms annually. Most of those incidents share a common thread: someone skipped a step they knew they were supposed to take.

OSHA has two primary ladder standards. For general industry, that’s 29 CFR 1910.23. For construction, it’s 29 CFR 1926.1053. A 2017 update to OSHA’s Subpart D (Walking-Working Surfaces) overhauled requirements for fixed ladders specifically. Knowing which standard applies to your work site is the starting point.

The Standards That Apply to Your Site

General industry covers manufacturing, warehouses, retail, and most fixed worksites. Construction covers active building, renovation, and demolition work. Some employers fall under both depending on the task.

1910.23 and 1926.1053 share most of the same portable ladder requirements. The differences show up mostly in construction-specific tasks, like accessing elevated work platforms, and in the fixed ladder requirements that changed with the 2017 update.

If you’re also working at heights and using harnesses, the fall protection program guide covers the broader fall arrest requirements that go alongside ladder safety. And for the full walking-working surfaces picture, the walking working surfaces guide covers platforms, stairways, and surfaces alongside ladder rules.

Portable Ladder Requirements

The 4-to-1 angle rule is the most fundamental portable ladder requirement. Place the base of the ladder 1 foot out from the supporting surface for every 4 feet of ladder height. A 16-foot ladder leaning against a wall needs its base 4 feet from the wall. Too steep and the ladder can tip backward under load. Too shallow and the feet slide out. Both kill people.

When workers use a portable ladder to access an upper landing, the ladder must extend at least 3 feet above the landing surface. This gives the worker something to hold while stepping on or off. A ladder that ends right at the landing edge is one of the most common setup errors inspectors catch, and it’s one of the most common ways workers fall transitioning between levels.

Ladders must be secured. OSHA requires securing both at the top and at the bottom when possible. On a job site where you can’t tie off at the top before climbing, a second worker must hold the base until you can secure it from above. That “someone holds it” approach only works for the first person up. After that, you tie it off.

Only one person on a portable ladder at a time. That’s not optional.

Load Ratings

Every portable ladder has a duty rating on the label. Type III is rated for 200 pounds and is a light-duty household ladder. You shouldn’t see it on job sites. Type II handles 225 pounds. Type I handles 250 pounds. Type IA handles 300 pounds, and Type IAA handles 375 pounds.

Those ratings include the worker’s weight plus their tools, equipment, and clothing. A 180-pound worker with a 40-pound tool bag and boots is at 230 pounds before they grab anything additional. Choosing a ladder by its type rating isn’t just a formality.

Metal and aluminum ladders must not be used near electrical hazards. Use fiberglass ladders for electrical work.

Stepladder Rules

Stepladders get misused more than any other type. The most common violation: standing on the top two steps. OSHA 1910.23(c)(8) and 1926.1053(b)(13) prohibit it. The top cap and the step below it aren’t designed as standing surfaces. There’s nothing above them to grip if you start to fall. If the work is above your reach from the second-from-top step, you need a taller ladder.

Stepladders must be fully opened with the spreaders locked before use. Using a stepladder in the closed position, leaned against a wall like a straight ladder, violates 1910.23 and is unstable. Spreaders exist for a reason.

Don’t use a stepladder on a sloped or uneven surface unless it has adjustable legs rated for that purpose. Shimming a stepladder leg with a block of wood isn’t a fix.

Fixed Ladder Requirements: The 2017 Change

Fixed ladders on buildings, tanks, and structures used to require cages, also called ladder safety cages or climb cages, when the ladder exceeded 20 feet. The 2017 update to OSHA Subpart D eliminated cages as accepted fall protection for fixed ladders. Here’s the timeline:

Fixed ladders installed after November 18, 2017, must be equipped with a ladder safety system or a personal fall arrest system from day one. There’s no cage option for new construction.

Fixed ladders installed before November 18, 2017, can keep their cages through November 18, 2036. After that date, those cages must be replaced with a ladder safety system or personal fall arrest system. The phase-out is real and the deadline is firm.

A ladder safety system typically means a vertical lifeline rail with a sleeve or grab device that moves with the climber and locks on sudden movement, similar to how a seatbelt works. Some facilities use self-retracting lifelines (SRLs) attached to a rail above the ladder.

Fixed ladders under 24 feet don’t require a safety system under the current rule, but they do require other protections including proper rungs, secure mounting, and clear climbing space.

Ladder Inspection: What to Look For Before You Climb

Every ladder should be inspected before use. That means looking for, at minimum:

Cracked, bent, or broken rails
Missing, loose, or damaged rungs, cleats, or steps
Loose bolts, nuts, or rivets
Damaged or missing safety feet
Corrosion on metal ladders
Cracks or splits on fiberglass ladders
Paint that might be hiding damage

A ladder with a defect doesn’t get used. It gets tagged, removed from service, and reported for repair or replacement. Taping a “broken” sign to a damaged ladder and leaving it in a rack where someone might grab it anyway isn’t compliance. It’s a liability.

OSHA 1910.23(b)(9) requires that ladders with structural defects be immediately removed from service and either repaired by a qualified person or destroyed. “I’ll get around to it” is not compliant.

Most Cited Violations

Ladder violations consistently appear in OSHA’s annual list of most-cited standards. The violations that show up repeatedly in both general industry and construction include:

Failure to secure ladders at the top and bottom. Workers set up a ladder in a hurry and don’t tie it off. It shifts. Someone falls.

Extending less than 3 feet above the landing. Workers grab whatever ladder is nearby, and it’s too short for the application.

Standing on the top two rungs of a stepladder. Usually happens because the worker doesn’t want to come down and get a taller ladder.

Using a damaged ladder. Inspections don’t happen and compromised ladders stay in service.

Using a metal ladder near energized equipment or wiring. This comes up especially in maintenance work where conditions change after the ladder was selected.

Missing or illegible duty rating label. A ladder without a readable rating label can’t be verified for the task. That’s an OSHA violation on its own.

Your construction safety plan should address ladder selection, inspection procedures, and tie-off requirements by task type. And if your workers are using PPE like hard hats while on ladders near overhead hazards, the PPE guide covers selection and maintenance for head protection.

A Note on Step Stools

OSHA 1910.23(e) covers portable step stools, which are single-sided, self-supporting ladders with a top step designed for standing. They’re common in warehouses and retail. The same general principles apply: don’t stand on the top cap, inspect before use, and check the duty rating for the load.

Step stools aren’t a workaround for tasks that need a full ladder. A 2-foot step stool used to access an 8-foot shelf is fine. The same step stool used to access an elevated platform where a 6-foot portable ladder belongs is the wrong tool.

The bottom line: most ladder incidents are preventable with inspection, correct setup, and the right ladder for the job. Workers who rush those steps are the ones who end up in the statistics.