Occupational Safety and Health Administration

(OSHA)
USA Department of Labor

CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY REGULATIONS

Stairways and Ladders

29 CFR 1926.1050

Introduction:
Stairways and ladders are a major source of injuries and fatalities among
construction workers.
OSHA estimates that there are 24882 injuries and as many as 36 fatalities
per year due to falls from stairways and ladders used in construction. Nearly
half of these injuries are serious enough to require time off the job.

11560 lost workday injuries and 13312 non-lost workday injuries occur
annually due to falls from stairways and ladders used in construction. These
data demonstrate that work on and around ladders and stairways is
hazardous. More importantly, they show that compliance with OSHA’s
requirements for the safe use of ladders and stairways could have prevented
many of these injuries.

Scope:
The OSHA rules apply to all stairways and ladders used in construction,
alteration, repair (including painting and decorating), and demolition of
work sites covered by OSHA’s construction safety and health standards.

General Requirements:
o A stairways or ladder must be provided at all worker points of access
where there is a break in elevation of 19 inches (48 cm) or more and
no ramp, runway, embankment, or perssonal hoist is provided.

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 Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA)
USA Department of Labor

o When there is only one point of access between levels, it must be kept
clear to permit free passage by workers. If free passage becomes
restricted, a second point of access must be provided and used.
o When there are more than two points of access between levels, at least
one point of access must be kept clear.
o All stairway and ladder fall protection systems required by these rules
must be installed and all duties required by the stairway and ladder
rules must be performed before employees begin work that requires
them to use stairways or ladders and their respective fall protection
systems.

Stairways:
The following general requirements apply to all stairways used during the
process of construction, as indicated:
 Stairways that will not be a permanent part of the structure on which
construction work is performed must have landings at least 30 inches
deep and 22 inches wide (76x56 cm) at every 12 feet (3.7 m) or less of
vertical rise.

 Stairways must be installed at least 30 degrees, and no more than 50

degrees, from the horizontal.

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 Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA)
USA Department of Labor

 Variations in riser height or stair tread depth must not exceed ¼ inch
in any stairway system, including any foundation structure used as
one or more treads of the stairs.
 Where doors or gates open directly onto a stairway, a platform must
be provided that is at least 20 inches (51 cm) in width beyond the
swing of the door.
 Slippery conditions on stairways must be corrected.
 All stairways parts must be free of dangerous projections such as
protruding nails.
 Stairways having four or more risers, or rising more than 30 inches
(76 cm) in height, whichever is less, must have at least one handrail.
A atairrail also must be installed along each unprotected side or edge.
 Handrails and the top rails of the stairrail systems must be capable of
withstanding, without failure, at least 200 pounds (890 N) of weight
applied within 2 inches (5 cm) of the top edge in any downward or
outward direction, at any point along the top edge.

 The height of handrails must not be more than 37 inches (94 cm) nor
less than 30 inches (76 cm) from the upper surface of the handrail to
the surface of the tread.
 The height of the top edge of a stairrail system used as a handrail must
not be less than 37 inches (94 cm) nor less than 36 inches (91.5 cm)
from the upper surface of the stairail system to the surface of the
tread. {If installed before March 15, 1991, not less than 30 inches (76
cm)}.
 Stairail systems and handrails must be surfaced to prevent injuries
such as punctures or lacerations and to keep clothing from snagging.
 Handrails must provide an adequate handhold for employees to grasp
to prevent falls.

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 Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA)
USA Department of Labor

 The ends of stairrail system and handrails must be constructed to

prevent dangerous projections such as rails protruding beyond the end
posts of the system.
 Unprotected sides and edges of stairway landing must be provided
with standard 42-inches (1.1 m) guardrail systems.

Ladders:
The following general requirements apply to all ladders, including job-made
ladders:
 A double-cleated ladder or two or more ladders must be provided
when ladders are the only way to enter or exit a work area having 25
or more employees, or when a ladder serves simultaneous two-way
traffic.
 Rungs, cleats and steps of portable and fixed ladders must not be
spaced less than 10 inches (25 cm) apart, nor more than 14 inches (36
cm) apart, along the ladder’s side rails.
 Ladders must not be tied or fastened together to create longer
sections unless they are specifically designed for such use.
 A metal spreader or locking device must be provided on each
stepladder to hold the front and back sections in an open position
when the ladder is being used.
 Ladder components must be surfaced to prevent injury from
punctures or lacerations, and prevent snagging of clothing.
 Wood ladders must not be coated with any opeque covering, except
for identification or warning labels which may be placed on one face
of a side rail.

Portable Ladders:
 The minimum clear distance between side rails for all portable ladders
must be 11.5 inches (29 cm).
 The rungs and steps of portable metal ladders must be corrugated,
knurled, dimpled, coated with skid-resistant material, or treated to
minimize slipping.

Fixed Ladders:

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 Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA)
USA Department of Labor

 Each step or rung of a fixed ladder must be capable of supporting a

load of at least 250 pounds (114 kg) applied in the middle of the step
or rung.
 The rungs and steps of fixed metal ladders must be corrugated,
knurled, dimpled, coated with skid-resistant material, or treated to
minimize slipping.
 If the total length of a climb on a fixed ladders equals or exceeds 24
feet (7.3 m), the following requirements must be met: fixed ladders
must be equipped with either (a) ladder safety devices; (b) self-
retracting lifeline, and rest platforms at intervals not to exceed 150
feet (45.7 m); or (c) a cage or well, and multiple ladder sections, each
ladder section not to exceed 50 feet (15.2 m) in length. These ladder
sections must be offset from adjacent sections, and landing platforms
must be provided at a maximum intervals of 50 feet (15.2 m).
 The bottom of the cage must be between 7 feet (2.1 m) and 8 feet (2.4
m) above the point of access to the bottom of the ladder.
 The top pf the cage must be a minimum of 42 inches (1.1 m) above
the top of the platform, or point of access at the top of the ladder.

Using of All Ladders:

 When portable ladders are used for access to an upper landing surface,
the side rails must extend at least 3 feet (0.9 m) above the upper
landing surface.

 Ladders must be maintained free of oil, grease, and other slipping

hazards.

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 Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA)
USA Department of Labor

 Ladders must be used at an angle where the horizontal distance from

the base of the supporting structure to the base of the ladder is
approximately one-quarter of the working length of the ladder.

 Ladders must be used only on stable and level surfaces unless secured
to prevent accidental movement.
 Ladders placed in areas such as passage-ways, doorways, or
driveways, or where they can be displaced by workplace activities or
traffic must be secured to prevent accidental movement, or a barricade
must be used to keep traffic or activity away from the ladder.

 The area around the top and bottom of the ladders must be kept clear.

 Ladders must not be moved, shifted, or extended while in use.

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 Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA)
USA Department of Labor

 Ladders must have non-conductive siderails if they are used where the
worker or the ladder could contact exposed energized electrical
equipment.
 The top or top step of a stepladder must not be used as a step.

 Cross-bracing on the rear section of stepladders must not be used for

climbing unless the ladders are designed and provided with steps for
climbing on both front and rear sections.
 Keep three-points of contact with the ladder at all times.

 When ascending or descending a ladder, the worker must face the

ladder.

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 Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA)
USA Department of Labor

 A worker on a ladder must not carry any object or load that could
cause worker to loose balance and fall.
 The length of single ladders shall not exceed 30 feet.
 Two section ladders shall not exceed 48 feet and over two-section
ladders shall not exceed 60 feet in length.
 Each section of a multi - section ladder shall overlap the adjacent
section by at least the number of feet as follows:
1. Length up to 36 feet: 3 feet overlap
2. Length over 36 feet up to 48 feet: 4 feet overlap
3. Over 48 feet, up to 60 feet: 5 feet overlap.

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