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Title 29: Labor
PART
1910—OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH STANDARDS
Subpart
D—Walking-Working Surfaces

§ 1910.26   Portable
metal ladders.

(a) Requirements —(1) General. Specific design and
construction requirements are not part of this section because of the wide
variety of metals and design possibilities. However, the design shall be
such as to produce a ladder without structural defects or accident hazards
such as sharp edges, burrs, etc. The metal selected shall be of sufficient
strength to meet the test requirements, and shall be protected against
corrosion unless inherently corrosion-resistant.

(i)-(ii) [Reserved]

(iii) The spacing of rungs or steps shall be on 12-inch centers.

(iv) [Reserved]

(v) Rungs and steps shall be corrugated, knurled, dimpled, coated with
skid-resistant material, or otherwise treated to minimize the possibility
of slipping.

(2) General specifications—straight
and extension ladders. (i) The minimum width between side rails of
a straight ladder or any section of an extension ladder shall be 12
inches.

(ii) The length of single ladders or individual sections of ladders
shall not exceed 30 feet. Two-section ladders shall not exceed 48 feet in
length and over two-section ladders shall not exceed 60 feet in
length.

(iii) Based on the nominal length of the ladder, each section of a
multisection ladder shall overlap the adjacent section by at least the
number of feet stated in the following:

Normal length of ladder (feet)

Overlap (feet)

Up to and including 36

3

Over 36, up to and
including 48

4

Over 48, up to 60

5

(iv) Extension ladders shall be equipped with positive stops which will
insure the overlap specified in the table above.

(3) General specifications—step
ladders.

(i)-(ii) [Reserved]

(iii) The length of a stepladder is measured by the length of the front
rail. To be classified as a standard length ladder, the measured length
shall be within plus or minus one-half inch of the specified length.
Stepladders shall not exceed 20 feet in length.

(iv)-(vi) [Reserved]

(vii) The bottoms of the four rails are to be supplied with insulating
nonslip material for the safety of the user.

(viii) A metal spreader or locking device of sufficient size and
strength to securely hold the front and back sections in the open position
shall be a component of each stepladder. The spreader shall have all sharp
points or edges covered or removed to protect the user.

(4) General specifications—trestles
and extension trestle ladders. (i) Trestle ladders or extension
sections or base sections of extension trestle ladders shall be not more
than 20 feet in length.

(ii) [Reserved]

(5) General specifications—platform
ladders. (i) The length of a platform ladder shall not exceed 20
feet. The length of a platform ladder shall be measured along the front
rail from the floor to the platform.

(ii) [Reserved]

(b) [Reserved]

(c) Care and maintenance of
ladders —(1) General. To
get maximum serviceability, safety, and to eliminate unnecessary damage of
equipment, good safe practices in the use and care of ladder equipment
must be employed by the users.

The following rules and regulations are essential to the life of the
equipment and the safety of the user.

(2) Care of ladders.

(i)-(iii) [Reserved]

(iv) Ladders must be maintained in good usable condition at all
times.

(v) [Reserved]

(vi) If a ladder is involved in any of the following, immediate
inspection is necessary:

( a ) If ladders tip over,
inspect ladder for side rails dents or bends, or excessively dented rungs;
check all rung-to- side-rail connections; check hardware connections;
check rivets for shear.

( b )-( c ) [Reserved]

( d ) If ladders are exposed to
oil and grease, equipment should be cleaned of oil, grease, or slippery
materials. This can easily be done with a solvent or steam cleaning.

(vii) Ladders having defects are to be marked and taken out of service
until repaired by either maintenance department or the manufacturer.

(3) Use of ladders. (i). A
simple rule for setting up a ladder at the proper angle is to place the
base a distance from the vertical wall equal to one-fourth the working
length of the ladder.

(ii) Portable ladders are designed as a one-man working ladder based on
a 200-pound load.

(iii) The ladder base section must be placed with a secure footing.

(iv) The top of the ladder must be placed with the two rails supported,
unless equipped with a single support attachment.

(v) When ascending or descending, the climber must face the ladder.

(vi) Ladders must not be tied or fastened together to provide longer
sections. They must be equipped with the hardware fittings necessary if
the manufacturer endorses extended uses.

(vii) Ladders should not be used as a brace, skid, guy or gin pole,
gangway, or for other uses than that for which they were intended, unless
specifically recommended for use by the manufacturer.

(viii) See § 1910.333(c) for work practices to be used when work
is performed on or near electric circuits.

[39 FR 23502, June 27, 1974, as amended at 43 FR 49745, Oct.
24, 1978; 49 FR 5321, Feb. 10, 1984; 55 FR 32014, Aug. 6, 1990]

For questions or comments regarding e-CFR editorial
content, features, or design, email [email-masked].
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