This chapter describes minimum safety requirements for construction and use of

portable ladders, including stepladders and job-made ladders.

American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/American Ladder Institute (ALI):

ANSI/ALI A14.1, Ladders – Portable Wood – Safety Requirements

ANSI/ALI A14.2, Ladders – Portable Metal – Safety Requirements

ANSI/ALI A14.3, Ladders – Fixed – Safety Requirements

ANSI/ALI A14.4, Requirements for Job Made Wooden Ladders

ANSI/ALI A14.5, Ladders – Portable Reinforced Plastic – Safety Requirements

European Committee for Standardization, European Standard (EN):

EN 131, Ladders

National Safety Council (NSC) Data Sheet:

Data Sheet 568, Job-Made Ladders

U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR):

29 CFR 1926, Subpart X, Stairways and Ladders

3.3.1 Portable ladders and stepladders shall meet applicable ANSI or European
(EN) standards, including proper labeling and marking. It shall be
understood that “American Standard” is not a proper label and may
indicate a substandard ladder. See Figure 3.1.

3.3.2 Self-supporting portable ladders shall be rated to support at least four times
the maximum intended load.
3.3.3 Portable ladders and stepladders shall be maintained in good condition at
all times. Joints shall be tight. Rungs, hardware and fittings shall be
securely attached. Movable parts shall operate freely without binding or
excessive looseness.

3.3.4 Portable ladders and stepladders shall be inspected before each use.
Damaged or weakened ladders shall be immediately removed from Saudi
Aramco (SA) property or project sites. Examples of unacceptable damage
include:
 Split or broken side rails.
 Missing or damaged rungs.
 Bent or missing hinges.
 Any other damage that hinders safe use of the ladder.

3.3.5 Wood and aluminum portable ladders and stepladders shall not be painted.

3.3.6 Side rails shall have smooth surfaces (without slivers) with no projections.

3.3.7 Ladder rungs (or steps) shall be parallel, level and be uniformly spaced.
Rungs shall be between 25 cm (10 inches) and 36 cm (14 inches) on center.
A rung spacing of 30 cm (12 inches) is preferable.

3.3.8 Minimum clear distance between straight ladder side rails, or side rails in
any section of an extension ladder, shall be 29 cm (11-1/2 inches).

3.3.9 Rungs of portable metal ladders shall be corrugated, knurled, dimpled,

coated with skid-resistant material or otherwise treated to minimize the
possibility of slipping. Ladders shall be maintained free of oil, grease or
other potential slipping hazards.
3.4.1 Straight ladders and extension ladders shall be placed at a slope of 4:1 (i.e.,
for every 4 m [12 ft] of vertical rise, the base is set 1 m [3 ft] out).

3.4.2 Straight ladders and extension ladders shall be placed vertically only if
both side rails are rigidly attached to a supporting structure (e.g., scaffold)
at the top, middle and bottom of the ladder.

3.4.3 Ladders shall extend at least 1 m (3 ft) above the landing surface to which
the ladder is used to gain access (e.g., platform, eave or roof).

3.4.4 Bases of ladders shall be equally supported on a firm level surface. Boxes,
blocks, barrels, etc., and temporary work platforms (e.g., scaffolds) shall
not be used as a means of support.

3.4.5 Ladders shall not be used on slippery surfaces unless secured or provided
with slip-resistant feet. Slip-resistant feet shall not be used as a substitute
for care in positioning, securing or holding a ladder that is used on slippery
surfaces when unavoidable.

3.4.6 Bottom rungs of ladders shall not be more than 30 cm (1 ft) above the
lower level used to mount the ladder. The area at the base of a ladder shall
be kept clear.

3.4.7 Ladders shall not be used in a horizontal position as platforms, walkways

or scaffolds.

3.4.8 Ladders shall not be supported on their rungs. Rungs shall not be used to
support scaffold planks.

3.4.9 Ladder side rails shall be evenly supported at the upper resting place. The
ladder shall be securely tied off at the uppermost support point to prevent
movement. When secure fixing at the top of the ladder is impractical, other
measures shall be taken to prevent movement of the ladder (e.g., securing
the base of the ladder, using side guys, stationing personnel at the base).

3.4.10 Flagmen shall be stationed around the ladder base or substantial barricades
with flashers erected when a ladder could be struck by moving vehicles or
equipment.

3.4.11 When a ladder is positioned in front of or near a doorway, the door shall
either be locked shut or secured in the open position, with a man stationed
there to prevent personnel from using the door.

3.5.1 Safe clearances shall be maintained to prevent personnel from bumping

into or snagging onto projecting objects while ascending or descending a
ladder.
3.5.2 Ladders shall have a minimum clear perpendicular distance of 76 cm (30
inches) from the rungs to the nearest projecting object on the climbing side.
When unavoidable obstructions are encountered, the minimum clearance
distance may be reduced to 61 cm (24 inches) if deflector plates are
provided.

3.5.3 The perpendicular distance between ladder rungs/steps and any obstruction
behind the ladder shall not be less than 18 cm (7 inches).

3.5.4 The minimum clearance to the nearest fixed object on each side of the
ladder shall be 38 cm (15 inches) from the center line of the ladder.

3.5.5 The minimum clear distance between the side rails of adjacent ladders or
stepladders shall be 41 cm (16 inches).

3.6.1 Metal ladders or ladders with metal reinforced or conductive side rails shall
not be used near electrical equipment. Wooden or fiberglass ladders shall
be used for work near electrical equipment. Portable metal ladders shall
have a warning notice attached stating that the ladder shall not be used near
electrical equipment.

3.6.2 Aluminum ladders shall not be used where there is a likelihood of contact
with materials that chemically react with aluminum, such as caustic liquids,
damp lime, wet cement, acids, etc.

3.6.3 Ladder sections shall not be spliced, lashed, tied or fastened together to
provide longer sections.

3.6.4 Personnel shall ensure that their shoes and the ladder are free from grease,
oil, mud, etc., before climbing a ladder.

3.6.5 Only one person shall be on a portable ladder or stepladder at a time.

3.6.6 Personnel shall face the ladder and maintain three points of contact with
the ladder at all times. This requires two feet and one hand, or two hands
and one foot, to be in contact with the ladder rungs and/or side rails when
climbing or descending a ladder.

3.6.7 Hands shall be free of materials while climbing or descending a ladder.

Personnel shall not carry tools and materials in their hands when climbing
a ladder. Tools may be carried in secure pockets or on special tool belts.
Materials or tools shall be raised and lowered by rope.

3.6.8 If work is performed while standing on a ladder and the individual is more
than 1.8 m (6 ft) above the ground/lower surface, a properly anchored
personal fall arrest system (PFAS) shall be used, or if use of a PFAS is
impractical one hand shall always be firmly grasping the ladder. See
Chapter II-5, Fall Protection, of this manual.
3.6.9 If the work is more than 1.8 m (6 ft) above the ground/lower surface and is
long term in nature or requires heavy physical exertion, other methods such
as a scaffold or personnel lift shall be used instead of a ladder.

3.6.10 The user of a ladder shall not overextend his body (i.e., belt buckle [torso])
past the ladder side rails.

3.6.11 Ladders shall not be moved, shifted or extended while personnel are on the
ladder.

3.6.12 Ladder use shall be restricted to the purpose for which the ladder is
designed.

3.6.13 Ladders shall not be loaded beyond the maximum intended load for which
they were built, nor beyond the manufacturer’s rated capacity.

3.7.1 Stepladders shall have folding cross-braces (spreaders) that are hinged.
Both sections shall be fully opened with hinged braces flat and taut before
use to ensure stability.

3.7.2 Stepladders shall be positioned with the steps pointing towards the work
location.

3.7.3 Personnel shall not stand on a stepladder’s top platform, top step, pail shelf
or braces.

3.7.4 The rear section of stepladders (e.g., cross-bracing on the back section)
shall not be used for climbing or standing unless the stepladder is designed
and provided with proper steps for climbing on both front and rear
sections.

3.7.5 A stepladder shall not be left unattended with tools or materials stored on
it.

3.7.6 A stepladder shall not be used to gain access to a roof or other elevated
surface.

3.7.7 Stepladders shall only be used when equally supported by all four legs.

3.7.8 Stepladders shall not be used in the partially closed/open position or as an

upright or straight ladder (e.g., leaned against a wall or other support).

3.7.9 “Flip-up” types of stepladders (e.g., that could also be used as a straight
ladder) shall not be used and are prohibited. See Figure 3.2.
3.7.10 Stepladders shall not exceed 6 m (20 ft) in length.

3.8.1 When an extension ladder is fully extended, the minimum overlap between
ladder sections depends on the extension ladder length:
 Up to and including 11 m (36 ft) = 1.2 m (4 ft) overlap.
 Over 11 m (36 ft), up to and including 14.6 m (48 ft) = 1.5 m (5 ft)
overlap.

3.8.2 Extension ladders shall be securely tied off to a rigid structure or securely
held in position by a coworker.

3.9.1 Job-made ladders shall not be used on scaffolds.

3.9.2 Job-made ladders shall not exceed 4.5 m (15 ft) in length.

3.9.3 Structurally sound (e.g., graded) nominal 2x4 lumber (or larger) shall be
used for side rails of single-rung ladders.

3.9.4 Job-made ladders that are the only means of entry and exit from a working
area for 25 or more workers, or if simultaneous two-way traffic is
expected, shall be a double-rung ladder.
3.9.5 Nominal 2x4 lumber (or larger) shall be used for side and middle rails of
double-rung ladders up to 3.6 m (12 ft) in length. Nominal 2x6 lumber (or
larger) shall be used for double-rung ladders from 3.6 to 4.5 m (12 to 15 ft)
in length.

3.9.6 Wood rungs shall have the minimum dimensions shown in Table 3.1 and
shall be made of wood that meets ANSI A14.4 requirements for job-made
ladders.

Up to & including 50 cm (20 inches) 2 cm (0.78 inch) 8 cm (3 inches)

Over 50 cm (20 inches) and up to and 2 cm (0.78 inch) 9.5 cm (3.75

including 76 cm (30 inches) inches)

3.9.7 Rungs shall be inset into the edges of the side rails 13 mm (1/2 inch) or
filler blocks shall be used on the rails between the rungs. Rungs shall be
secured to each rail with three 10d common nails or other fasteners of
equivalent strength.

3.9.8 Rungs for job-made ladders shall be parallel, level and be uniformly
spaced. Rungs shall be between 25 cm (10 inches) and 36 cm (14 inches)
on center. A rung spacing of 30 cm (12 inches) is preferable.