The minimum clear distance between side rails for all portable ladders must be 11 5 inches 29 cm.
Osha requirements for ladders on roofs.
In addition the rungs and steps of portable metal ladders must be corrugated knurled dimpled coated with skid resistant material or treated to minimize slipping.
The care and safe use of ladders scaffolds fall protection systems and other equipment they will be using on the job.
The minimum clear distance between the sides of individual rung step ladders and the minimum clear distance between the side rails of other fixed ladders shall be 16 inches 41 cm.
Fixed ladders without cages must now have a landing platform at maximum intervals of 150 feet.
Each employee on a steep roof with unprotected sides and edges 6 feet 1 8 m or more above lower levels shall be protected from falling by guardrail systems with toeboards safety net systems or personal fall arrest systems.
This is the same height that osha requires for guardrails.
This new requirement is important for a number of reasons.
Understand the requirements of osha s fall protection standards at 29 cfr 1926 subpart m to protect workers exposed to falls six feet or more above a lower level.
1910 23 b 4 i.
Previously a fixed ladder with a cage required a landing platform at a maximum interval of 30 feet.
Cages must extend 42 inches above the top of the landing.
Note that this is more than the 3 feet a portable ladder needs to extend above a landing or the 3 feet high a hand grab has to be for a portable ladder.
Smooth walled wells shall be a minimum of 27 inches from the centerline of rungs to the well wall on the climbing side of the ladder.
Here are the basics of the requirements.
1926 1053 a 4 ii the minimum clear distance between side rails for all portable ladders shall be 11 1 2 inches 29 cm.
Ladder rungs steps and cleats have a minimum clear width of 11 5 inches 29 cm on portable ladders and 16 inches 41 cm measured before installation of ladder safety systems for fixed ladders except that.
Ladders with cages must now have a landing platform at maximum intervals of 50 feet.
If you carefully examine the new ruling you ll note that osha 1910 28 b 9 requires general industry employers to provide fall protection on fixed ladders more than 24 above a lower level.