LADDERS AND
STAIRWAYS
TRAINING
Training
A competent person must train each employee in the
following areas, as applicable:
 The nature of fall hazards in the work area
 The correct procedures for erecting, maintaining,
and disassembling the fall protection systems to be
used
 The proper construction, use, placement, and care
in handling of all stairways and ladders
 The maximum intended load-carrying
capacities of ladders
Stairway or Ladder
There must be a stairway or ladder at points of access
where there is an elevation break of 19 inches or more.
At least one point of access must be kept clear.
Break in elevation
19 inches
Stairway Construction

RISER-The part of the
stairs that will help you
accomplish the height

THREADS-The length of
plate

STRINGER-The part of
the stairs that will hold
all the weight
Platforms and Swing Doors
Where doors or gates
open directly on a
stairway, provide a
platform that extends at
least 20 inches beyond the
swing of the door.
Stairway Landings
Stairways landings must
be at least 30 inches deep
and 22 inches wide at
every 12 feet or less of
vertical rise
Unprotected sides of
landings must have
standard 42 inch
guardrail systems
Landing
Stairways

Uniform riser height and tread depth

Variations not over 1/4 inch for any
stairway
Key Components for
Stairway Safety
 Treads
 Rails
 Handrails
 Stair rails
 Guardrails
 Landings and Platforms
Stairway-Components
Stairway
Handrails & Guardrails
Stair rails at least 36” from tread to
top of rail
 Midrails, screens, mesh, etc provided
between top rail and the stairway
steps
 If screens/mesh is used, it must
enclose entire opening

Handrail and Top Rail
Strength
Rails must be able to
withstand a force of
200 pounds
Handrails
Stairways with four or
more risers, or higher
than 30 inches, must
be equipped with at
least one handrail.
The stairway to this platform has more than 4 risers
and is not guarded. The platform requires guarding.
Safety in Housekeeping
Instructions and Communications
One way communication
Two way communication
IS THIS SAFE ??
IS THIS SAFE ???
Fall Protection

809 fatal falls in 2006

Fatal falls rise 15 percent

Falls from ladders and roofs still account for
the majority of falls

Fall protection must be provided when
working over dangerous equipment and
machinery
Injuries and Fatalities

24,882 injuries, nearly half (11,570) are
lost workday injuries
Ladders-Accident
Near Energized Electrical Equipment
If using ladders where the
employee or the ladder
could contact exposed
energized electrical
equipment, they must
have nonconductive
siderails such as wood or
fiberglass.
This is an unsafe condition
Accident
Carpentry Laborer Broke His Arm When
He Fell from a Ladder on a Construction
Site Receives $150,000 Settlement
Plaintiff was working for a subcontractor hired to do framing work,
the framers had just completed installing the plywood on the second
floor and were accessing the second floor by way of an A-frame
ladder . As framer stepped from the second floor to the first step of
the ladder, the ladder tipped over and he fell hard to the concrete
floor below and suffered a broken arm injury. The company
breached their duty to manage safety on the work site by having
subcontractors access second floors via a-frame ladders instead of
straight ladders, and failing to have ladder way openings on the
second floors..
Is this safe ???