what should i chek for climbing ladders

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<!-- image --> Division 3 AO 3-2015 Oregon Administrative Rules Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division Stat. Auth.: ORS 654.025(2) and 656.726(4). Stats. Implemented: ORS 654.001 through 654.295. Hist: OR-OSHA Admin. Order 6-1991, f. 3/18/91, ef. 4/15/91. OR-OSHA Admin. Order 3-2015, f. 10/9/15, ef. 1/1/16. ## Additional Oregon Rule For Ladders Note: OAR [redacted phone], 0055, and 0060 were repealed by OR-OSHA Admin. Order 1-1994, filed 4/27/94, effective 4/27/94. ## [redacted phone] Extension Ladders Extension ladders shall be equipped with necessary guide irons, locks, and hooks and shall be assembled so that the sliding (upper) section shall be on top of the base (lower) section. Stat. Auth.: ORS 654.025(2) and 656.726(3). Stats. Implemented: ORS 654.001 through 654.295. Hist: APD Admin. Order 8-1989, f. 7/7/89, ef. 7/7/89. OR-OSHA Admin. Order 6-1991, f. 12/16/91, ef. 1/1/92. ## 1926.1054 - 1926.1059 (RESERVED) ## 1926.1060 Training Requirements The following training provisions clarify the requirements of 1926.21(b)(2), regarding the hazards addressed in Subdivision X. - (a) The employer shall provide a training program for each employee using ladders and stairways, as necessary. The program shall enable each employee to recognize hazards related to ladders and stairways, and shall train each employee in the procedures to be followed to minimize these hazards. - (1) The employer shall ensure that each employee has been trained by a competent person in the following areas, as applicable: - (i) The nature of fall hazards in the work area; - (ii) The correct procedures for erecting, maintaining, and disassembling the fall protection systems to be used; - (iii) The proper construction, use, placement, and care in handling of all stairways and ladders; - (iv) The maximum intended load-carrying capacities of ladders used; and - (v) The standards contained in this Subdivision.

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Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division Oregon Administrative Rules Division 2 ## (11) Ladders. - (a) When using portable ladders to climb trees, the ladder shall be tied to the tree or supported by another worker. When working from a ladder during cutting operations, the ladder shall be securely tied or braced, and the worker tied in as required by OAR [redacted phone](1)(a)(A). - (b) Ladders, platforms, and aerial devices, including insulated aerial devices, shall not be placed in a position where they could contact an electrical conductor. Reliance shall not be placed on their dielectric capabilities. - (c) Ladders made of metal or other conductive material shall not be used where an electrical hazard exists. Only approved wood ladders (constructed in accordance with ANSI A14.1-1982, Safety Requirements for Portable Wood Ladders, or nonconductive ladders made of synthetic material equal to or exceeding the strength of approved wood ladders, shall be used. - (d) Metal ladders used where no electrical hazard exists shall conform to ANSI A14.2-1982, Safety Requirements for Portable Metal Ladders. - (e) All ladders shall be inspected daily before use. Unsafe ladders shall not be used. - (f) The attaching of cleats, metal points, and safety feet; lashing; or other effective means of securing the ladder shall be used if there is danger of its slipping. - (g) Ladders shall be supported while in storage so they will not sag. Except when on mobile equipment, ladders shall be stored under suitable cover, protected from the weather, and kept in a dry location away from excessive heat. - (h) Ladders shall not be used as bridges or inclined planes to load or handle logs or other material. - (12) Climbing spurs. Climbing spurs shall be of the tree-climbing type and have gaffs suitable for the tree being climbed. Stat. Auth.: ORS 654.025(2) and 656.726(4). Stats. Implemented: ORS 654.001 to 654.295. Hist: OR-OSHA Admin. Order 27-1990, f. 12/12/90, ef. 2/1/91. OR-O…

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<!-- image --> Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division Oregon Administrative Rules AO 3-2015 Division 3 - (10) The top of a non-self-supporting ladder shall be placed with the two rails supported equally unless it is equipped with a single support attachment. - (11) Ladders shall not be moved, shifted, or extended while occupied. - (12) Ladders shall have nonconductive siderails if they are used where the employee or the ladder could contact exposed energized electrical equipment, except as provided in OAR [redacted phone] in Division 2/RR. - (13) The top or top step of a stepladder shall not be used as a step. - (14) Cross-bracing on the rear section of stepladders shall not be used for climbing unless the ladders are designed and provided with steps for climbing on both front and rear sections. - (15) Ladders shall be inspected by a competent person for visible defects on a periodic basis and after any occurrence that could affect their safe use. - (16) Portable ladders with structural defects, such as, but not limited to, broken or missing rungs, cleats, or steps, broken or split rails, corroded components, or other faulty or defective components, shall either be immediately marked in a manner that readily identifies them as defective, or be tagged with 'Do Not Use' or similar language, and shall be withdrawn from service until repaired. - (17) Fixed ladders with structural defects, such as, but not limited to, broken or missing rungs, cleats, or steps, broken or split rails, or corroded components, shall be withdrawn from service until repaired. The requirement to withdraw a defective ladder from service is satisfied if the ladder is either: - (i) Immediately tagged with 'Do Not Use' or similar language, - (ii) Marked in a manner that readily identifies it as defective; - (iii) Or blocked (such as with a plywood attachment that spans several rungs). - (18) Ladder repairs shall restore the ladder to a condition meeting its original design criteria, be…

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Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division Oregon Administrative Rules AO 3-2015 Division 3 (6) - (i) The rungs and steps of fixed metal ladders manufactured after March 15, 1991, shall be corrugated, knurled, dimpled, coated with skid-resistant material, or otherwise treated to minimize slipping. - (ii) The rungs and steps of portable metal ladders shall be corrugated, knurled, dimpled, coated with skid-resistant material, or otherwise treated to minimize slipping. - (7) Ladders shall not be tied or fastened together to provide longer sections unless they are specifically designed for such use. - (8) A metal spreader or locking device shall be provided on each stepladder to hold the front and back sections in an open position when the ladder is being used. - (9) When splicing is required to obtain a given length of side rail, the resulting side rail must be at least equivalent in strength to a one-piece side rail made of the same material. - (10) Except when portable ladders are used to gain access to fixed ladders (such as those on utility towers, billboards, and other structures where the bottom of the fixed ladder is elevated to limit access), when two or more separate ladders are used to reach an elevated work area, the ladders shall be offset with a platform or landing between the ladders. (The requirements to have guardrail systems with toeboards for falling object and overhead protection on platforms and landings are set forth in Subdivision M of this part.) - (11) Ladder components shall be surfaced so as to prevent injury to an employee from punctures or lacerations, and to prevent snagging of clothing. - (12) Wood ladders shall not be coated with any opaque covering, except for identification or warning labels which may be placed on one face only of a side rail. - (13) The minimum perpendicular clearance between fixed ladder rungs, cleats, and steps, and any obstruction behind the ladder shall be 7 inches (18 cm), except in the case of an elevato…

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<!-- image --> - (ii) Fixed ladder rungs and steps on telecommunication towers must be spaced not more than 18 inches (46 cm) apart, measured between the centerlines of the rungs or steps; - (3) Steps on stepstools are spaced not less than 8 inches (20 cm) apart and not more than 12 inches (30 cm) apart, as measured between the centerlines of the steps; - (4) 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: - (i) The minimum clear width does not apply to ladders with narrow rungs that are not designed to be stepped on, such as those located on the tapered end of orchard ladders and similar ladders; - (ii) Rungs and steps of manhole entry ladders that are supported by the manhole opening must have a minimum clear width of 9 inches (23 cm); - (iii) Rungs and steps on rolling ladders used in telecommunication centers must have a minimum clear width of 8 inches (20 cm); and - (iv) Stepstools have a minimum clear width of 10.5 inches (26.7 cm); - (5) Wooden ladders are not coated with any material that may obscure structural defects; - (6) Metal ladders are made with corrosion-resistant material or protected against corrosion; - (7) Ladder surfaces are free of puncture and laceration hazards; - (8) Ladders are used only for the purposes for which they were designed; - (9) Ladders are inspected before initial use in each work shift, and more frequently as necessary, to identify any visible defects that could cause employee injury; - (10) Any ladder with structural or other defects is immediately tagged ''Dangerous: Do Not Use'' or with similar language in accordance with § 1910.145 and removed from service until repaired in accordance with § 1910.22(d), or replaced; - (11) Each employee faces the ladder when climbing up or down it;

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Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division Division 2 - (12) Each employee uses at least one hand to grasp the ladder when climbing up and down it; and - (13) No employee carries any object or load that could cause the employee to lose balance and fall while climbing up or down the ladder. - (c) Portable ladders. The employer must ensure: - (1) Rungs and steps of portable metal ladders are corrugated, knurled, dimpled, coated with skid-resistant material, or otherwise treated to minimize the possibility of slipping; Note: Oregon OSHA did not adopt 1910.23(c)(2). Instead, see OAR [redacted phone](4)(a). - (3) Ladders are not loaded beyond the maximum intended load; - Note to paragraph (c)(3): The maximum intended load, as defined in § 1910.21(b), includes the total load (weight and force) of the employee and all tools, equipment, and materials being carried. - (4) Ladders are used only on stable and level surfaces unless they are secured or stabilized to prevent accidental displacement; - (5) No portable single rail ladders are used; - (6) No ladder is moved, shifted, or extended while an employee is on it; - (7) Ladders placed in locations such as passageways, doorways, or driveways where they can be displaced by other activities or traffic: - (i) Are secured to prevent accidental displacement; or - (ii) Are guarded by a temporary barricade, such as a row of traffic cones or caution tape, to keep the activities or traffic away from the ladder; - (8) The cap (if equipped) and top step of a stepladder are not used as steps; - (9) Portable ladders used on slippery surfaces are secured and stabilized; - (10) The top of a non-self-supporting ladder is placed so that both side rails are supported, unless the ladder is equipped with a single support attachment; - (11) Portable ladders used to gain access to an upper landing surface have side rails that extend at least 3 feet (0.9 m) above the upper landing surface (see Figure D-1 of this section);

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constructed in accordance with the certified design of an engineer. - (4) An employer shall ensure that a temporary catwalk - (a) has a minimum clear width of 450 mm; - (b) is equipped with a guardrail in accordance with the requirements for a guardrail in subsection 142(4); and Clause 146(4)(b) amended: O.I.C. 2000-130, N.S. Reg. 52/2000. - (c) is able to withstand 4 times the maximum load likely to be imposed on it. Subsection 146(5) repealed: O.I.C. 2000-130, N.S. Reg. 52/2000. ## Ladders - 147 An employer shall ensure that a fixed ladder is designed, constructed, installed and maintained in accordance with the latest version of ANSI standard ANSI A14.3 'American National Standard for Ladders - Fixed - Safety Requirements'. Subsection 147 amended: O.I.C. 2013-65, N.S. Reg. 53/2013. - 148 (1 ) An employer shall ensure that a portable ladder used at a workplace is - (a) able to withstand 4 times the maximum load likely to be imposed; - (b) clean and free of grease, oil or other substances that may cause slipping; - (c) maintained in a safe condition; - (d) inspected at all of the following times by a competent person to ensure all components are in an adequate condition and the ladder is safe to use - (i) before each use, - (ii) annually; Clause 148(1)(d) replaced: O.I.C. 2013-65, N.S. Reg. 53/2013. - (e) not used, where the inspection required in clause (d) identifies an inadequate condition with the ladder. - (2 ) An employer shall ensure that a person using a fixed or portable ladder shall - (a) face the ladder when climbing or descending; - (b) when more than 1 m above a safe surface, maintain adequate contact with the \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

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Division 2 Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division - (1) General. A positioning system or a personal fall arrest system shall be provided and the employer shall ensure their use when work is performed at positions more than 4 feet (1.2 m) above the ground, on poles, and on towers, except as provided in paragraphs (n)(7) and (8) of this section. These systems shall meet the applicable requirements in subpart I of this part. The employer shall ensure that all climbing equipment is inspected before each day's use to determine that it is in safe working condition. - (2) Pole climbers. - (i) Pole climbers may not be used if the gaffs are less than 1-1/4 inches in length as measured on the underside of the gaff. The gaffs of pole climbers shall be covered with safety caps when not being used for their intended use. - (ii) The employer shall ensure that pole climbers are inspected by a competent person for the following conditions: Fractured or cracked gaffs or leg irons, loose or dull gaffs, broken straps or buckles. If any of these conditions exist, the defect shall be corrected before the climbers are used. - (iii) Pole climbers shall be inspected as required in this paragraph (g)(3) before each day's use and a gaff cut-out test performed at least weekly when in use. - (iv) Pole climbers may not be worn when: - (A) Working in trees (specifically designed tree climbers shall be used for tree climbing), - (B) Working on ladders, - (C) Working in an aerial lift, - (D) Driving a vehicle, nor - (E) Walking on rocky, hard, frozen, brushy or hilly terrain. - (h) Ladders. Ladders, step bolts, and manhole steps shall meet the applicable requirements in Subpart D of this part. - [redacted phone] (6) Equipment - (a) Ladder hooks. When ladder hooks are engaged the safety straps shall be lashed around the top rung and strand or otherwise secured to the strand. - 1910.268 (i) Other tools and personal protective equipment.