Job-Made Ladders and Stair Rails

Why it matters

Site-built ladders and temporary stairs carry the whole job up and down, and they get built fast out of whatever lumber is close. OSHA has specs for job-made ladders and requires stair rails on temporary stairs, because a bad cleat or a missing rail at the main access point puts every single worker at risk several times a day. Today we check the access everyone uses and nobody looks at.

Hazards

• ⚠ Cleats nailed with two nails that loosen under traffic
• ⚠ Ladders too short, ending below the landing with no handhold
• ⚠ Temporary stairs without stair rails or with wobbly 2x4 rails
• ⚠ Slick mud, ice, or concrete slurry on cleats and treads
• ⚠ Split, knotty lumber used for rails and cleats
• ⚠ Everyone assuming someone else built it right

Controls and safe practices

• ✓ Build job-made ladders to spec: sound lumber, cleats uniform, inset or filler blocks, spacing even.
• ✓ Extend ladder side rails 3 feet above the landing and secure the top.
• ✓ Stairways with 4 or more risers or over 30 inches get stair rails, at proper height, that take a hand load.
• ✓ Keep treads and cleats clean: scrape mud and slurry at the end of each pour or rain.
• ✓ A carpenter builds access, and the competent person checks it before the crew uses it.
• ✓ Inspect daily: loose cleats, cracked stringers, or missing rails get fixed before the next climb.
• ✓ One person on the ladder at a time, hands free, tools on a line or belt.

Crew discussion questions

1. Who built our access ladders and stairs, and who inspected them?
2. Are any of our ladders short of the 3-foot extension rule?
3. Where does mud or slurry build up on our access, and whose job is cleaning it?
4. Which access points get the most traffic and deserve the best build?

Applicable OSHA standards

29 CFR 1926.1053, 29 CFR 1926.1052

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• Fall Protection Basics
• Heat Illness Prevention
• Lockout / Tagout: Controlling Energized Circuits
• Trench and Excavation Safety
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