OSHA ladders and stairways (Subpart X) for the CHST
Ladders look simple, and that is why they cause so many falls. Subpart X (29 CFR 1926.1050 to 1926.1060) covers stairways and ladders on construction sites, and it feeds the working at heights items in Domain 1 of the CHST blueprint. This guide maps the rules in our own words.
Check anything you rely on against your own licensed code book and the edition your AHJ enforces.
Where Subpart X sits in the blueprint
Working at heights is item 4 in the Domain 1 knowledge list, and Domain 1 is 36.6% of the CHST. Ladder questions tend to be small and exact: a number, an angle or a condition that takes a ladder out of service.
The sections to know
- 1926.1050 gives scope and definitions.
- 1926.1051 sets when access is required: a stairway or ladder (or a ramp) wherever there is a break in elevation of 19 inches or more and no other way up.
- 1926.1052 covers stairways, including when stair rails are needed.
- 1926.1053 covers ladders. Paragraph (a) holds construction and strength rules, including those for fixed ladders. Paragraph (b) holds use rules. The two worth memorizing: a ladder used for access must extend at least 3 feet above the upper landing, and a non-self-supporting ladder is set at about one-quarter of its working length out from the base, the 4-to-1 angle. Paragraph (b) also covers keeping the area at the base clear, facing the ladder, not moving or extending a ladder while someone is on it, and removing a damaged ladder from service.
- 1926.1060 requires a training program for workers who use ladders and stairways.
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What the competent person does
Inspects ladders before use and removes any with structural damage, so a damaged ladder is tagged and set aside until it is repaired or destroyed. They also check the setup: the angle, the extension, the footing and the top contact.
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Common mix-ups
- The 3-foot extension applies to access ladders. A ladder that stops at the edge gives no handhold to step off.
- 4-to-1 means one unit out for every four of working length up. A ladder set too steep can tip back, and one set too flat can slide.
- Stairways are not ladders. The rules for rises, treads and rails sit in 1926.1052.
- 19 inches is the access trigger, and the fall triggers sit in Subpart M.
How to practice
Practice the setup arithmetic with invented heights: a 20-foot working length sets the base 5 feet out. The ladder angle calculator works the base distance, the angle and the ladder length for any landing height. Then work questions that describe a ladder in use and ask what is wrong.
Related guides: fall protection (Subpart M) and scaffolds (Subpart L).
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Take the free 10-question check. It covers the four CHST domains, needs no signup and explains every answer, so you see whether this subpart is a weak spot. The CHST study guide shows where it fits in a six-week plan.
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Sources
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- 29 CFR 1926 Subpart X, Stairways and Ladders, OSHA.
- CHST Examination Blueprint (CHST5, V.2022.04.12), Board of Certified Safety Professionals.
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