296-307-055 Ladders.
296-307-05501 How must ladders be cared for and maintained?
296-307-05503 How must an employer instruct employees to use
ladders?
296-307-05505 How must orchard ladders be used?
296-307-05507 What other requirements apply to ladders?
296-307-060 What requirements apply to job-made ladders?
296-307-061 What requirements apply to working around bins,
bunkers, hoppers, tanks, pits, and trenches?
(1) Ladders must be checked for defects before use, and thoroughly
inspected periodically. Ladders shall be inspected immediately
in the following situations:
(a) If a ladder tips over, inspect for side rails dents or
bends, or excessively dented rungs; check all rung-to-side-rail
connections; check hardware connections; check rivets for shear.
(b) If a ladder is exposed to excessive heat, inspect visually
for damage and test for deflection and strength characteristics.
If you are unsure about the ladder's condition, seek help from
the manufacturer.
(2) Ladders must be maintained in good condition at all times.
Joints between steps and side rails must be tight. All hardware
and fittings must be securely attached, and the moveable parts
must operate freely without binding or with too much play.
(3) Defective ladders must be withdrawn from service for repair
or destruction and tagged as “Dangerous-Do not use.”
(4) Ladders with broken or missing steps, rungs, or cleats, broken
side rails, or other faulty equipment must not be used; improvised
repairs must not be made.
(5) Ladders must be handled with care. Avoid unnecessary dropping,
jarring, or misuse.
(6) Ladder storage must:
(a) Protect the ladder when not in use;
(b) Provide sufficient support to prevent excessive sagging;
(c) Provide ease of access or inspection; and
(d) Prevent danger of accidents when withdrawing a ladder for
use.
WAC
296-307-05503 How must an employer instruct employees to use
ladders?
(1) At the beginning of employment, you must provide employees
with orientation and training on the proper use of ladders, including
how to set a ladder and properly dismount with a full load.
(2) To prevent ladder upset, you must instruct employees to avoid
overreaching while standing on the ladder.
(3) You must instruct employees that before climbing ladders;
rungs, shoes, and boots must be clean of substances that would
make them hazardous.
(4) Employees must not climb up or down ladders while carrying
tools or materials that interfere with the free use of both hands.
(5) Ladders must not be placed on boxes, barrels, or other unstable
bases to obtain additional height.
(6) Stepladders must not be used as single ladders.
(7) When working from a ladder over twenty-five feet from the
ground or floor, the ladder must be secured at both top and bottom.
When work on a ladder over twenty-five feet from the ground or
floor requires the use of both hands, a safety belt must be worn
and the safety lanyard secured to the ladder.
(8) Portable ladders must be placed so that the side rails have
a secure footing. The top rest for portable rung and cleat ladders
must be reasonably rigid and strong enough to support the applied
load. The top of the ladder must be placed with the two rails
supported, unless equipped with a single support attachment. Such
an attachment should be substantial and large enough to support
the ladder under load.
(9) Ladders carried on vehicles should be adequately supported
to avoid sagging and securely fastened in position to minimize
chafing and the effects of road shocks.
(1) Ladders made by fastening cleats across a single rail are
prohibited.
(2) Wood ladders, when not in use, should be stored where they
will not be exposed to the elements, but where there is good ventilation.
They must be stored away from radiators, stoves, steam pipes,
or other excessive heat or dampness.
(3) Wooden ladders should be kept coated with a suitable protective
material. Painted ladders are acceptable if the ladders are carefully
inspected prior to painting by competent and experienced inspectors
acting for, and responsible to, the purchaser, and if the ladders
are not for resale.
(4) A ladder must have feet that are appropriate for the surface
on which it will be used.
For example: A ladder used on a slippery
surface must have steel points or other nonslip material on its
feet.
(5) Ladders must not be placed in front of doors opening toward
the ladder unless the door is blocked open, locked, or guarded.
(6) Ladder safety devices may be used on tower, water tank and
chimney ladders over twenty feet long in place of cage protection.
No landing platform is required in these cases. All ladder safety
devices such as lifebelts, friction brakes, and sliding attachments
must meet the design requirements of the ladders that they serve.
WAC
296-307-061 What requirements apply to working around bins,
bunkers, hoppers, tanks, pits, and trenches?
(1) Employees must be prohibited from entering any bin, bunker,
hopper, or similar area when loose materials (such as chips, sand,
grain, gravel, sawdust, etc.) may collapse, unless the employee
wears a safety belt with a lifeline attached and is attended by
a helper.
(2) When employees are required to work in a trench or a pit
4 feet deep or more, the trench or the pit must be shored or sloped
according to the following table:
Soil
or Rock Type
Maximum
allowable slopes (H:V)1 for excavations less
than 20 feet deep2
stable
rock
vertical
(90°)
type
A
3/4:1
(53°)
type
B
1:1
(45°)
type
C
1
1/2:1 (34°)
1Numbers
in parentheses next to maximum allowable slopes are angles
in degrees from the horizontal. Angles have been rounded
off.
2Sloping
or benching for excavations greater than 20 feet deep must
be designed by a registered professional engineer.
(3) Each soil and rock deposit must be classified by a competent
person as Stable Rock, Type A, B, or C according to the definitions
in WAC 296-155-66401. “Competent person” means someone
who is able to identify working conditions that are hazardous
to employees, and has authority to take prompt action to eliminate
the hazards.
(4) Classification of the deposits must be based on the results
of at least one visual and at least one manual analysis. The analyses
must be conducted by a competent person using tests in recognized
methods of soil classification and testing such as those adopted
by the American Society for Testing Materials, or the U.S. Department
of Agriculture textural classification system.
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