Ladder Safety System

A ladder safety system provides fall protection for workers climbing fixed vertical ladders. These systems are designed to reduce the possibility of a fall while allowing the worker to climb with both hands available for ladder use.

Fall Protection Services provides design coordination, fabrication support, and installation of ladder safety systems for commercial and industrial facilities, including systems used with fixed vertical ladders and vertical lifelines.

What Is a Ladder Safety System?

A safety ladder system is designed to eliminate or reduce the possibility of falling from a ladder. OSHA states that these systems typically include a carrier, safety sleeve, lanyard, connectors, and body harness. Cages and wells are not considered ladder safety systems.

Depending on the system, the worker connects to a rigid rail or flexible vertical lifeline that travels with the climber. OSHA requires safety ladder systems to allow workers to climb up and down using both hands without continuously holding, pushing, or pulling any part of the system.

Vertical Lifeline Systems and Ladder Fall Protection

Vertical lifeline systems are commonly used to provide continuous fall protection on fixed vertical ladders. A worker connects to the lifeline through a compatible climbing device or safety sleeve that moves with the worker during ascent and descent and engages if a fall occurs.

System selection depends on the ladder configuration, available attachment locations, total climbing distance, supporting structure, required clearances, and compatibility between the lifeline, climbing device, connectors, and harness.

When Does a Fixed Ladder Require Fall Protection?

Under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.28, fixed ladders that extend more than 24 feet above a lower level require fall protection. Fixed ladders installed on or after November 19, 2018 must be equipped with a personal fall arrest system or ladder safety system. OSHA also requires all fixed ladders to use one of these systems by November 18, 2036.

The 24-foot measurement is based on the distance from the lower level to the top of the fixed ladder, not simply the physical length of an individual ladder section.

Ladder Safety System Design and Installation

Ladder safety systems must be matched to the ladder, supporting structure, climbing path, and intended fall protection equipment. Installation conditions can affect carrier attachment, cable or rail alignment, intermediate supports, worker connection points, and transitions onto elevated platforms or roofs.

FPS provides design coordination, fabrication support, and installation for fixed ladder fall protection systems, including vertical lifeline and ladder safety system applications. Each system is coordinated around the existing or planned ladder configuration and the requirements of the specific work area.