Hang this poster where the ladders are stored, so the rules are in front of whoever takes one down.
What is on the poster
Do
- Inspect before every use: rungs tight, feet present, no cracks, bends or grease. Damaged: tag it Dangerous, Do Not Use.
- Check the duty rating covers you plus tools and materials.
- Set the feet on firm, level ground; secure the base and the top.
- Straight or extension ladder: 1 foot out for every 4 feet up, and rails 3 feet above the landing you step onto.
- Stepladder: open fully, spreaders locked, all four feet down.
- Face the ladder, body between the rails, three points of contact.
- Tool belt or a hand line: nothing in your hands.
- Barricade it or lock the door in a doorway or walkway.
Never
- Stand on the top step or cap of a stepladder, or the top three rungs of a straight or extension ladder.
- Move, shift or walk a ladder with anyone on it.
- Use a metal ladder near power lines or live parts. Keep every ladder 10 feet from overhead lines.
- Set a ladder on boxes, barrels, tables or carts.
- Overreach: climb down and move it.
- Use a stepladder folded or leaned as a straight ladder.
- Carry anything in your hands while climbing.
Long or two-handed work at height belongs on a scaffold or a lift, not a ladder.
Built to the Science Safety Teaching Standard
This poster carries the SSTS mark. Like every Science Safety course, it is built to the Science Safety Teaching Standard (SSTS): every rule on it is taken from the body that governs it, at its current edition, and the source is printed on the poster, so you can check it yourself.
Stay current
When you get this poster, it is saved to your Science Safety account. If we revise the poster, or the Ladder Safety module it comes from changes, we will email you, and the latest version will be waiting under Downloads in your account. Every revision carries its revision number and date at the bottom of the poster, so you can tell at a glance whether the copy on your wall is current.
Printing and hanging
- One-page PDF, US letter (8.5 by 11 inches).
- White background, so it prints clearly on any office or classroom printer without using much ink.
- Hang it where the ladders are stored, at eye level.
- The QR code in the blue title band opens this page, so anyone can get their own copy.
- The QR code at the bottom opens the Ladder Safety module.
Learn more
The Ladder Safety module teaches the full topic this poster comes from.
Sources:
- 29 CFR 1910.23, Ladders – Occupational Safety and Health Administration (reviewed September 30, 2026)
- Portable Ladder Safety QuickCard, OSHA 3246 – Occupational Safety and Health Administration (reviewed September 30, 2026)
- Portable Ladder Safety – Cal/OSHA (reviewed September 30, 2026)
Poster SSP-0025, Rev. 1, September 2026.
