Ladders

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The construction industry commonly uses ladders, including both portable and fixed types, that can be adapted to different job requirements. Ladders allow workers quick access to heights and have the benefit of portability and affordability. Common hazards when working with ladders include falls, ergonomic hazards (force and posture), energy hazards (gravity and kinetic), unsafe work practices, and potential overhead hazards. Accidents involving ladders are usually caused by using the wrong ladder for the specific job; using ladders that are defective or in poor condition; improper care or use including incorrect positioning, not securing the ladder properly, placing on poor footing, etc.; and, workers not being trained adequately to maintain, use or work from ladders safely. Some important safety considerations include the selection of the appropriate ladder, proper use, construction, care and maintenance according to manufacturer specifications and pre-use inspections.

For the general safe use of ladders, an employer must:

make sure a person using a fixed or portable ladder

faces the ladder when using it;
uses a 3-point contact to maintain adequate contact with the ladder when more than 1'm above a safe surface*;
stands in the centre between the side rails*;
where the ladder is a step ladder, does not stand on the material shelf, the top, or the top step of the ladder*; and,
where the ladder is not a step ladder, does not work from the top three rungs*.

remove from use ladders that have loose, broken or missing rungs, split side rails or other defects that may be hazardous.
provide fall protection when work must be done from a ladder and the person is unable to maintain adequate contact with the ladder while performing the work.
make sure that an alternate control measure is used to reduce the risk of a fall where personal fall protection is not feasible to use and the employee is unable to maintain adequate contact with the ladder while performing work.

For Portable Ladders, an employer must:

make sure that it can hold 4 times the maximum load likely to be put upon it; it is kept clean with no grease, oil or other substances that could cause slipping; and, is maintained in a safe condition.
make sure that a competent person inspects it before each use, and at least once a year, so that it is in an adequate condition and considered safe to use.
make sure that a ladder that is found to be in inadequate condition after any inspection, is not used.
provide 2 separate lines of ladders where a portable ladder is used as a means of access or exit for heights greater than 6 m and for 7 or more persons.
when a portable ladder is being used, make sure

it is placed on a firm footing and secured against movement;
as a means of access or exit, it has side rails that extend at least 1 m above any platform or landing, and has a clearance of at least 150 mm between it and the supporting structure, except in the area where the ladder is supported against the structure; and,
as a step ladder, it has legs securely held in position by means of metal braces or an equivalent rigid support.
that it is not spliced together with another ladder unless the spliced section is braced so that the spliced side rails are as strong as the original side rails;
that it is not placed in front of or against a door that can be opened towards the ladder unless the door is blocked in the open position, locked or guarded;
that it is not used as a scaffold, ramp, or as a support for such flooring;
that it is not placed on a box, barrel, scaffold, or other unstable bases;
that it is not lashed to another ladder to increase its length; and,
that it is not located in an elevator shaft or hoistway when such space is being used for hoisting.

for a commercially manufactured portable ladder, make sure

that it complies with the CSA Standard Z11 “Portable Ladders.”
that Grade 3 portable ladders, as described in CSA standard CSA Z11 are not used.
where it’s an extension ladder, maintains an adequate overlap between the sections of the ladder; has locks engaged before the extension ladder is climbed; and, is non-conductive where there’s a risk of contact with live electrical conductors.

for a wooden portable ladder not commercially manufactured, make sure

that it is made of No. 1 or No. 2 spruce, pine, or fir as graded according to CSA standard 0141 “Softwood Lumber” (or other lumber that is equivalent in safety);
that it’s not painted, though it can be preserved with a transparent protective coating;
that it doesn’t exceed a length of 9 m (if a single ladder);
that it has rungs that have no knots; are designed to carry a load of 200 kg placed at the centre; are uniformly spaced with a maximum rise of 300 mm; are secured to each side of the side rail by at least 3 screws or spiral nails of adequate length or by attachments giving equivalent or better strength; and, are cleated to the side rails;
that it has side rails that:

- are dressed on all sides and without sharp edges;
- have a uniform clear width between them of not less than 300 mm for ladders 3 m in length or less, and increasing 1 mm in width for each 100 mm in excess of 3 m*;
- where the ladder is less than 5.7 m in length, have dimensions of at least 50 mm thick by at least 100 mm wide, and where the ladder is 5.7 m or greater in length, have dimensions of at least 50 mm thick by at least 150 mm wide*.

that it does not sway or sag which makes it unsafe.
that if designed and used specifically for harvesting fruit trees, that it is built, erected, used and maintained to serve that purpose.

where a portable ground ladder is used for structural fire-fighting, an employer shall make sure that it complies with or exceeds the NFPA standard NFPA 1931, "Standard on Design of and Design Verification Tests for Fire Department Ground Ladders", and is used, maintained and tested according to the NFPA standard NFPA 1932, "Standard on Use, Maintenance and Service Testing of Fire Department Ground Ladders."

For Fixed Ladders, an employer must:

make sure that it’s designed, constructed, installed and maintained according to the latest version of ANSI standard A14.3 "American National Standard for Ladders - Fixed - Safety Requirements."

An employee must:

not use a portable ladder that has inadequate conditions identified by a competent person.
face the ladder when climbing or descending.
maintain 3-point contact on a portable ladder at all times.
not work from the top three rungs of the portable ladder or the top step of a step ladder.
not splice ladders together.
not place a ladder in front of or against a door, unless the door is blocked open, locked or guarded.
not use a ladder as a scaffold, ramp or to support scaffold flooring.
not place a ladder on a box, barrel, scaffold or other unstable base.
not overreach while on a ladder, and move a stepladder when needed.
wear personal fall protection equipment where they cannot maintain adequate contact with the ladder while performing the work.

* This does not apply to firefighters engaged in structural firefighting or rescue.

“Competent person” means a person who is
(i) qualified because of their knowledge, training and experience to do the assigned work in a manner that ensures the health and safety of every person in the workplace, and
(ii) knowledgeable about the provisions of the Act and regulations that apply to the assigned work, and about potential or actual danger to health or safety associated with the assigned work.

Viewing CSA Standards as Referenced in NS Legislation
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Once you are logged in, click on the "OHS Standards / View Access" option. Click on Nova Scotia to see the CSA Standards as referenced in N.S. legislation.

This is not applicable to portable ladders that are designed and used specifically for harvesting fruit trees.

Workplace Health and Safety Regulations
N.S. Reg. 52/2013

Part 1 INTERPRETATION AND APPLICATION

Section 1.2 Definitions for these regulations

1.2 In these regulations,

"Act" means the Occupational Health and Safety Act ;

"adequate" means sufficient to protect a person from injury or damage to health;

"ANSI" means the American National Standards Institute;

"anchorage" means a secure connecting point capable of safely withstanding the impact forces, as prescribed in these regulations or an applicable standard, applied by a fall-protection system;

"approved" means approved by the Department or by an agency or authority designated or selected by the Department to make approvals;

"competent person" means a person who is

(i) qualified because of their knowledge, training and experience to do the assigned work in a manner that ensures the health and safety of every person in the workplace, and

(ii) knowledgeable about the provisions of the Act and regulations that apply to the assigned work, and about potential or actual danger to health or safety associated with the assigned work,

"CSA" means the Canadian Standards Association;

"certified" means meeting the requirements of a standard as attested to by a certification organization accredited by the Standards Council of Canada or an engineer;

"Department" means the Department of Labour and Advanced Education;

"designated" means, in relation to an employer, appointed in writing by the employer;

"emergency services agency" means an agency operating within the Province for the purpose of responding to emergencies, including

(i) a municipal police force required to be maintained under the Police Act, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police,

(ii) fire departments,

(iii) ambulance services;

"engineer" means a person who is registered as a member or licensed to practise under the Engineering Profession Act and is competent to do the work being performed;

"latest version" means, in relation to a standard or other publication, the latest edition of the standard or publication as supplemented, amended, added to, replaced or superseded;

"manufacturer's specifications" means

(i) the written instructions of a manufacturer of a machine, material, tool or equipment that outline the manner in which the machine, material, tool or equipment is to be erected, installed, assembled, started, operated, used, handled, stored, stopped, adjusted, carried, maintained, repaired, inspected, serviced, tested, cleaned or dismantled, and

(ii) a manufacturer's instruction, operating or maintenance manual and drawings respecting a machine, tool or equipment;

"temporary highway workplace" means a temporary workplace on a highway, as defined in Part 24;

"work area" means a location at a workplace where an employee or self-employed person is working or may be required to work.

Part 21 FALL PROTECTION

Section 21.2 Fall protection required

21.2 (1) Except as provided in subsections (3) to (5), fall protection is required if a person is at risk of falling from a work area where the fall distance is

(a) 3 m or more above the nearest safe surface or water;

(b) less than 3 m and the work area is above 1 of the following:

(i) a surface or thing that could cause injury to the person on contact that is worse than an injury from landing on a solid, flat surface,

(ii) exposed hazardous material, such as in an open tank, pit or vat.

(2) If fall protection is required, an employer must ensure that at least 1 of the following means of fall protection is used, as appropriate in the circumstances:

(a) a guardrail;

(b) temporary flooring;

(d) a travel restraint system;

(e) a fall-arrest system.

(3) Fall protection is not required for a person who is entering or exiting a work area by a safe means of access and egress.

(4) Fall protection is required only where reasonably practicable and to the extent reasonably practicable in any of the following circumstances:

(a) if work must be performed on or from a vehicle, rail car or other mobile equipment;

(b) if it is not reasonably practicable to perform work other than from a ladder and it is not reasonably practicable for the person performing the work to maintain adequate contact with the ladder while performing the work;

(5) If it is not reasonably practicable to use fall protection in the circumstances described in subsection (4), an employer must ensure that an alternate control measure is used to reduce, to the extent reasonably practicable, the risk of a fall.

Occupational Safety General Regulations
N.S. Reg. 44/99

Part 1 Title and Definitions

Section 2 Definitions

2. In these regulations,

(a) "Act" means the Occupational Health and Safety Act ;

(aa) "adequate" means sufficient to protect a person from injury or damage to health;

(b) "ALI" means the Automotive Lift Institute;

(ba) "angle of repose" means the angle with the horizontal at which material will no longer flow freely;

(ca) "approved" means approved by the Department or by an agency or authority designated or selected by the Department to make approvals;

(d) "ASME" means the American Society of Mechanical Engineers;

(e) "ASTM" means the American Society for Testing and Materials;

(ea) "CGA" means the Compressed Gas Association;

(f) "CGSB" means the Canadian General Standards Board;

(g) "competent person" means a person who is

(i) qualified because of their knowledge, training and experience to do the assigned work in a manner that ensures the health and safety of every person in the workplace, and

(ii) knowledgeable about the provisions of the Act and regulations that apply to the assigned work, and about potential or actual danger to health or safety associated with the assigned work;

(ga) "compressed air" means air mechanically raised to a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure;

(h) "CSA" means the Canadian Standards Association;

(i) "demolition" means the destruction or removal of all, or part, of an existing building or structure;

(ia) "Department" means the Department of Labour and Advanced Education;

(j) "designated" means, in relation to an employer, appointed in writing by the employer;

(k) "electrical installation" means the wires, machinery, apparatus, appliances, devices, material and equipment used or intended for use for the generation, transmission, distribution, supply and use of electrical power or energy, and includes a power line and power line equipment;

(l) "engineer" means a person who is registered as a member or licensed to practise under the Engineering Profession Act and is competent to do the work being performed;

(m) "firefighter" means

(i) an employee who provides fire suppression services to the public from a fire department within a municipality or local service district, or

(ii) an industrial firefighter;

(n) "guardrail" means a fall protection system consisting of vertical and horizontal members that

(i) are capable of withstanding concentrated forces, as prescribed in these regulations or an applicable standard,

(ii) warn of a fall hazard, and

(iii) reduce the risk of a fall;

(o) "hazardous substance" means chemical or biological material, dangerous goods within the meaning of the Dangerous Goods Transportation Act or a controlled product within the meaning of the Hazardous Products Act (Canada) that is likely to, because of its harmful nature, cause injury or damage to the health or safety of a person exposed to it;

(p) "hoist" means a device or equipment and its structure used for lifting or lowering material, including cranes, an automotive lift, a winch, a chain fall or other similar device, but does not include a lift truck, a power operated elevating work platform, a device to which the Elevators and Lifts Act applies or a hoist that operates in a shaft in the underground at a mine;

(pa) "ITSDF" means the Industrial Truck Standards Development Foundation;

(q) "industrial firefighter" means an employee who

(i) is designated to fight fires at the employee's place of employment, and

(ii) is employed by an employer who does not, in the normal course of its business, provide fire suppression services to the public;

(qa) "latest version" means, in relation to a standard or other publication, the latest edition of the standard or publication as supplemented, amended, added to, replaced or superseded;

(r) "lift truck" means a lift truck as defined in the latest version of ANSI standard ANSI/ITSDF B56.1, "Safety Standard for Low Lift and High Lift Trucks";

(s) "locked out" means to have

(i) isolated the energy source or sources from a machine, equipment, tool or electrical installation,

(ii) dissipated any residual energy in a system, and

(iii) secured the isolation of the energy source or sources by an inhibiting device that is operated by a key or other process,

and to have performed a "lock-out" has a similar meaning;

(t) "machine" Repealed. [N.S. Reg. 52/2000, s. 1]

(u) "manufacturer's specifications" means

(ii) a manufacturer's instruction, operating or maintenance manual and drawings respecting a machine, tool or equipment;

(ua) "mobile crane" means a mobile crane to which the latest version of CSA standard CSA Z150 , "Safety Code on Mobile Cranes" applies;

(v) "NFPA" means the National Fire Protection Association;

(va) "overhead crane" means any mechanical device or structure that is used to raise, lower and move material that travels overhead and that incorporates a

(i) power driven drum, bridge and cable or rope,

(ii) single or multiple girder, and

(iii) moveable bridge carrying a moveable or fixed hoisting mechanism,

but does not include wall cranes, cantilever gantry cranes and semi-gantry cranes;

(vb) "personal flotation device" means personal protective equipment that is capable of supporting a person with their head above water without the direct effort of the person wearing the equipment;

(w) "power line" means the above-ground or underground wiring that is used to distribute electricity;

(x) "power line equipment" means the components that are required to distribute electricity by means of a power line;

(y) "power operated elevating work platform" means a mobile horizontal working surface that provides access and support to a person at a workplace, and that is elevated and lowered by means of a mechanism and [that complies with] Part 23: Scaffolds and Other Elevated Work Platforms, of the Workplace Health and Safety Regulations made under the Act, including a standard listed in subsection (4) thereof;

(z) "powered mobile equipment" means self-propelled equipment that is designed to operate on land in conditions other than a public highway, but does not include equipment primarily designed to transport persons, a lift truck or a power operated elevating work platform;

(aa) "SAE" means the Society of Automotive Engineers;

(ab) "structural fire-fighting" means the activities of rescue, fire suppression and conservation of property from fires involving buildings, structures, vehicles, vessels, aircraft or other large objects constructed by human effort;

(ac) "surface mine" means a work or undertaking, other than a trench, for the purpose of opening up, proving, removing or extracting any metallic or non-metallic mineral or mineral bearing substance, rock, earth, clay, sand or gravel by means of an open excavation, and includes a pit or quarry;

(ad) "tower crane" means any mechanical device or structure that

(i) incorporates a power-driven drum and cable or rope and a vertical mast or tower and a jib,

(ii) is of the traveling, fixed or climbing type, and

(iii) is used exclusively for raising, lowering and moving material;

(ae)"trench" means an excavation in which the excavation depth exceeds the excavation width;

(af) "work area" means a location at the workplace at which an employee or self-employed person is or is likely to be working;

(ag) "worked" means drilled, blasted, extracted, excavated, loaded or subjected to other similar work.

[N.S. Reg. 52/2000, s. 1; 151/2003; 53/2013, ss. 1, 93]

Part 13 Premises and Building Safety, Construction and Demolition

Section 147 Ladders

147. An employer shall ensure that a fixed ladder is designed, constructed, installed and maintained in accordance with the latest version of ANSI standard A14.3 "American National Standard for Ladders - Fixed - Safety Requirements".

[N.S. Reg. 53/2013, s. 64

Section 148

148. (1) An employer shall ensure that a portable ladder used at a workplace is

(a) able to withstand 4 times the maximum load likely to be imposed;

(b) clean and free of grease, oil or other substances that may cause slipping;

(d) inspected at all of the following times by a competent person to ensure all components are in an adequate condition and the ladder is safe to use:

(i) before each use,

(ii) annually;

(e) not used, where the inspection required in clause (d) identifies an inadequate condition with the ladder.

(2) An employer shall ensure that a person using a fixed or portable ladder shall

(a) face the ladder when climbing or descending;

(b) when more than 1 m above a safe surface, maintain adequate contact with the ladder, such as 3-point contact;

(d) where the ladder is a step ladder, not stand on the material shelf, the top or the top step of the ladder; and

(e) where the ladder is not a step ladder, not work from the top three rungs of the ladder.

(3) Clauses (2)(b), (c), (d) and (e) do not apply to a firefighter engaged in structural firefighting or rescue.

(4) An employer shall remove a ladder from service when it has loose, broken or missing rungs, split side rails or other defects that may be hazardous to the safety of a person at the workplace.

[N.S. Reg. 52/2000, s. 80; 53/2013, s. 65]

Section 149

149. (1) An employer shall ensure that a wooden portable ladder that is not commercially manufactured

(a) is made of No. 1 or No. 2 spruce, pine, or fir as graded according to the latest version of CSA O141 , "Softwood Lumber", or other lumber that provides an equivalent level of safety;

(b) is not painted other than by being preserved with a transparent protective coating;

(d) has rungs that are

(i) free of knots,

(ii) designed to carry a load of 200 kg placed at the centre,

(iii) uniformly spaced with a maximum rise of 300 mm,

(iv) secured to each side of the side rail of the ladder by at least 3 screws or spiral nails of adequate length or by attachments giving equivalent or better strength, and

(v) subject to subsection (3), cleated to the side rails; and

(e) has side rails that

(i) are dressed on all sides and without sharp edges,

(ii) subject to subsection (3), have a uniform clear width between them of not less than 300 mm for ladders 3 m in length or less, and increasing 1 mm in width for each 100 mm in excess of 3 m,

(iii) where the ladder is less than 5.7 m in length, have dimensions of at least 50 mm thick by at least 100 mm wide, and

(iv) subject to subsection (3), where the ladder is 5.7 m or greater in length, have dimensions of at least 50 mm thick by at least 150 mm wide.

(2) An employer shall ensure that a ladder does not sway or sag in an unsafe manner.

(3) An employer shall ensure that a portable ladder that is designed specifically for the purpose of harvesting fruit from trees and is used only for that purpose, is erected, constructed, maintained and used so as to be adequate for that purpose.

(4) Subclause. (1)(d)(v) and subclauses. (1)(e)(ii) and (iv) do not apply to a ladder that conforms to the requirements of subsection (3).

[N.S. Reg. 52/2000, s. 81; 53/2013, s. 66]

Section 150

150. (1) An employer shall ensure that a portable ladder that is commercially manufactured is designed", manufactured and maintained in accordance with the latest version of CSA standard Z11 , "Portable Ladders".

(2) Despite subsection. (1), an employer shall ensure that Grade 3 portable ladders, as described in any edition of CSA standard CSA Z11, "Portable Ladders", are not used at a workplace.

(3) An employer shall ensure that a commercially manufactured portable ladder

(a) where it is an extension ladder, maintains an adequate overlap between the sections of the ladder;

(b) has locks engaged before the extension ladder is climbed; and

[N.S. Reg. 52/2000, s. 82; 53/2013, s. 67]

Section 151

151. (1) An employer shall ensure that when a portable ladder is used

(a) it is placed on a firm footing;

(b) it is secured in an adequate manner against movement as soon as reasonably practicable;

(i) has side rails that extend at least 1 m above any platform or landing, and

(ii) has a clearance of at least 150 mm between it and the supporting structure, except in the area where the ladder is supported against the structure; and

(d) as a step ladder, it has legs securely held in position by means of metal braces or an equivalent rigid support.

(2) An employer shall ensure that, when a portable ladder is used, it is not

(a) spliced together with another ladder unless the spliced section is braced so that the spliced side rails are as strong as the original side rails;

(b) placed in front of or against a door that can be opened towards the ladder unless the door is blocked in the open position, locked or guarded;

(d) placed on a box, barrel, scaffold, or other unstable base;

(e) lashed to another ladder to increase its length; or

(f) located in an elevator shaft or hoistway when such space is being used for hoisting.

[N.S. Reg. 52/2000, s. 83]

Section 152

152. Where a portable ladder is used as a means of access or exit for a height greater than 6 m and for 7 or more persons, an employer shall provide 2 separate lines of ladders.

Part 16 Equipment for Firefighters

Section 200 Portable ladders

200. (1) Where a portable ground ladder is used for structural fire-fighting, an employer shall ensure that it complies with or exceeds the latest version of NFPA standard NFPA 1931, "Standard on Design of and Design Verification Tests for Fire Department Ground Ladders", and is used, maintained and tested in accordance with the latest version of NFPA standard NFPA 1932, "Standard on Use, Maintenance and Service Testing of Fire Department Ground Ladders".

(2) Where a portable ground ladder is used in subsection (1), an employer is exempt from the requirement in subsection 150(1).

[N.S. Reg. 52/2000, s. 105; 53/2013, s. 90]

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