Ladders 1926.1053 was the sixth most-frequently cited agency standard in FY 2019. Specialty Trade Contractors and Construction of Buildings earned the lion’s share of OSHA citations for violations of standard 1926.1053, with employers in the first category...

In a notice published Tuesday in the Federal Register, OSHA issued corrections to its Walking-Working Surfaces Personal Protective Equipment (Fall Protection Systems), and Special Industries (Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution) rule. They include:

When employees are performing construction work six feet or more above a lower level, you need to provide them with some type of fall protection. There is an exception for working on scaffolding — the threshold height for fall protection is ten feet. OSHA regulates falls at 1926 Subpart M.

Falls from an elevation are a leading cause of death amongst contraction workers, and one third of those falls are from ladders. However, some of these fatalities could be prevented simply with the implementation of the three-point control technique.

Even though ladders have been around for most of recorded history, they haven't changed much in function and design since their primitive origins. This simple design is so practical almost everyone uses it; on the other hand, it is so basic it is also easy to misuse and can be dangerous.