Fixed Ladders are permanent vertical access ladders used in applications requiring a ladder to reach an elevated work surface, roof top or elevated work surface for an industrial or commercial purpose. Fixed ladders and their safety cages are covered by ANSI and OSHA standards.
For most applications, fixed ladders are made of metal with galvanized steel being the most common due to its excellent corrosion resistance in most environments. The rungs on a vertical ladder may not be more than 12" apart and have minimum width of 16".
Based on the height, a permanent fixed safety ladder may require either a safety cage, or a rest platform. The height at which a safety ladder requires a safety cage (or fall arrest device) is 20'. If a user will need to climb higher than 20 feet, a vertical ladder fall safety cage is required on the ladder per OSHA 1910.27. In addition, if the ladder climber needs to have a straight climb in excess of 30' a fixed ladder rest platform is required (or fall arrest device).
Metal fixed ladders must have a hold-out bracket (stand off bracker) at least 7" long for toe clearance behind the ladder. The hold out bracket, or standoff, may have to be modified for extra length if obstructions are between the fixed ladder and the wall.
Depending on how a fixed ladder will be used, we offer many ladder accessories to help protect the operators from fall from height.
We recommend using a swing-gate (ladder accesories) at the top of the fixed ladder, to function as a handrail, closing off the opening where the ladder is located. We also offer industrial quality handrails from the ladder to the rooftop as an option.
For permanent cage ladders on water tanks, towers, and roof ladders, a ladder security cover is a recommended ladder accessory. The ladder security cover uses a steel cover plate with a locking hasp that covers the bottom rungs of a ladder. The Ladder security cover would be locked with a customer supplied padlock until the safety ladder was needed, and prevent authorized climbers.
On some applications, such as a parapet, maintenance platform, or other custom fall protection may require custom engineer ladder system.
