A fixed ladder is a vertical ladder mounted permanently to a structure. These ladders are primarily used to access roofs or other structures for industrial purposes. In the US these ladders are covered by OSHA and ANSI standards.

[edit] Components

Fixed ladders consist of the following components:

• Rungs: all fixed ladders have rungs, dictated by OSHA Standard 1910.27(b)(1)(ii) of no more than 12" on center (measured as the distance from the centerline of a rung to the center line of the next rung), and at 16" clear width.
• Side members: These are the rails on the side of the ladder that are designed that the foot cannot slip off the end.
• Stand-off Brackets: Dictated by OSHA Standard 1910.27(c)(4) stand-off brackets must be at least 7" longer than the farthest obstruction for clearance on the back side of ladder. This means that if there is a 4" gutter projecting from the side of a building, a fixed ladder would have to have standoff brackets that were at least 11" (7" + 4") in length.
• Cages: Cages are optional for fixed ladders with a floor to floor elevation of less than 20', however they are often available for ladders with elevation changes down to 11'. Cages are mandated to begin between 7' and 8' from the ground and extend the entire length of the ladder. Cages can have left hand exits(opening in the LH side of cage), right hand exits(opening in RH side of cage), top exits(for exit through a hatch or floor door), and walk through exits(for exit through back side of fixed ladder.

[edit] Materials

Fixed ladders are generally made of steel or aluminum, but can be reinforced polymer, stainless steel, hot dipped galvanized, or wood.

[edit] See also

• Ladder
• Stairway