29 CFR 1926.1053: Ladders
The official text is on the eCFR. This page maps how the section is organized, quotes the paragraphs our ASP, CHST practice questions are built on, and gives free questions you can try. Text below is quoted from the eCFR, current as of 2026-10-14; the section was last amended 2016-09-01.
How 29 CFR 1926.1053 is organized
- (a) General58 paragraphs
- (b) Use28 paragraphs
Paragraphs our practice questions cite most
Counted across the 11 live PassCited questions built on this section. This reflects our question bank, not the real exam.
“(18) Fixed ladders shall be provided with cages, wells, ladder safety devices, or self-retracting lifelines where the length of climb is less than 24 feet (7.3 m) but the top of the ladder is at a distance greater than 24 feet (7.3 m) above lower levels.”
“(5)(i) Non-self-supporting ladders shall be used at an angle such that the horizontal distance from the top support to the foot of the ladder is approximately one-quarter of the working length of the ladder (the distance along the ladder between the foot and the top support).”
“(8) Ladders placed in any location where they can be displaced by workplace activities or traffic, such as in passageways, doorways, or driveways, shall be secured to prevent accidental displacement, or a barricade shall be used to keep the activities or traffic away from the ladder.”
“(10) Except when portable ladders are used to gain access to fixed ladders (such as those on utility towers, billboards, and other structures where the bottom of the fixed ladder is elevated to limit access), when two or more separate ladders are used to reach an elevated work area, the ladders shall be offset with a platform or landing between the ladders. (The requirements to have guardrail systems with toeboards for falling object and overhead protection on platforms and landings are set forth in subpart M of this part.)”
“(iv) The inside of the cage shall be clear of projections;”
Free practice questions on 29 CFR 1926.1053
Question 1
A crew uses a 24-foot non-self-supporting portable ladder, leaning it against a wall at a point where the working length (foot to top support) is 20 feet. The supervisor wants the ladder set at the correct angle. Approximately how far from the wall, measured horizontally, should the foot of the ladder be placed?
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Answer: A. 5 feet
The horizontal distance from the top support to the foot should be approximately one-quarter of the working length; one-quarter of 20 feet is 5 feet. One-eighth (2.5 feet) applies only to wood job-made ladders with spliced side rails.
Answer A rests on
29 CFR 1926.1053(b)(5)(i)(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“Non-self-supporting ladders shall be used at an angle such that the horizontal distance from the top support to the foot of the ladder is approximately one-quarter of the working length of the ladder (the distance along the ladder between the foot and the top support).”
Question 2
A painter must place a ladder in a doorway where employees and carts regularly pass. The painter cannot secure the ladder to anything. Which action complies with the standard?
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Answer: A. Place a barricade to keep activities and traffic away from the ladder
A ladder where it can be displaced by activities or traffic, such as in a doorway, must be secured against displacement or a barricade must keep traffic away. The other choices do not meet either of those alternatives.
Answer A rests on
29 CFR 1926.1053(b)(8)(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“Ladders placed in any location where they can be displaced by workplace activities or traffic, such as in passageways, doorways, or driveways, shall be secured to prevent accidental displacement, or a barricade shall be used to keep the activities or traffic away from the ladder.”
Question 3
A crew sets up a 24-foot non-self-supporting extension ladder against a wall so the distance along the ladder between the foot and the top support is 20 feet. To meet the standard's angle requirement, approximately how far from the wall should the foot of the ladder be placed?
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Answer: A. 5 feet
The standard sets the horizontal distance at approximately one-quarter of the working length, which is 20 ft ÷ 4 = 5 ft. The 2.5-foot figure uses one-eighth, which applies only to wood job-made ladders with spliced side rails.
Answer A rests on
29 CFR 1926.1053(b)(5)(i)(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“Non-self-supporting ladders shall be used at an angle such that the horizontal distance from the top support to the foot of the ladder is approximately one-quarter of the working length of the ladder (the distance along the ladder between the foot and the top support).”
Question 4
A crew needs to reach a roof edge. The longest portable ladder on site, set at a proper angle, has side rails that extend only about 18 inches above the roof surface. The foreman proposes to use it anyway. Which action would comply with the standard?
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Answer: D. Secure the ladder at its top to a rigid support that will not deflect, and provide a grabrail or similar grasping device for mounting and dismounting.
Because the ladder is too short to extend the rails 3 feet above the landing, the standard requires both a top attachment to a rigid support that will not deflect and a grasping device. Securing to a flexing pipe fails the rigidity requirement, and omitting the grasping device leaves out a required element. A coworker holding the base does not substitute for either.
Answer D rests on
29 CFR 1926.1053(b)(1)(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“When portable ladders are used for access to an upper landing surface, the ladder side rails shall extend at least 3 feet (.9 m) above the upper landing surface to which the ladder is used to gain access; or, when such an extension is not possible because of the ladder's length, then the ladder shall be secured at its top to a rigid support that will not deflect, and a grasping device, such as a grabrail, shall be provided to assist employees in mounting and dismounting the ladder.”
Where it shows up in exam prep
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Other Part 1926 sections
- 29 CFR 1926.1060: Training requirements
- 29 CFR 1926.1101: Asbestos
- 29 CFR 1926.1153: Respirable crystalline silica
- 29 CFR 1926.1211: Rescue and emergency services
- 29 CFR 1926.1404: Assembly/Disassembly—general requirements (applies to all assembly and disassembly operations)
- 29 CFR 1926.1427: Operator training, certification, and evaluation
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