Ladder Setup



 Setting Up Ladders Correctly

To keep you safe, several steps must be taken to ensure you set up a ladder correctly.

Watch this video to learn more about safe ladder set-up procedures.

As you watch the video, download this list of proper ladder set-up guidelines, by clicking here.

Watch the video on setting up ladders correctly.



Setting Up A Straight/Extension Ladder

The 4 to 1 ratio is important for straight and extension ladders.
For every 4 feet of ladder, the bottom of the ladder must be one foot from the wall.
This allows the ladder to be set up at the correct slope or pitch.


Example 1
A 12 foot ladder should be set 3 feet from the wall.  This is calculated by taking the total height (12) and dividing by 4.

Example 2
An extension ladder lengthened to 6 feet should be set 1.5 feet from the wall.  This is calculated by taking the total height (6) and dividing by 4.

Now It's Your Turn
A ladder extended to 7 feet, should be how many feet from the wall?
Total height of ladder is 7/4 = 1.75 feet is the distance the ladder should be from the wall.
The ladder should be set approximately 1.75 or 2 feet from the wall.  In this case, you are not rounding up by much and it should be fine.
The ladder should be set almost 2 feet from the wall.