How do I use a stepladder safely?

A stepladder feels safe in a way a leaning ladder does not, and that feeling is the problem. It is stable within a small footprint and completely unstable outside it, and the transition between the two states happens in a fraction of a second with nothing to hold onto. Almost every stepladder injury is a version of the same two mistakes.

Safety

What you'll need

• Stepladder in good condition, correctly rated
• Firm, level, non-slippery floor
• Tool belt, apron or a bucket on a hook (optional)
• Non-slip footwear

Step by step

1. Check it before you climb it.Spreader bars or hinge locks working and undamaged, rivets tight, steps secure and clean, feet present and not worn smooth. Wet paint or grease on a step is as dangerous as a broken one.
2. Open it fully so the locks go straight.The spreader bars or the locking hinge between the front and back legs are structural. Half-opened, a stepladder is two frames leaning on each other and it will fold. Push the spreaders down until they are straight and locked.
3. Put all four feet on firm level ground.Not on a doormat, a rug that can slide, a wet patio, gravel, soft earth, or a step. If one foot is unsupported the whole thing racks and works loose as you move. Move the furniture rather than accepting three feet down.
4. Set it square to the work.Face the steps and work on something directly in front of you. A stepladder is stable front to back and much less so sideways, which is why turning to work at ninety degrees is the position that tips it.
5. Stay below the step the label says.Most domestic stepladders permit standing no higher than the second or third step from the top, and many have the highest permitted step marked. The top cap is a tool tray, not a step, unless the ladder is specifically designed and marked with a platform and a handrail.
6. Keep your hips between the stiles.The simplest possible test for overreaching, and the one that prevents most falls. If your belt buckle has to pass outside the side rails to reach the work, get down and move the ladder. Moving it takes fifteen seconds.
7. Keep one hand free.If the job needs both hands continuously and any force, a stepladder is the wrong equipment and you want a platform or a podium step. Light two-handed work at a low height is fine; leaning into something with both hands is not.
8. Do not carry tools up in your hands.Use a tool belt, an apron, a bucket clipped to a hook, or hoist things up on a line. Climbing with something in one hand removes the point of contact you need and is a common way to miss a step.
9. Get someone to steady it for awkward jobs.Not because the ladder needs it structurally, but because a person standing on the bottom step or holding a stile eliminates the sideways movement that starts most incidents.
10. Close it and lay it down when you finish.An open stepladder in a room is something to walk into, and a stepladder leaning against a wall slides. Fold it and lay it flat or hang it up.

Tips

• A platform stepladder with a handrail and a proper standing platform changes the job entirely for anything sustained — painting a ceiling, wallpapering, fitting a light. Standing on a platform for an hour is not comparable to balancing on a step.
• A stepladder on a hard floor with worn plastic feet slides. Replacement feet are cheap and available for most brands.
• For a job over a stairwell, a stepladder cannot be used at all. A proper stairwell platform or a combination ladder in its stair configuration is the only safe answer.
• Do not use the back frame of an A-frame stepladder as steps unless it is a double-sided ladder designed for it. On a single-sided ladder the back is a support, not a stair.

Common mistakes

• Standing on the top cap or the top step — Nothing to hold, a very small footprint under your feet, and your centre of gravity high above a narrow base. It is the single most common serious stepladder fall.
• Working sideways rather than facing the steps — The ladder is far less stable across its width, and reaching sideways puts your weight outside the footprint quickly. Face the work.
• Using it half-opened against a wall — The locks are not engaged, so the frames can fold. A stepladder used as a leaning ladder is not a leaning ladder — the steps are the wrong angle and the frame is not designed for that loading.
• Setting one foot on a step or a threshold — Three-point support racks the frame and the ladder walks as you move. Move to level ground or use different equipment.

Questions people ask