Function

• OSHA, which sets standards for workplace health and safety, dictates minimum structural specifications and safety requirements for fixed ladders in grain elevators.
  
  

Ladder Structure

• The space between rungs or cleats of grain elevator ladders must be a uniform distance of not more than 12 inches apart. The rungs must be at least 16 inches wide. For wooden ladders, the rungs must be 1 1/8 inches in diameter. Metal ladders may have rungs 3/4 of an inch in diameter unless the ladder's location is subject to corrosion, in which case the metal rungs must either be 1 inch in diameter or painted or treated with a protective coating to prevent rust.
  
  

Safety Considerations

• When the grain elevator ladder's height is more than 20 feet, the structure must include landing platforms for every 30 feet of ladder, unless the ladder has no cage, well or other safety device, in which case landing platforms must be installed for every 20 feet of ladder. Steps or rungs of ladders must be free of hazardous projections, sharp edges or splinters.