Know Your Ladder

You may not have known that your extension ladder is made of several different piece parts.  So in case you were wondering, we have identified these piece parts below.  In addition, we give you a few tips for proper ladder use when installing Solar PV panels on a roof.

• Tip - Very Top of the Ladder
• Fly - Upper Section of an extension ladder
• Rung – Cross members that provide the foothold for climbing
• Halyard – The rope used to raise or lower the fly section
• Rails – The two lengthwise members of the ladder beam
• Dogs or Pawls - Devices attached to the inside of the rails of the fly section used to hold the fly section in place after it is raised
• Butt or Heel – Bottom end of ladder, the end that is placed on the ground
• Footpads – Rubber swivel parts attached to the butt of the ladder

Safety Tips:

1. Never use Aluminum Ladders for Solar PV work; use fiber glass ladders only
2. Be sure to use the proper rated ladder for the type of work you are doing. The following are ANSI code duty ratings and their color codes for five types of ladders:

Type
Rated            Load Capac.      Rated Use                                 Color

Type IAA        375 lbs                  Special Duty                              Yellow

Type IA           300 lbs                  Extra Heavy Duty Indust.           Orange

Type I              250 lbs                  Heavy Duty Industrial                Blue

Type II             225 lbs                  Medium Duty Commercial        Green

Type III            200 lbs                  Light Duty Household                Red

Angle of Use

One of the more common question that pops into our minds when setting up a ladder is “What is the safe angle to use?”  The answer is to position the ladder at such an angle where the horizontal distance from the top support point to the foot of the ladder is ¼ the working length of the ladder.  For example, in the graphic below, if the height (h) from the ground point directly below the top support point at the roof edge is 12 feet (h = 12), then the horizontal distance from that ground point to the butt (bottom end) of the ladder should be 3 feet (h/4).  In addition, the ladder must always extend a minimum of three feet above the top support point where the ladder contacts the roof.