Most ladder injuries are falls, and most falls trace back to the setup: the wrong angle, soft ground, a top that is not secured, or a climber reaching too far. The climb itself is the easy part. Get the angle, the footing, and the top support right, and an extension ladder is a stable tool. Get any of them wrong, and it slides, tips, or kicks out — usually while you are carrying something with both hands. This guide covers the setup and the climb, and the ladder safety checklist covers the twelve rules to check before you climb.
The ladder must be long enough to reach three feet above where you are going: a roof edge, a gutter, a window. If the top rungs are the only way to reach, the ladder is too short. Check the duty rating on the label — it is the maximum load including you and your tools — and pick fiberglass, not aluminum, anywhere near power lines. Before every use, inspect the rails, rungs, feet, and locks for cracks, bends, and missing feet. A damaged ladder does not get used with care; it gets retired.
Inspect it before you lean it. Check both rails for cracks and bends, every rung for looseness, the feet for wear, and the rung locks for smooth action. Read the labels: the duty rating, the length, and any damage warnings. If anything is cracked, bent, or missing, do not use it.
Set the ground. The feet need firm, level ground — not soft soil, mulch, ice, or a slope. On soft ground, put a board under the feet to spread the load. On uneven ground, use a ladder with leg levelers, or dig the high side down to level. Never set a ladder on a box, a table, or a pile of bricks to gain height.
Set the angle: one foot out for every four up. Lean the ladder against the wall and measure: for every four feet of height to the landing, the feet sit one foot out from the wall. Too steep and it can tip backward; too shallow and the feet slide out. The toe test works without a tape: stand with your toes against the feet and reach your arms straight out — your palms should just touch a rung.
Extend three feet above the landing. The ladder must stick three feet above the roof edge or landing so you have something to hold when you step on and off. Then secure the top: tie it off with a rope or strap, or have a helper foot the base while you work. An unsecured top is the most common way a ladder slides sideways.
Climb facing the ladder. Face the rungs, keep three points of contact — two hands and a foot, or two feet and a hand — and move one limb at a time. Carry tools on a belt or in a bucket on a rope, not in your hands. Never climb with wet or muddy boots, and never rush the climb.
Stay within reach. Keep your belt buckle between the rails. If you have to lean out to reach, you are in the wrong spot: climb down and move the ladder. Overreaching shifts your weight past the rail and is how ladders tip sideways. Move the ladder often instead of stretching.
Come down the same way. Descend facing the ladder, three points of contact, one limb at a time, holding the rails. Step onto the landing only when you can hold the extended top section. Do not jump off, do not slide down the rails, and do not carry anything in your hands on the way down.
Store and carry it right. Store it flat or hung horizontally, out of the weather, so the rails stay straight. Carry it at your side with the front end slightly up, and keep it well clear of overhead power lines — ten feet at least. A ladder carried upright near lines is a serious shock risk.
Wrong angle, soft ground, and overreaching cause most falls, and all three are setup mistakes. Standing on the top two rungs is another: there is nothing to hold and the ladder can tip. Climbing in wind, rain, or ice, carrying a load in both hands, and using a damaged ladder round out the list. None of these is a skill problem — each is a decision made before the climb. The same goes for heaters in the same sub: the space heater safety checklist covers the nine rules that keep a different kind of household risk in check.
Call a pro for roof work in wind, for anything near overhead power lines, for heights that make you uncomfortable, and for any job that needs two people on a ladder at once — that is never safe. If the ladder you have is too short or damaged, the answer is a different ladder, not a riskier climb.
For every four feet of height to the landing, the ladder feet sit one foot out from the wall. It sets the angle near 75 degrees: steep enough not to slide out, shallow enough not to tip backward.
Three feet. That gives you a handhold when you step onto the roof and a hold when you step back onto the ladder. Less than that, and the step on and off is the most dangerous part of the job.
Only with leg levelers or by leveling the ground itself — digging the high side down or putting a board under the low foot. Never shim it with bricks, boxes, or stacked boards.
On a tool belt, in a pouch, or in a bucket raised on a rope after you climb. Both hands stay free for the ladder. Never carry a load that blocks your view of the rungs.