• OSHA requires cages or wells for ladders more than 20 feet tall.Ladder image by Towards Ithaca from Fotolia.com
  
  OSHA ladder cage regulations help protect workers in occupations that use tall ladders frequently. Many workers sustain injuries or become ill on the job each year in the U.S., and OSHA establishes regulations to try to minimize such incidents. Ladder cages enclose the climbing area of ladders to help guard employees from falling.
  
  

Ladder Height

• OSHA regulations require cages or wells for ladders longer than 20 feet. The cages can have a maximum unbroken length of 30 feet.
  
  

Landing Cage Height

• OSHA ladder cage regulations say that cages must usually extend at least 42 inches above the top of ladder landings. However, cages can extend for fewer than 42 inches if the ladder landings have some other type of adequate protection.
  
  

Height from the Ground

• Ladder cages must extend down ladders so that they end between 7 and 8 feet above the ground at the end of the ladder.
  
  

Cage Width

• Ladder cages should have widths of at least 27 inches, according to OSHA regulations.
  
  

Ladder Cage Extension

• Ladder cages should extend at least 27 inches but fewer than 28 inches from the center of the ladder rungs, according to OSHA regulations.
  
  

Cage Clearance

• According to OSHA ladder cage regulations, adder cages should not contain any obstructions so that workers can climb safely through them.
  
  

Construction

• Ladder cages should be strong enough so that they do not dislodge if a worker falls against one while climbing the ladder. Cages should also have smooth inner surfaces.