Course details

Workers who use ladders routinely can develop habits that bypass the checks that keep a climb safe, and that familiarity is where risk quietly builds. This course is designed to give workers and supervisors practical skills to select the right ladder, spot defects before they cause a fall, and follow safe setup and climbing procedures on every job. The course covers ladder types and components, transportation, maintenance, and storage, delivering job-ready skills in 45 minutes.

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Course Overview

This course covers the full lifecycle of ladder use, from recognizing hazards to storing equipment correctly after the job. The modules below walk learners through each stage in sequence:

• Ladder-Related Hazards and Incidents
• Ladder Safety Guidelines
• Ladder Types: Fixed and Portable Ladders
• Ladder Components
• How to Choose the Right Ladder for the Job
• Safety Label Information
• Ladder Inspection
• What to Do if You Find a Defect
• Ladder Transportation and Setup
• How to Climb and Descend Safely
• Ladder Maintenance and Storage

Each module is self-contained. You can revisit inspection criteria or setup procedures without replaying the entire course.

Portable ladders and fixed ladders are both covered from start to finish.

What You'll Learn

This online ladder safety course builds skills you apply the next time you pick up a ladder, not just knowledge you carry abstractly.

Hazard recognition

• Identify potential ladder-related hazards present in common work environments before a climb begins.
• Describe the types of incidents that result from improper ladder use and the conditions that contribute to them.

Ladder types and components

• Describe different types of ladders and their intended uses, including fixed and portable categories.
• Name ladder components and explain the function each part plays in safe operation.

Equipment selection and label reading

• Apply a structured decision process to select the correct ladder for a specific job and environment.
• Evaluate safety label information to confirm a ladder meets the demands of the task at hand.

Inspection and defect management

• Inspect ladders systematically and identify defects such as damaged rungs, bent rails, and worn feet that make a ladder unsafe.
• Demonstrate the correct steps to take when you find a damaged or defective ladder on site.

Safe use in the field

• Work through the full sequence of locating, transporting, and setting up a portable ladder safely.
• Apply correct techniques for climbing and descending to reduce fall risk on every job.
• Recognize maintenance and storage practices that preserve a ladder's safe condition over time.

Assessment and completion

• Achieve a passing score of 80% on the course assessment to earn your certificate of completion.

Who Should Take This Course?

Construction workers and tradespeople who use portable or fixed ladders regularly are well-positioned to confirm their practices meet safe-use standards on each site. Maintenance and facilities technicians climb ladders to access equipment, lighting, or elevated systems and carry responsibility for inspecting gear before each use. Warehouse and logistics personnel reach racking and overhead areas by ladder and need a structured approach to pre-use inspection and safe setup. Site supervisors and safety officers who oversee workers at height benefit from being able to recognize unsafe setups, defective equipment, and non-compliant climbing technique. General industry workers in any sector where a portable or fixed ladder is present benefit from training, particularly where a fall from height could result in serious injury. New hires and onboarding employees are well-positioned to start with a documented, structured introduction to ladder safety before beginning work at height.

Why Take This Course?

Falls from ladders injure workers every day. Falls and struck-by incidents involving ladders rank among the most serious causes of workplace injury across construction, maintenance, and general industry, according to OSHA. The hazard can be underestimated when ladders feel like routine equipment rather than a source of serious risk.

Familiarity creates dangerous habits. Workers who have never received formal training often use the wrong ladder for the job, skip the pre-use inspection, set up at the wrong angle, or climb with both hands full. Each habit looks routine until it produces a fall.

Formal training closes that gap. The course is structured to give you a repeatable approach to every ladder task: selection, inspection, setup, climbing, and storage. BIS Safety Software's Training Record Management tools let organizations store and retrieve those completion records when accountability is assessed after an incident.

Forty-five minutes is a measurable investment. A single ladder-related injury can mean lost time, medical costs, and days of operational disruption. This course runs in one session and costs $39.99 per learner.

Key Benefits

• Certificate of completion included. You receive a certificate of completion upon passing the 80% assessment, giving you a record of completed ladder safety training.
• Defect identification before a fall occurs. You gain a structured inspection approach you apply to any ladder on site, catching damaged rungs, worn feet, or bent rails before anyone climbs.
• Online format, designed to be completable in approximately 45 minutes with no scheduling required. The course runs entirely online and completes in a single session from any device, with no classroom booking or travel needed.
• Skills that transfer across every ladder task. The selection, setup, climbing, and storage techniques you learn apply to any portable or fixed ladder you encounter, across job types and industries.
• Priced at $39.99 per learner. One enrollment delivers the full course, assessment, and certificate at a fixed cost with no hidden fees.