What Is a Caged Ladder?
A caged ladder is a fixed vertical ladder with a surrounding hoop guard (safety cage) that provides passive fall protection. The cage — an 800mm internal diameter series of hoops at 300mm spacing — surrounds the climber and prevents a backward fall if grip or footing is lost. It is the most common type of industrial fixed ladder globally.
When Do You Need a Caged Ladder?
The cage requirement is triggered by height — and the threshold depends on your jurisdiction. OSHA (US): 24 ft / 7.3m. EN ISO 14122-4 (EU): 3m. AS 1657 (AU): 4m. If your ladder exceeds these heights, a cage is mandatory. Even below the threshold, many facility managers specify cages for additional worker confidence.
Important: OSHA 2018 Update
For new fixed ladders over 24 ft installed after November 19, 2018, OSHA requires a ladder safety system or personal fall arrest system (PFAS) — a cage alone is no longer sufficient. Existing caged ladders must be retrofitted with ladder safety systems or PFAS by November 19, 2036. Cages are not banned — they are no longer considered adequate as the sole fall protection method on tall new installations. Read the full OSHA update.
How to Choose the Right Model
- Height: Single-section (2-6m, CL-S10/CL-S15/CL-SS316-STD) or multi-section (6-20m, CL-M10) with intermediate platforms.
- Material: Match to your environment — HDG for inland industrial, SS304 for food/pharma/architectural, SS316 for coastal/marine/chemical.
- Load rating: Standard 150 kg for general access. Heavy-duty 250 kg (CL-HDG-HD) for facilities with heavy equipment or high traffic.
- Coating thickness: Standard HDG >=80 microns. Heavy-duty HDG >=100 microns for aggressive environments.
Standard Dimensions (All Models)
| Clear Width | 600 mm between side rails |
| Cage Diameter | 800 mm internal |
| Rung Spacing | 300 mm (OSHA max 12 in) |
| Hoop Spacing | 300 mm (OSHA max 4 ft) |
| Top Extension | 1,100 mm (OSHA 42 in) |
| Side Rail | 65 × 10 mm flat bar |
| Rung Profile | 20 mm diameter round bar, anti-slip notched |
| Bracket Spacing | Max 2.0 m vertical |
