Stairway and ladder access: 4 dispatch fields

• Ask the site contact for the building's story count and height or depth.
• Confirm the stairway or ladder route before assigning the job.
• Record who confirmed each access answer.
• Brief the tech on tool hoisting before the climb.

Where ladders are permitted for access, you must provide means for employee hoisting of tools and material so employees will have both hands free for ascending and descending ladders, according to Washington State Legislature. Put that question on the ticket before the job is assigned, and record the answer.

Access is a dispatch question as much as a technical one. A tech who reaches a multi-story building without a stairway or ladder plan may have to call the office before work begins. Add an access line to each ticket for any multi-story job, and fill it in before the job is assigned. For the wider handoff steps, see the field service work order checklist. Post those answers on the ticket for the tech to read.

Decide who owns the access question before any tech is sent. The dispatcher can collect the answers, while the owner signs off when a building meets the thresholds in the quoted rule. Keep the checklist short enough to use on every call. Repeat the same wording on every ticket, so each dispatcher reads the same fields. Review blank fields before the crew leaves the yard.

Treat the Washington text as one jurisdiction's rule, not as a rule for every site. The rules in this guide come from WAC 296-155-477 and from separate pages published by CCOHS and WorkSafe New Zealand. Confirm which rules apply where each building sits before you dispatch a tech. Keep each quoted sentence tied to its own source name.

Keep this guide's checks for buildings under construction or renovation. Handle routine maintenance calls in finished homes with a separate access check written for that work. Add the access line to whatever ticket form your office already uses. Use the same line for new and repeat visits, so return trips start from the earlier answers.

Use a simple ticket line with the story count, the height or depth, the stairway or ladder access, and the name of the person who confirmed each answer. Mark an unanswered field as unconfirmed, and do not guess. Call the site contact back when an answer remains unconfirmed.

The table below shows an illustrative record using those four fields.

A dispatcher receives a ticket for a renovation of a multi-story building. Before assigning a tech, the dispatcher asks the site contact for the story count and the height or depth, then writes both on the ticket. The site reports both answers and says a stairway is already in place. The dispatcher checks the applicable stairway requirement, then records the name of the person who confirmed the answer and the time of the reply. The tech is assigned only after every field on the ticket line is complete.

Stairways at two or more stories

The Washington text sets the stairway threshold at two or more stories or 24 feet or more in height or depth, and the two measures are alternatives, according to Washington State Legislature. For the stairway limits in one place, see stairway safety limits before dispatch. Ask the site contact whether the stairway is already in place or still planned. The quoted wording covers permanent or temporary stairways, so note which kind the site has. Record the reply with the time it was given.

A planned stairway is a question for the owner before the tech leaves, not a detail for arrival day. Write the height or depth on the ticket as the site reports it. If the site gives only an estimate, label it as an estimate on the ticket.

Flag any job where the answers are unclear, and send it back to the owner before a tech is sent. Renovation sites can change during the work, so repeat the question when the building changes. Note the date of each answer on the ticket. Keep the earlier answer on the ticket too, so the change stays visible.

Ask the owner whether a stairway will be ready before the crew arrives. If the site has no stairway in place yet, tell the owner before you assign the tech. Do not assign a tech to a multi-story job until the access line is complete.

One stairway up to 3 stories

Check the access and exit requirement before choosing a stairway plan. Confirm the story count and the height before you choose a stairway plan, and write the stairway details on the ticket. Above that limit, the rule applies a different count, so check the building's height against it. If more than 3 stories or 36 feet, you must provide two or more stairways, according to Washington State Legislature. Ask the site contact whether a second stairway is planned or already in place before the tech arrives. Note on the ticket whether the building is above that limit.

Two ladders for each floor

Ladders are a separate case under the same rule. A minimum of two ladders at different locations for each floor may be used above this floor but not to exceed 3 floors, according to Washington State Legislature. Confirm that the ladders sit at different locations before the crew climbs. Check the floor count before you plan a ladder route. A building with more floors than that limit needs its own access plan, so do not reuse a ladder route from a shorter building.

Write the stairway and ladder details for each floor on the ticket, using the same wording the site contact gave. Send the job back to the owner if any floor has no confirmed access route. Use one line for each floor so the next dispatcher can find each floor's route quickly.

Hoisting tools so hands stay free

The text names a well wheel and hoisting line as examples, or the equivalent, according to Washington State Legislature. Write the hoisting method on the ticket beside the ladder details. For a broader ladder check, see portable ladder safety reference points. Keep the method description short, and note any change before the climb.

Brief the tech on the no-carry rule before the climb starts. Tools that go up with the tech need a plan that keeps both hands free for the climb.

Note the New Zealand source on the briefing for the rule on resting tools, so the tech knows where that instruction comes from. Plan a holding place for tools that is neither the steps nor the rungs, and name it in the briefing.

Before dispatch, ask the tech to confirm the hoisting method, the ladder route, and where tools will sit during each climb. Write each answer on the ticket. If the tech cannot name a method, treat the ladder route as unconfirmed and send the job back to the owner.

Where two stairways are provided and work is being performed in the stairways, you must maintain one clear for access between levels at all times, according to Washington State Legislature. Plan the work so one stairway stays open while the other is in use. Confirm that the open stairway has a path between each level before work starts.

Ask the site contact which stairway is designated for access and mark it on the ticket. Update the ticket before the crew goes up if the site changes the open stairway.

The rule also says you must complete the stairway to a second or higher floor before studs are raised to support the next higher floor, according to Washington State Legislature. Ask the site whether the stairway to the floor being worked is finished before studs go up for the next floor. Record the answer on the ticket with the floor name.

Tell the tech to report any blocked stairway before climbing, and tell the dispatcher at once. Keep the report short: which stairway, which level, and what blocked the path. The dispatcher can then decide whether the work waits or moves.

Before leaving the site, confirm the stairway the crew used is still clear for access between levels. Note any changes on the ticket with the time. Record any blocked stairway before the next visit starts.

Keep a short record of the access answers on the ticket once the job is done. Include the story count, the height or depth, the stairway or ladder used, and any hoisting method used. Note the person who confirmed each answer.

Record whether one stairway stayed clear while work was in the stairways, for any building with more than one stairway. Note who confirmed the stairway status and the time of the reply. Use the same field name on every ticket, so the next visit starts from the same record.

When intermediate vertical members, such as balusters, are used between posts, they must be not more than 19 inches (48 cm) apart, according to Washington State Legislature. Note on the ticket whether the stairway has balusters and whether the site reports their spacing. The ticket needs the site's report, not a measurement by the dispatcher.

Note whether the site reports the stairway as finished before the ticket closes. Ask the site contact to name the person who gave that finish report. Keep a copy of the report with the job record.

Update the ticket when the building changes, such as when a stairway is added or closed. A changed building needs a new access line, not an old note.

Your next step: add an access question to your dispatch checklist for any job in a building of two or more stories, and record the answer on the ticket.

When are stairways required in a building?

For a Washington site, check both the story count and height or depth against the stairway threshold above. That text is a Washington rule, so it does not decide the answer for every state.

How many stairways are needed up to 3 stories or 36 feet?

You must provide a minimum of one stairway for access and exit for buildings and structures to 3 stories or 36 feet, according to Washington State Legislature. Write the stairway details on the ticket.

How should tools get up where ladders are permitted for access?

Use the tool-hoisting method confirmed for the ladder route. Ask the tech to describe the hoisting method on the ticket before the ladder route is used.

Can a tech carry tools in their hands up a ladder?

The answer from the CCOHS page is no: do not carry objects in your hands while on a ladder, according to CCOHS. Plan a way to move tools up that leaves both hands free, and brief the tech on it before the climb.

Can tools rest on ladder steps?

The WorkSafe New Zealand page says do not rest tools or other items on the steps or hang them from the rungs, according to WorkSafe New Zealand. Check local rules for your site before you apply it to a job.

What load must a stair be built to carry?

The stair must be capable of withstanding a minimum uniform load of 100 pounds for every square foot with a design factor of 1.7, according to Washington State Legislature. The treads must be capable of carrying a minimum concentrated load of 300 pounds at the center of any treadspan or exterior arc with a design factor of 1.7, according to Washington State Legislature. These figures describe what the stair must withstand, not a check that a dispatcher runs.