29 CFR 1926.851 — Stairs, passageways, and ladders.

eCFR 2026-07-09 public domain
Official text: ecfr.gov → · osha.gov →

Full text

(a) Only those stairways, passageways, and ladders, designated as means of access to the structure of a building, shall be used. Other access ways shall be entirely closed at all times.

(b) All stairs, passageways, ladders and incidental equipment thereto, which are covered by this section, shall be periodically inspected and maintained in a clean safe condition.

(c) In a multistory building, when a stairwell is being used, it shall be properly illuminated by either natural or artificial means, and completely and substantially covered over at a point not less than two floors below the floor on which work is being performed, and access to the floor where the work is in progress shall be through a properly lighted, protected, and separate passageway.

← 29 CFR 1926 sections · CFR library · Crosswalk

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