Advantages of Cat Ladders

The Default Choice

What Makes Cat Ladders the Default for Roof and Tank Access

A cat ladder climbs vertically against the structure it serves, held off the wall by standoff brackets at 150–250 mm. Where a staircase claims ground, landings and headroom, a cat ladder claims a strip of wall — which is why it is the first answer for roof edges, tank shells, silos, chimneys and plant walls on sites where space, budget and inspection deadlines all matter. Rungs land at 225–230 mm centres in our build, every rung rated at 1.5 kN — the parameters inspectors check first.

Because every unit is fabricated to order and hot-dip galvanized before dispatch, the advantages compound: simpler civils, faster install, and a structure that stays inspection-ready for decades rather than painting seasons.

• Minimal footprint

  A vertical climb hugging the structure — no stair tower, no landing decks, no lost floor space around tanks and plant

• Fast installation

  Factory-welded modules bolt up with fixings at centres of 1500 mm or less — no onsite fabrication, no hot works

• Lower installed cost

  Fewer materials and fewer site hours than a stair route to the same height — visible line by line in the itemized factory quote

• Long, quiet service life

  Q235B HDG at 85–100 µm to ISO 1461 gives decades of service life per ISO 14713 guidance; SS316, aluminium or GRP where corrosion rules

Compliance & Documentation

Compliance & Documentation Advantages

A factory cat ladder arrives with its compliance story already written. Four documents travel with every order — never as a billed extra — so your contractor submits for sign-off with the same file your inspector reads. The pack arrives with the goods, not weeks later by email.

• Declaration of Conformity

  Citing OSHA 1910.23/28, EN ISO 14122-4, BS 4211 or AS 1657 as your market requires

• EN 10204 3.1 material certificate

  Mill-traceable grade verification for the Q235B, SS304 or SS316 in your run

• HDG coating report

  ISO 1461 thickness measured at 85–100 µm — the paperwork behind decades of service life

• Structural calculation sheet

  Engineer-signed, covering the 1.5 kN per rung load and fixings at ≤1500 mm centres

Fall protection is engineered in, not retrofitted. EN ISO practice expects protection above about 3 m of climb; in the US, OSHA 1910.28(b)(9) requires a ladder safety system or PFAS on new builds above 24 ft, while existing caged ladders are exempt until 2036-11-18. Cage hoops run at centres of 1500 mm or less from a first hoop at 2.2 m — factory spec, on the drawing you approve.