Christmas light installation safety comes down to 4 ladder rules that CCOHS and OSHA both publish: set the base 1 foot out for every 4 feet up, extend the ladder 1 metre (3 ft) above the eave, keep three points of contact, and put a harness on before a foot lands on a roof, at 3 metres in CCOHS's guidance and 6 feet under OSHA's residential rule. In Ontario, add working at heights training that is valid for 3 years. Below: the rules in one table, the training, ice and minus 30, and how to quote without climbing.
I run a permanent lighting company in Ottawa and I built GlowBid. This page is what our crews do and where the rules come from, with every rule linked to the government page it sits on. It is not legal or safety advice and it is not training. Ladder, fall-protection and electrical rules are provincial, state and federal, and they change, so read the pages for where you work and take the course your jurisdiction requires. Strandr's safety guide is a solid US-only OSHA walkthrough; this page adds the Canadian rules and the winter ones.
What do the ladder rules say in Canada and the US?#
The same thing, in different units. Every row below was read on the linked page on September 7, 2026.
| Rule |
Canada (CCOHS ladders page) |
US (29 CFR 1926.1053 and the OSHA quick card) |
On our truck |
| Lean |
1 foot out for every 4 feet up, about 75 degrees |
Foot of the ladder one-quarter of the working length from the top support |
A 28 ft extension at a 24 ft contact point sits about 6 ft out |
| Extension above the eave |
At least 1 m (3 ft) above the landing |
Side rails at least 3 feet (0.9 m) above the upper landing |
Three rungs showing above the gutter, standoff on the fascia |
| Climbing |
Three-point contact at all times |
Three-point contact when climbing |
Cord goes up on a rope or a belt, never in a hand |
| Top of the ladder |
Do not work from the top three rungs |
Do not stand on the top three rungs |
Marked with tape so nobody has to count |
| Footing |
Not on ice, mud or slippery surfaces |
Stable and level, or secured; slip-resistant feet alone are not enough on slippery ground |
Footed by the second crew member on frost, tied at the top on soft ground |
| Harness |
At 3 m (10 ft) or more off the ground |
Residential construction at 6 feet (1.8 m) or more above a lower level (1926.501) |
Any foot on shingles, any storey |
| Power lines |
Keep ladders and tools clear of overhead lines |
Nonconductive side rails where the ladder could contact energized equipment; no metal ladder near power lines |
Service drop located before the ladder comes off the rack |
| Load |
Pick the duty grade for the person plus the load |
Do not exceed the load rating |
Type IA, 300 lb, for a person, a belt and a bundle of cord |
| Training |
Ontario: approved working at heights program on construction projects, valid 3 years |
Employer training on fall hazards and ladder use |
Every roof walker's card date on the crew file |
The lean and the extension are the two rules that fail most, because they fail quietly. A ladder set too steep to clear a shrub, or a 20 ft ladder stretched to an 18 ft eave with one rung showing, looks fine until the top walks sideways on a wet gutter. The crew checklist puts both in the ladder section as a stop-and-check on every set.
Who needs working at heights training in Ontario?#
Anyone on a construction project who uses a fall protection method. Ontario's training page lists the methods under O. Reg. 213/91: travel restraint, fall restricting, fall arrest, safety nets, work belts and safety belts. Training is valid for 3 years from completing an approved program, and after that a refresher keeps it valid for another 3 years.
Whether hanging lights on a house is a construction project is a question for the Ministry of Labour, and different inspectors have read it differently for different trades. We do not argue the point. Anyone on our crew who might clip into a roof anchor has a current card, the card date lives on the crew file, and the refresher is booked in the off-season, not in October. The cost of the course is small next to the cost of an inspector's visit on a November morning with three trucks out.
Outside Ontario every province runs its own rule, and in the US the employer trains under OSHA. The hiring guide covers the other paperwork that follows a helper onto the ladder: payroll, WSIB or the state board, and the difference between a subcontractor and an employee who has your ladder.
At 3 metres by CCOHS's ladder page, at 6 feet by OSHA's residential construction rule, and on our trucks whenever a foot leaves the ladder for shingles.
Rooflines and eaves are ladder work: the standoff holds the rails off the gutter, you clip along the fascia from the ladder, and you move the ladder, which is slow and safe. Ridge lines and peaks are roof work: the run is above the eave, and the only way to reach the ridge is to walk to it. That is where the anchor goes in and the harness clips on, and it is why the peak and ridge line pricing page carries a premium on those feet. GlowBid's default rate card adds 15 percent on peaks and 10 percent per extra storey. The premium is not a margin trick. It pays for the anchor, the rope, and the extra twenty minutes.
The kit is cheap. A roofing fall-protection kit with a harness, a reusable anchor, 50 ft of rope and a rope grab was $208 on the equipment list when we priced it, against $719.99 for the ladder. A steep pitch, frost, or a metal roof is a reason to reschedule the ridge, not a reason to walk it faster.
How do you set a ladder on a roofline job?#
The same way every time, out loud, so the helper hears it.
- Inspect it. Rails, rungs, feet, rope and locks, before it leaves the rack. A bent rung goes back to the shop, not to the next house.
- Locate the service drop. Find where the power comes into the house before you choose the ladder spot. OSHA's card says no metal ladder near power lines and 1926.1053 asks for nonconductive side rails where contact is possible; we keep aluminum well clear and use fibreglass where the drop is close to a run.
- Set the base. One out for every four up. Firm ground, both feet planted. On frost or a wet driveway the second person foots the ladder; on soft lawn the top gets tied.
- Extend past the eave. At least 1 metre, three rungs, above the gutter. Standoff on the fascia, never on the gutter or the roofline lights.
- Climb with three points. Cord, clips and the drill go up on a belt or a rope. CCOHS and OSHA both say three-point contact; 1926.1053 adds no load that could make you lose balance.
- Stay below the top three rungs. Tape marks the line.
- One person per ladder. CCOHS says only one on a single-width ladder. The helper stays on the ground, footing, feeding cord and moving the next ladder set.
A two-storey with 140 ft of roofline is 12 to 16 ladder sets with a 28 ft extension, and every set is a place to skip a step. The rule that keeps the count honest is that nobody reaches. If the next clip is past your belt buckle, the ladder moves.
What changes with snow, ice and minus 30?#
Winter is where the US guides run out and Canadian installs start. CCOHS says not to use ladders on ice, mud or other slippery surfaces, and its cold-work page starts a work-warming regimen when the wind chill is minus 7 C or lower, adds constant observation by a buddy at minus 12 C, and calls minus 55 C an indoor day. Strandr's guide uses 25 mph of wind and 20 F as cutoffs, with no source given.
Our own rules, which are trade practice and not a regulation:
- Ice on the ground. No ladder goes up on ice. Sand, salt, or a rubber mat under the feet, and if that does not give a dry, level base, the house waits.
- Snow or frost on the roof. Rooflines are still ladder work and can go ahead. Ridge lines and peaks are rescheduled; a frosted shingle is the same as ice.
- Minus 30 with wind. Ladder work stops. Fingers stop working before the crew admits it, and a clip fumbled at 24 ft is a fall waiting for a reason. Below about minus 20 we shorten sets and rotate the climber every ladder move, which is what the CCOHS warm-up regimen is asking for.
- Adhesive lines. No-track permanent lines that bond to the fascia stop at the temperature the adhesive maker publishes, about minus 15 for most. Track and screws go up colder; glue does not.
- Freezing rain. Everything stops, including takedowns in January. The contract's weather clause is what covers the reschedule, and the takedown guide has the window wording.
Write the cutoffs on the work order template so the crew lead is not deciding at the curb with a homeowner watching.
How do you stay off the roof altogether?#
By doing the measuring on the ground and the mounting from the ladder.
The quote is the first climb most installers make, and it is the one with no revenue in it. Measure from a photo you own instead. Take the front of the house from the sidewalk, draw the runs on the photo, and set the scale from a garage door or one tape measurement on the ground; the footage comes from the drawing. It is an estimate confirmed on site, every quote says so, and it puts the run lengths on the work order before a ladder leaves the rack. The photo measuring guide walks through the scale step and the foreshortening warning, and the free roofline tool does it with no login until you export.
On install day, rooflines and eaves are ladder-and-standoff work. Seasonal ground runs and low bushes go on from the ground. Shingle tabs on the first course above the eave can be set from the ladder with a reach that stays inside the belt-buckle rule. The only runs that put a foot on the roof are ridge lines and peaks above the eave, and those are the runs with the premium and the harness. Sell the roofline and the peaks, price the peaks for the rope, and skip the free climb on the sales visit.
Worked example: what safety gear costs per house#
One crew, one 28 ft Type IA ladder, a standoff and a roofing fall-protection kit, from the prices on our equipment list, spread across a 40-house season.
| Item |
Price |
Per house over 40 houses |
| Werner D1528-2, 28 ft Type IA extension ladder |
$719.99 |
$18.00 |
| Werner AC78 standoff |
$89.99 |
$2.25 |
| Werner K111201 roofing fall-protection kit |
$208.00 |
$5.20 |
| Total |
$1,017.98 |
$25.45 |
Now the income side on one house. The two-storey worked in our per-foot pricing guide has 48 ft of peaks on the second storey. On GlowBid's default seasonal card those feet are $9 each, plus a 15 percent peak premium and 10 percent for the storey: $540.00 for the line, of which the premiums are $108.00. The premiums on one house pay the whole safety kit's share of that house four times over, and the gear lasts more than one season. Installers set their own rates; that is the arithmetic on ours. Training is on top: the course fee for working at heights varies by provider and we have not priced it here, so ask a provider on Ontario's approved list.
Mistakes we see on ladders#
- The 20 ft ladder on a two-storey. One rung above the gutter, standoff on the gutter, and the top walks. A second-storey eave needs a 24 or a 28.
- Leaning the ladder on the lights. Track and channel are not a ladder rest. The standoff goes on the fascia beside the run, or the run gets a dent and a call-back.
- The reach. The clip is a foot past the belt buckle, the ladder does not move, and the ladder's feet do. Move the ladder.
- Cord in one hand. Two points of contact climbing with a bundle of C9. It goes up on a rope.
- The quote climb. Twenty minutes on a ladder to measure a house that has not bought anything. Measure from the photo.
- Frost at 8 a.m. The first house of the day has a white roof and the ridge line is on the work order. Do the rooflines, come back for the ridge at noon, or another day.
- An expired card. The working at heights card was good for 3 years and ran out in July. The refresher is an off-season job, and the crew file should show the date.
- The helper on a second ladder, unfooted. One ladder, one climber, one footer. Two ladders up at once with two people on them and nobody on the ground is how a good day ends badly.
Where the checklist and GlowBid fit#
Every rule above is one line in the ladder section of the install and takedown checklist, which is what our crews run at every house. On GlowBid Ultimate the crew side shows the work order with the drawing, the runs and the checklist in gated sections: the ladder section is a stop-and-check, the photo slots have to be filled before the next section opens, and the crew never sees prices or the homeowner's contact details. On Core and Pro, copy the list to a clipboard sheet; the rules do not change.
The part of safety that software can do is the quote. Draw the runs on a photo you own, get the footage, the bill of materials and the price from the same drawing, and send the quote from the sidewalk. The free roofline tool runs that drawing with no login until export, and the full product on the pricing page is $299 a year for Core at the founding price, 7-day trial, no card. The ladder goes up once, on install day, with the numbers already on the work order.
