Weather degrades both the ladder itself and the conditions around it. A fiberglass ladder left outdoors for years becomes brittle and fails without warning. A dry aluminum ladder with slip-resistant rungs becomes dangerously slick when wet. Ice on a rung is effectively zero-friction. Every weather condition that workers work through creates a specific ladder hazard that must be actively managed.

• Wet rungs dramatically reduce grip — slip-resistant rung coatings help, but wet leather or rubber-soled boots on wet rungs can still slip
• Keep your boot soles clean: mud, concrete paste, and sawdust on the boot sole eliminate traction even on dry rungs. Knock off debris before climbing
• Wet ground: the ladder base can slip on wet concrete or muddy soil — use non-slip rubber feet and ensure full contact on both side rails
• Wet ladder storage: dry the ladder sections before closing an extension ladder — moisture trapped between sections causes galvanic corrosion in aluminum

• Frost on rungs is invisible from below — inspect rungs by touch before ascending, not by looking up
• De-ice with deicer spray, sand, or non-chloride-based products before any cold-weather ladder use. Do not salt aluminum ladders — chloride accelerates corrosion
• Allow ice to melt from extension ladder locking mechanisms before extending the fly section — forced extension on an iced lock damages the stop pawl