A ladder is a piece of portable equipment or a strictly utilitarian vertical fixture. It does not contain wide, horizontal steps meant for hands-free walking. Instead, users balance on narrow metal, wood, or fiberglass bars termed rungs. The rung of a ladder requires continuous, active three-point contact, two hands and a foot, or two feet and a hand, to guarantee safe balance.
Within professional trades, stepladder terminology carries strict legal and regulatory weight. Under safety standards established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), stepladders feature self-supporting, hinged A-frame designs, while extension ladders must lean against a structural surface at a precise 4:1 ratio. Telling an English-speaking warehouse manager that "the ladder is broken" prompts an immediate search for damaged safety latches, split rails, or bent rungs. It never prompts an inspection of carpeted hallway risers.
