Using a caged ladder as support for catwalk

[TEDstruc]

My employer wants to support a catwalk end with a caged ladder.

On past projects requiring ladders for maintenance access, I have always independently supported catwalks/platforms and attached the ladder to the catwalk such that the ladder itself is not supporting the catwalk or platform.

In this particular case the catwalk is merely a sheet of 1/4" plate with sides bent up as a toe plate. The ladder end has a channel welded under the catwalk edge which the ladder is bolted to. The other end of the catwalk is welded to a conveyor that is pretty rigid, and well supported and bracted.

Assuming you can justifiably say the catwalk/platform has no stability issues, does anyone have any opinions on this approach? Any code restrictions to doing this?

 

[JoshPlumSE]

I've never done this before. I've had caged ladders in many projects, of course. But, I never considered them a structural item at all. They were purely a means of egress.

I don't see any reason why this couldn't be done. But, my concerns would be the following:
a) Do you know the materials and member properties?
b) How do you connect it to the catwalk in a way that will fully support the catwalk load? It's not a given that it would be strong enough (or stable enough) to support it. My concern is lateral sway or overall stability of the system.
c) In your image there is not really any support at the base of the ladder.

 

[JLNJ]

If all the different loading conditions work out, then fine. Your lateral stability in the plane of the ladder looks a little questionable.

OSHA's ladder diagrams show a guy grabbing the rungs. Your rungs do not look graspable. The rails do not look graspable either. OSHA's current requirements do not require or give any sort of fall protection credit for a cage, so if you have a fall hazard you will need a special fall-protection system with the ladder. In fact, ladders are so dangerous that OSHA is trying to discourage their use entirely.