What is the best ladder? Well, this is a question that has a lot of different answers. What it really comes down to is what ladders do you like the best? There are two main types of ladders. There are the self supporting ladders (the kind that you foldout) and the non-self supporting ladders (or the kind that you lean up against something). No matter what ladder you choose to go with, they both have to be able to support at least four times the maximum intended load. This is what is stated by OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration). As you can see, they may be two different types of ladders, but they all have to meet the same standards.