I fell off a ladder yesterday, too much stuff in the way, ladder too near vertical, in too big a hurry.
I was putting up siding and got over balanced, fortunately I escaped with one scraped up leg and a sore shoulder(the bad one of course).
I'm too old to be making these kind of mistakes.
Think, plan, take your time, there is only one of you.
basilisk
Glad you're ok and thanks for the warning.
Sounds like a good time to go over a little ladder safety. The proper tilt angle of an extension ladder is a 1:4 ratio... or the feet are one foot out for every 4 feet of height.
I learned that a good way to judge this angle is as follows...
-Stand straight up with ladder's feet at your toes.
-Stick your arms straight out in front of you at a right angle to your body.
-You should be able to hold the ladder with your hands. *If you have to bend your elbows, the ladder is too steep and you could fall backwards. *If the ladder is out of reach of your hands, it's not steep enough and its feet could slip out.
Glad to hear it wasn't more serious. As we all get older, it's amazing how much less immortal we feel.
Another good rule is "Always maintain 3 points of contact with the ladder". A foot and two hands (while climbing or descending), two feet and a hand, or two feet and a knee or hip (while working).
-Zz
Ladder safety starts when you buy the ladder. Ask a friend for help in spending 10 minutes or so examining the ladder to buy. Look for damage, cracks, missing rivets (amazing how many I have found). My purchase took quite some time, took 4 ladders to find one without defects. "Inspection stamps" should not make you feel better.
Extension ladder: Feet on ground with toes touching ladder base and arms out 90 degrees with palms on rung, should be about the right angle. Having a 3-story with attic, got to have good ladders.
So true. This was a short tumble (last legal step on a six foot step ladder), but people are killed and permanently disabled from such short falls. I'm fortunate that it was my pride that took the biggest lick.
One should never think that "I'll get away with it this time" because you might not.
basilisk
I used to think I was invulnerable, but now I find I'm just immortal. Tom
Many moons ago I bought a wooden 2' step stool. The metal folding spreader bars on either side were installed upside down so gravity and any movement of the ladder would let the spreaders start creeping towards a soon-to-be-ass-on-the-ground position. Looking back on it, I can't believe how long I held onto that stupid ladder and how stupid that made me.
R
My grandpa (my Dad's Dad) died in the mid 1960s (when I was about 4 years old) from head trauma suffered from falling off an ordinary six foot step ladder while working on his first floor gutters. I was my Dad's firstborn and apparently the apple of my Grandpa's eye, but I was so young I don't remember him... I often wonder how my life would be different if he hadn't left so soon.
I was painting from a 40 foot ladder , They sway quit abit as you climb them. It looks worse from the top then from the bottom. Some fellow on the jobsite said his father died falling from a 40 foot one. Duh! the things I do for money.
Rusty
If you don't need a big ladder, don't take the extension ladder apart and use it as two ladders. The top section does not have proper feet and can slip. One of my supervisors did that last year and ruined our perfect safety record.
My sympathies but its not just ladders..... I was finishing off my garage workshop with OSB on the interior walls and was in the process of installing a small piece near the top of the stairs to the attic. Had to go down the stairs to make a cut, turned to go down and went down two stairs instead of one lost my balance and down I went (about 5 steps) to the floor. Landed on my left foot, twisted and crack went my ankle!!! Fortunately was a simple fracture, no skin broken, but still needed surgery and one small plate and seven screws later, I was screwed :-) for 3 months waiting for healing and cast removals. That was last August and the ankle is mostly healed now.
Just was not paying attention to what I was doing. I now have a section of the hard cast screwed to the wall in my workshop to remind me to pay attention to what I am doing.
Marty
basilisk wrote:
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