Watch those ladders!

[Alan Gage]

Just a little reminder as the weather is turning warmer and many of us are getting ready to start building.

I'm tearing down my old house piece by piece and the last couple days have been spent peeling off shingles. The weather has warmed up to the 50's and the ground is starting to get muddy in places but the frost hasn't gone out yet and there is still plenty of ice on the ground. I thought I had the ladder set in a good spot but it turns out the ground was still hard and icy just under the surface. Just as I started climbing off the roof the bottom of the ladder started to slide away from the house.

The top of the ladder actually slid OFF the roof and remarkably stopped when it hit the gutter. Less than 3 inches of the ladder was above the gutter. At this point I had one foot on the ladder and a knee on the roof. It was a tense few moments because my weight was far enough back that I needed the support from the ladder to keep from falling backward, but weight on the ladder meant it might slide more. I managed not to panic however and took a few seconds to shift my weight onto the knee that was on the roof rather than pushing off with my foot that was on the ladder. I'm not typing this from the hospital so obviously everything worked out ok.

So, remember to be careful out there.

Alan

[Don_P]

Having left claw marks down the wall, been through a window, sawed a co-worker out of a ladder he was wearing and had a homeowner blow a shoulder trying to bring a tall ladder down, Do be careful with those things! Power lines are also to be treated with great respect, we're pretty good conductors. I've also learned that homeowner grade ladders should be labelled "widowmakers", pony up the big bucks and buy class 1 or 1A, they are sturdier, so safer. When you do bang down a wall or get off center they won't make things worse by buckling. Be safe out there 

[rwanders]

The ladders I feel safest on are the multiuse "Little Giant" brand. They are pretty heavy but really feel solid under you and they can be easily adjusted to provide a stable platform for numerous situations and needs. They are not cheap but, are much cheaper than a trip to the ER. The only caution I would mention is that they are aluminum and thus not as safe for electrical work as heavy duty fiberglass ladders. Definitely ditto on avoiding the lightweight "homeowner style" ladders----really too flimsy to provide an adequate load safety factor and they just don't offer enough stability or durability for me.