Over the last couple of years some off my friends have come to grief falling of ladders. Got me thinking about how to make them safer. Found this device at Bunnings and wondering if anyone has tried it or has a better solution.
Definitely safer than metal on metal - also stops damage to fascia/ gutter which used to be one of my pet peeves when supervising trades on new builds. There are a number of options - try talking to your local paint store where the local painters have accounts and they will be able to point you in the right direction.
Couldn't agree more with the fascia/gutter damage. It's just amazing how many tradesmen treat a new build - e.g. standing in your $2000 bathtub in their boots, using your $5000 granite bench as a stand for their toolbox. Makes you want to run a coin along the side of their car and when they say WTH, just smile. PS Don't do this. Brief them on your expectations before they start.
Probably because most of them are bogan f/heads? We copped shoit like that with our last PPoR build too. It also extends to their general life...many of my customers are these blokes; loads of cash for ciggies, stamps and empty cans of Jack rattling around in the ute,...but the tyres are down to the steel belts, and the car hasn't been serviced in 50,000km's. Rant over.
Peastman, I have one of those things and I have used it often. I have become much more careful on ladders as I have got older. This caution sped up a few years ago when I took a tumble. I was working inside but in a high ceiling space in my warehouse. The ladder wasn't positioned well, but there was a beam nearby and I told myself if something went wrong, I could grab it. Something went wrong and it happened so quickly. I was kidding myself thinking I would have time to grab something. I use that gutter thing and always tie ladders off - an extra 60 seconds or so to do that is preferable to a month in hospital. Scott
Tape some rags around the ladder where it sits on the gutter. Or get some of that yoga matt stuff for squishyness to reduce friction
If you look at the plank on the left side next too the top steps and line up where it's sitting,and where the ladder is placed,and he working with live gear,makes one wonder why they has work place safety in the first place..
By live gear I assume you mean the sun If only there were better camera phones years ago. That's a good effort, but a few milk crates in the mix would have been the icing on the cake! I've done similar being the lacky with some plasterers trying to set the internal corner of a stair well, similar set up but with a 6 foot ladder, planks then a busted milk crate! As the Canadians say "get er done ey"
Last month, out the window of my office, I saw a bloke standing on the very top of a high step ladder while he was mucking around with the underside of an awning. He looked like a circus performer. The ladder was on a bit of a lean and it was right beside Bathurst Street with cars and buses whooshing past. I watched for a little while with my hands sort of half over my eyes but eventually couldn't stand it. I had to go and tell him to get down. I was initially just going to hold the ladder, but I thought if he topples off it and ends up under a bus I could be in strife, so I told him to get off it. He looked at me like I was completely mad, but he got down. He was working for a big company - the ute was nearby - so I told him if I saw him get up the ladder again I would take a photo and email it to his head office. I like to think that he would reflect on the episode and realise I was doing him a favour, but it's likely he still thinks I was just a nutter.
@Depreciator he was game to do that given the location! Top 2 steps are no go zones and likely he is aware of that
I get ladder brackets installed on all industrial properties as a matter of course. Some companies have a 'no ladders' policy which can be ott to use a scissor lift for changing fluorescent lights.
I've had a couple of accidents on ladders. One was at work where I had to twist around to get out of tight spot and I missed the last step stuffed my ankle for months but landed on my feet (pardon the pun) because I moved into management. The other was at home painting on an extension ladder painting an outside wall. The ladder was placed on a timber deck and was facing the same way as the timbers. The bottom started to slide out, and the top of the ladder slide all the way down the wall. I ended up flat on my back on the ladder, man that hurt. If I had to do the same job today I'd either get a scaffold or more likely fix a timber to the deck to make sure the ladder stayed in place. A lot of the building sites now require you to have platform step ladders so you have a solid step to work off. Regards Andrew
Would you please post a link to the sort of product you use? I googled and came up with a heap of significantly different variations....
Do you push the "3 points of contact" at all times? Last job I was on started bringing in permits to complete before using a ladder, didn't really take off, but providing scaff and scissor lift made it more practical.the permit lead to scaff and scissors anyway!
I have been on heavy industrial sites where they've had a 'no ladder' policy but had appropriate equipment to use. I'm a strong believer in three points at all times.
I have one of these. Ladder Safety Devices, Ladder Accessories & Ladder Lock | Lock Jaw Ladder Grip In-law of mine invented it.
