It was one of those heart-stopping moments that sometimes occur during a cross-continent phone call. I'd just asked my recently retired brother, Charlie, how he was. "Not so good," he said. "I was up on a ladder trimming the hedge --"
Split-second while I leapt ahead, envisioning the spinning blades of a power hedge trimmer, my brother in mid-fall . . .
The good news: The automatic shutoff on the hedge trimmer worked as intended. The not-so-good: Hitting his head on the ground when he toppled.
A week or so later, his headache was gone, his neck no longer stiff, his bruises healed, but he'd learned a lesson: You may think you're being careful, but it's easy to go up one step too many or lean out just a bit too far to snip that errant branch without even noticing the risk.
Charlie is a careful, methodical guy and a worrier. So his mishap reinforces the saying that even the sturdiest of ladders is an accident waiting to happen.
If you have any doubts about your balance or your ability to maintain your concentration on safety despite distractions, consider that hiring a pro would cost a whole lot less than a hospital bill.
If you're confident about your abilities, though, here are some hints for surviving your next ascent.
Use the right ladder for the job.
• Use a ladder that's long enough. The working length of a ladder is shorter than its actual length. Stretching to reach a few more inches causes more ladder accidents than anything else.
• Choose a ladder that can handle the weight. Common ratings for household use: Type III (light-duty, for as much as 200 pounds); Type II (medium-duty, for as much as 225 pounds); Type I (heavy-duty, for as much as 250 pounds).
• Use a nonconducting wood or fiberglass ladder, never a metal one, when working around electrical wiring or overhead power lines.
• Don't use a ladder as a scaffold unless it's specifically designed for this purpose.
• Never lean a stepladder against a wall to use as a straight ladder, or place it on top of blocks, boxes, a table or anything else to gain height.
Inspect a ladder carefully before using it.
• If it has loose or missing screws, bolts, joints, braces, steps or rungs, don't use it. And don't try to repair it yourself unless it is designed to be tightened with a screwdriver or wrench.
• Other times not to climb: if a wood ladder is splintered or cracked; if a metal ladder is bent or bowed; or if any ladder has slippery steps or rungs. (Clean it thoroughly before climbing.)
• If a ladder wobbles as you climb, descend immediately. If you can't find and correct the cause of the wobble, don't climb.
Set it up right.
• Make sure stepladders (A-frames) are fully open and the spreader is locked.
• Set up extension ladders with a 4-to-1 ratio: for every 4 feet of working height, the bottom should be 1 foot out from the surface against which the ladder is leaning. For example: 12 feet up, 3 feet out. This ensures an angle of about 75 degrees. Greater or lesser slopes can be dangerous.
• Rest the top of an extension ladder against a flat, stable surface.
• To climb to a roof, make sure the top of the extension ladder extends 3 feet above the edge of the roof to provide a good handhold. If possible, have someone hold the bottom while you climb up and down.
• Place the ladder base on a firm, level, skid-proof surface. Use a large board to keep a ladder from sinking into soft ground.
• Don't use a ladder in a strong wind.
• Don't set up a ladder in front of a doorway unless the door is locked and preferably guarded.
Climb carefully.
• Face the ladder while climbing up and down, and use both hands. Carry tools in a pocket or tool belt, or hoist them with a rope once you're at the top.
• Don't stand on the top step of a stepladder, or the top three rungs of a straight or extension ladder.
• Make sure your shoe soles are clean and dry.
Be careful up there.
• Use only double-insulated power tools on a metal ladder.
• Never stand on the bucket shelf of a stepladder.
• To maintain your balance, keep hips centered between rails of the ladder. Don't lean out; instead, climb down and move the ladder.
• When possible, work with one hand and hold on with the other. If you must work with two hands, hook a leg over a rung.
-- Pat Jeffries
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