[mick40]

yeah im gonna look at some systems this week.dont think ive got my full confidence back yet and maybe never will.dont really know too much about them but ive seen some good home made ones on here,unfortunately, i can play football quite well and a bit of a darts player but when it comes down to the technical stuff im somewhat lost.

[P @ F]

Dont worry Mick , all Q's will be answered if you have any , and if you live near to any other members on here i bet you a pound to a pinch of poop one of them will be happy to help you build your system , they really are a super bunch of chaps you know !

 Tally ho old bean   

 Rich   P @ F 

[dave0123]

iv had a slip twice, first was about in the first 4 to 7 months of starting and put my ladder up and got up there and jus sliped out from underneath, just basicly should of looked at the ladder more and positioned it diffrently.

seconed was a few months ago on a farm slipy floor but when up it was little squired windows stupid me rushing shud of put more thought in. Anyway got up there got my cloth out 2 wet the little squoired windows with jus damp then i scrim them polish them up got it out and the ladder started 2 slip n down i went landed on my legs wasnt to high jus a grashed leg n but brused smaked me mouth on the laddert but was ok jus made my gum bleed a little. funny thing is my cloth is still on the window ledge i didnt go back up 2 clean it again lol but i got me cloth back the month after:D lol. Must admit it did scare me and makes u that much more carefull when working. looking to get into WFP soon for the high and diffcult windows that arent suitable for ladders.

Dave

[steve k]

years ago when I was a fireman, I was doing some painting work on my days off to make ends meet. I was to paint this womans gutters.
I had a set of trestles with me and a ladder that was too short to reach the gutters. NOW I know it is unthinkable...but then, I put the trestles at base of house on their full height and plonked the ladder on top. The ladder was now 3 or 4 rungs above the gutter...resting ON the gutter as well!!
I climbed up and had the gutter at about waist height when the trestles just fell back away from the house...this was a high terraced house and I fell straight down onto the flagged patio.
I actually remember thinking as I was falling to crumple as I landed...I landed on my feet and crumpled into a heap...I lay there thinking that I must have broken legs/pelvis and the pain would kick in any moment..the young son of the house had seen me fall past his window and was distraught.
The woman ran out and I realised I did not have a single thing wrong!!
I got up slowly and sat down amazed. She got me a brandy and I thanked God.
To this day, I have no idea how I survived that.

[Terry_Burrows]

yes me to many moons ago up about 15ft wind blew I went one way the ladder went the other,droped me tools and made a split second make me mind up : when I landed I went into a forward roll,this helped break it a bit,and I landed in a pool of water,this was in december time,I did hurt my angle,from that day on,we used poles and back flips every day,using the ladder was if and only :)and if they were not happy with the windows with the pole, tough get some one else

[Moderator David@stives]

After 23 yrs going up ladders 15 yrs in the security trade putting up bell boxes, security lighting and cctv, then 8 yrs window cleaning, I fell of a pair of step ladders while working in a hire shop doing security, i fell of these steps and landed flat on my face, knocked the wind out of my sails and twisted my knee, while i was laying on the floor in this hire shop, the young guy who was serving behind the counter seen me fall, and because i was just layed there he passed out, and i mean passed out, from were he was stood all he could see was this metal bar that had gone right through my head,but was actually behind me, everyone in the shop started panicing we had one dead and one passed out, I stood up hobbling on one leg, cutting a long story short on this one I ended up tearing my cartiladge in my knee, and ended up having an operation on it ten weeks later.

The second time was when i was window cleaning about five years ago, cleaning first floor windows of a pub, the ground sloped both ways, placed small planks and bricks to level the ladder and i had the wife footing the ladder (only used to take her with me so I didn't have to kiss her goodbye in the mornings) she got distracted (so she said) and the ladder slid down the wall, I was still holding onto the ladder and the top section stopped on the big wooden lintel above the door below and the bottom stopped on a beer barrel, lucky you might say, I don't think so because I carried on, feet come off the rungs and my legs went through my ladders until i stopped on my gear stick and squashed my plums. I got off my ladder My mrs was in stiches and I was bent over in agony, Telling her through gritted teeth to go away (very Politly of coarse) needless to say she didn't get what she wanted that night.

Changing over to wfp sometime this year, who knows the mrs might take on jobs with electricity lines over head, she keeps telling me I'm worth more dead than alive, O how I love my wife.

Pure class, I have just spurted coffee all over my laptop reading that one.
Been there got the t shirt

Dave

[JohnL]

It seems most of these ladder accidents are down to user errors but the ones I dont like are the unknown ones. New houses are the worst. A nice lawn almost up to the house, you sit the ladder, give it a good kick into the ground and up you go. Problem is the builders have put all sorts of rubbish down and cover it up with a lawn. Twice I have footed a ladder and half way up it tilts to one side. The ladder is actualy sitting on a pile of bricks covered by a lawn which with a heavy load becomes unstable and gives way. Over you go. Thankfully I am only little  and was able to slide down with no damage done.

The other time I went I rolled away, got my feet on the floor to get my balance but fell straight onto a large barbed wire fence.  ( I work mainly in very rural locations and this was about 2 miles from the next nearest house ) Full body weight onto the wire, sideways, but face down, with both arms over and through the other side of the wire and literally pinned across the chest and under the armpits with the arms locked in as well.  The only way out was to slowly and carefully lever myself up on my chest until I was able to use my hands to push even further off the wire. ( Steve McQueen eat your heart out    ) Punctured is a word I would use and ripped apart. In many places and still have many arm and chest scars to prove it. That was painful but not life threatening thankfully. I dont like barbed wire anymore!   

But thankfully nothing like the outcome that some of you guys have experienced

Take care up there guys, or should I say take care down there before you go up there!

JohnL

[007 or what]

i fell of my bloody ladder today. i dont even use the dam things, all i did was knock the guttering with the pole so i lent the ladder up against the wall, was fine going up sorted the problem out was 4 maybe 5 rungs from the bottom and my foot slipped on the wet rung i caught the ladder and was just thinking how lucky i was not to of fallen, oh and this forum, 2 more steps down and before i knew it i was on my arse. My knee is killing me  It would have to be friday wouldnt it. [