[SimonBolton]

Just a warning to all you ladder users. dont put the feet on manhole covers. On Monday I was cleaning a row of old cottages (second clean only) and to get to one of the upstairs windows and avoid too much leaning over one of my ladder feet was on a manhole cover fitted with raised antislip studs. Should be Ok I thought. What I didn't notice is that it was an old very thin manhole cover and with my weight on it the foot of the ladder bent the metal  and made a hole about an inch in diameter. To cut a long story short the ladder went sideways and the feet shot backwards and I came crashing down and landed on top of the ladder with my arm half across it. Result 2 broken bones just below the wrist with one metal plate inserted. Arrived home from hospital this afternoon. If lucky I will regain about 80% mobility and strength which should be enough to change over to wfp which I would have done anyway in about 2 weeks time. 
We scoff at the nappy state health & safety regs but I must say my view has just changed!

Regards
Simon

[SimonBolton]

I have accident cover which pays a lump sum and some very kind family members and friends who will help me keep the round together. I'm buying the wfp as intended and they can clean upstairs with that until I recover. The consultant who operated on me said as I'm a window cleaner they kept me under for 4 hours whilst they tried different ways to give me the best possible chance to get back most of my use of the arm. All free on the NHS too!
 
Forgot to mention in above post that although a newbie to cleanitup I've been cleaning windows for 20 years and never had an accident before. Just goes to show you can never take things for granted.

thanks for your concern

Simon

[Simon Carter]

You have my every sympathy. I had my worst fall after cleaning windows for 15 years. Only seven stitches & back to work the same day. Not the next day however, or a couple of days after that. Took a while for the reality to dawn & the pain to kick in. My ladder went on wet decking ( leathal stuff ). I have since switched to a pole. It's tough that this happened so close to you doing the same, but seriously, look on the bright sde. I was canvassing the other day. I took on a new customer who said his father used to be a window cleaner. I asked if he was still doing it, to which he replied, no. Apparently he was a window cleaner statistic. He fell off his ladder & died as a result just last year. He had been cleaning windows for fourty years !

[matt]

sorry to hear about your bad luck

2 weeks till WFP, ouch, so near yet so far

good luck on recovery

if any1 needs a reason to ditch the ladders and go WFP, then this post is it

[windows_chepstow]

Simon,

Sorry to hear about your accident, but look on the brighter side; it could've been very much worse!

Regards,

Tosh.

[Grafters Cleaning Services]

sorry to hear about your bad luck simon, take it easy mate and get well soon
jay

[Dominic]

Hope you have a speedy recovery.

Dom.

[rosskesava]

Hi Simon

Sounds painfull.

So now you are a committed WFP'er. Good.

Incredibly, yesterday we had our first ladder incident which was not so serious but could have been.

We were doing a huge place near here at Rodmell which is a real country side haunt of the rich. The owners have decking outside their inside swimming pool. My mate had gone on the roof to do those funny round plastic skylight type things when it started to rain that very fine drizzle that soaks you.

Our rule is that when on wood on any other potentially slippery surface you get someone to foot the ladder which was done when he went up. When he was done doing all the skylights he shouted for one of us to foot the ladder but by that time we'd done all the patio doors around the swimming pool and were around the back so we didin't hear him.

He just got on the ladder to come down (about 12 or 15 foot) when apparently the ladder slid away from underneath him and he was left hanging onto the roof.

Fortunately at that point, I'd gone back to see if he was done and saw him hanging so I helped him down which began with him putting his feet on my shoulders.

He had some nasty grazes to his arms and no skin on one knee but apart from that, he was ok.

It could have been so much worse so easily.

Like you, we've just got the bits for our WFP stuff (the RO filters etc) and plan to have it all going within a few weeks but for this incident, WFP would have made no difference.

What was stupid was my mate taking a chance. I don't think he will again.

Anyway, I hope you recover soon and get most of your mobillity back. That must have been quite a shock to the system and yes, H & S regs are there for a reason and result mainly from past incidents and injuries.

Cheers

[Roy Harding]

Hi Simon

I wish you a speedy recovery.

Roy

[Paul Coleman]

Just a warning to all you ladder users. dont put the feet on manhole covers. On Monday I was cleaning a row of old cottages (second clean only) and to get to one of the upstairs windows and avoid too much leaning over one of my ladder feet was on a manhole cover fitted with raised antislip studs. Should be Ok I thought. What I didn't notice is that it was an old very thin manhole cover and with my weight on it the foot of the ladder bent the metal  and made a hole about an inch in diameter. To cut a long story short the ladder went sideways and the feet shot backwards and I came crashing down and landed on top of the ladder with my arm half across it. Result 2 broken bones just below the wrist with one metal plate inserted. Arrived home from hospital this afternoon. If lucky I will regain about 80% mobility and strength which should be enough to change over to wfp which I would have done anyway in about 2 weeks time. 
We scoff at the nappy state health & safety regs but I must say my view has just changed!

Regards
Simon

Sorry to hear of your accident Simon.  Thanks for posting about how it happened as I will look out for that myself.
Personally, I don't scoff at the regs.  The main issue that I have with the rule changes is that no transition period was built in.  We don't all have the money to make an immediate switch as soon as a law changes.  In my case there will be extra aggravation due to problems with getting water (I live in an upstairs flat).
I've had a bit of luck over the years with accidents.  I had two near misses a long time ago and I learned from them but there are no guarantees.  One thing I learned was not to go ladder climbing if I was angry about something.  I found it made me more careless.

Hope you are back on the round ASAP and that you make a good recovery.

[UBA1]

sorry to hear about your bad luck

2 weeks till WFP, ouch, so near yet so far

good luck on recovery

if any1 needs a reason to ditch the ladders and go WFP, then this post is it

Very true...

[gaza]

speedy and full recovery to u :thought you would have known about manhole covers.

Another one of these odd accidents waiting to happen cases is wooden bark spread over a plastic sheet,youve heard it here first so dont say you havent been warned all of you.

GAZA

[gaza]

LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE:at least you wont have to go around telling your customers why your going over to water fed pole a walking example.

USE YOUR DOWN TIME TO YOUR ADVANTAGE: go around to each of your customers explain why your changing over ,explain how it works,if not sure IM going to pm you with my phone no,and ill tell you what I tell my customers lost 4 gained 11 + put a squid on each customer 50p on anyone retired.

Customer contact is a must at this change over time,word and mouth it makes you proffessional and really shows the customer you know what your on about.

A  positive approach by you at this moment no urgh or arghs
having and showing belief in your decisions and buiss direction
are a bonus.
This is a time to say to yourself my buiss is taking me to were I want to be in 5/4/3/ yrs and the pole will do it for you .

THERE IS A PM WAITING FOR YOU GIVE ME A RING;AND TO ALL YOU DRONGOS WHOS FUC/MESSED UP THESE PMS FOR US NOW IS THE TIME TO REPENT AND SAY A THOUSAND HELL MARYS GAZA

[texas girl]

Simon;

Sorry to hear about your accident. I am glad it is a temporary situation. I hope you heal quickly; God Bless;

Debbie

[matt]

GAZA

i did it th eother way around, i warned people that i will be changing over to WFP soon, but didnt give them a date, that way i thought they wouldnt me looking for faults on the first clean as if they were out, they wouldnt know i had changed over, BUT if i did have a fault then they would guess why it had happened

it worked well for me

[garry]

 get well soon simon i know what your going through fell of my self this year had twelve weeks of work
window cleaner on the other site said ladders are the window cleaners killer totally agree with him.
you see these things in the papers all the time the problem is everyone thinks it wont happen to them. fact if you use ladders day in day out one day you will have an accdient you might get luckly and get away with it but chances are you wont heard it from other wc " iv been goin up ladders for 20 years never had a problem" only takes 1 fall,
wfp i belive is the best thing to happen to window cleaning you can pick 1 up for about £700 works out about £15 per week £15 per week to save you life got to be worth it.
ladders only place they belong is the local dump

[wrighty]

GET WELL SOON MATE 

[Becki]

I was very sorry to hear of what happened.  I have only recently read that window cleaning is said to be one of the most dangerous jobs in the uk because of the risk of falling off ladders.  They say window cleaners are like circus performers without the safety net.  I believe Pure Water Systems are the safest and best way to ensure safety for us the window cleaner.  Hope you feel much better soon becki