...Hurts a lot more when you're 60 than when you're 16.

Happy Birthday??

Belated.

I thought this was another JeffO thread... Jeff got PTSD from it. I hope you are ok.

Are we talking Image one, two or three?

I had a good friend who was standing on a ladder in his garage putting some things on a high wall shelf. He slipped, fell, bashed his head on the concrete floor and died of a fractured skull and terminal brain damage three days later. Never regained consciousness.

Ladders can kill you.

L.W.

Hope you are ok. Been there done that. It sucks.

Cutting an aerial service wire from a midspan strand can send you for a ride if you do it wrong. Ladders are no joke. Wear your hardhat.

Dammit Steve. Hope your OK.

And to think, I have to swap a light fixture out for a ceiling fan on a semi-vaulted ceiling in the next few days. I'm leaving the king bed in place just in case, I'll try to fall in that direction.

Ladders kill. Maybe only professionals should have ladders? Permitted ones?

I don't care for ladders much. I had a cheap ladder fold up under me once. Luckily I wasn't up very high. I ended up with a pretty good scrape on my leg and a sore elbow. I've been on roofs of burning buildings cutting holes but since I've retired I've only been on my roof a couple times and for some reason it really gave me the willies.

Three. Was leaning over a beam taking a measurement for a rafter I was cutting. Ladder came out from under me. Grabbed the beam, but that spun me and I landed on my upper back. About eight or so feet. Smacked my head pretty good, too.. Luckily it was just dirt I landed on. One of my best friends is in a wheel chair because of a fall. Went through my mind as I moved my legs to make sure they worked.

I'm fine. Just going to be really sore and stiff.

Glad you made it through so far.

The bees need you.

Family too, no doubt.

Thanks Geno. Thankfully I wasn't from the top of the shed I'm building.

I gave that up. The local Mennonites build them and deliver! I don't even have to break out a saw.

Guy from work was cleaning gutters on a ranch house.
Pivot off foot hung up in ladder, whipped the ol skull into the concrete and popped his gourd.
Catch it just right and stuff comes apart big time.

I've done roofing and other, been on some big ladders, old victorian homes.

Was young and dumb. Look at that chit now and go no freakin' way.

That'd be a good title for an autobiography.

I've been on ladders a lot in the last 3 weeks - painting my shop and the ceiling of our new 24 x 34 shed, and also clearing overhanging limbs on our long driveway. I found that operating out of the bed of our dump truck shortens the amount of ladder needed. I'm a few years older than Steve and I'm super cautious on ladders. If they don't feel stable on the first or second step, I dismount and make a better position..

Trying to use a ladder near a house with round river rock sucks.

Just recently I damn near ended up there. I was 100% paralyzed for a little bit including breathing but luckily it all came back. I've been up and down ladders my entire life but this was the one, I don't intend on ever falling from a ladder again.

Gad you're OK.

BTW, No PTSD!!

Ode to Jeff0.

That was my mistake. "I just need to mark this rafter..." Crappy step ladder, too.

Very dangerous. You can be just 4 feet off the ground and if that ladder kicks out something really bad can happen to you.

And yes, 60 year old guys don't bounce as good as teen agers do.

That's great! That stupid fugker deserved every bit of pain he suffered. Musta been a liberal.

Sooner or ladder into each life a little Steve must fall...

Glad you survived.

Take you pride out for a beer. and a side of advil.

Amazing how brave you can get with ladders. Guilty of that. I try to behave myself though as I get older and have more to lose.

started my ladder diving in 1975. stepping off top rung of a 26 foot aluminium. it slid straight out at the bottom. i left claw marks from the top of the wall to where i hit. also took out 3 sets of fireblocks on the way down. broke both ankles and 3 vertebra in my back . the thing that hurt worst was the handle of my framing hammer smacking me up side the head. Dr at that time told me id be in a wheel chairby the time i was 45. haven't believed a Dr since.
the wife won't let me on a ladder anymore. she has a builtin radar so that all i have to do is pick one up hundreds of feet away and she appears with that look on her face.
have some siding needs replaced and she won't let me do it.
was staining the siding one time on the upper floor . standing on the porch roof. 4/12 pitch. easy peasy. stepped on a patch of ice. brand new carhart coveralls. 1 gallon of $50 a gallon stain. Daughter was sitting inside the picture window as i went by. "Mom, dad fell off the roof again" and went back to watching tv.
still have the coveralls, they stand up by themselves, so stiff with stain.

When I was a kid, I had an extension latter leaned up against a tree. I was near the top. The legs lost traction on the grass and slid away from the tree while the top rung slid down the tree right in front of my eyes. I accelerated rapidly in a negative vertical direction. When the ladder hit the grass, I was laid out on top of it. Those rungs bent me into a pretzel. Amazingly, I walked away - after I caught my breath.

Number one cause of death in my industry. We required fall protection whenever one went into the construction site.

I'm a retired electrician and spent 40 plus years on ladders of all shapes and sizes. After being on 6' ladders for a while and then using an 8', I hated it when I stepped off the 8', thinking I was still on a 6', and would step off 1 step too early! It's quite the jar and surprise! The stuff we used to do off ladders! Glad you're okay!

Same here. On commercial jobs we used to 'walk' our ladders running conduit rather than climb down and move it 10'. No spring chicken anymore but I bet I can still walk one!

Some people are nuts. My BIL is an electrician and is fearless. Some years ago, they came for a visit when our cherries were ripe so he volunteered to help pick. I gave him an 8' step ladder. He stood on the top step, the VERY top, and picked. The slightest misstep would have dumped him.

I used to work in a plant with 30' 3-legged wooden ladders finishing laminated beams. OSHA saved a few of us when they discovered them.

I quit using ladders about 10 years ago, and after falling off my back step two weeks ago and breaking my hip I can see handrails in my future.

Be careful where ever you are----flat smooth earth is still safe!

Watched DaninAlaska slide and tumble on a ladder getting off his boat yesterday... sort of slow motion ladder collapse... he bounced right up, but the ladder had to be re-restraightened. Had the camera in my hand and had just stopped videoing the tractor extraction. Missed it by that much!

And you don't heal nearly as fast either! BTDT


Jerry

Spent 15 years on ladders, daily- 16,24,32.


Then....I fell off one at home, a 6ft step ladder. Only knocked the wind outta my lungs. Reminded me of flipping a swing set., haha

I am getting ready for rotator cuff surgery as we speak because of a dreaded ladder.

Gentleman I replaced on the job took a spill in his basement and died. At 82 and had rarely been sick in his life.

Chores on a 6 ft. Werner (and then only 2/3 of the way up) is all I will attempt these days.

I wonder if Jell-O will post about his experience?

LOL

My name is G W and I am a two time ladder looser. Fist 4 ft fall, broke my pelvis three places, crushed left wrist and broke bones around left eye. Second fall 5 ft and broke five bones in left hand. Now have arthur in left hand/wrist and pelvis. Difficult to use the left hand without severe pain. Not going for the three time looser award. GW

Clinging to a rain gutter like a spider monkey to no avail. Nowadays I avoid ladders whenever possible.

Reminds me that tomorrow I will be climbing a 40" ladder.
I need to buy a tree stand harness or rig one on my own shortly.

Just healed from a partially torn RT from the same.
PM me if you want to possibly avoid surgery or heal faster if you do.

They’re lifesavers.
I was 18-20’ up an oak tree putting in a tree stand, about 10 years ago. Both feet were on wet screw in steps. It was raining lightly. My feet slipped and I fell backwards.
But I was wearing a harness and linesman belt. Instead of falling backward 20’, I fell 2-3’ and was slammed into that oak tree trunk. Knocked the wind out of me and scared me a lot. Also pretty sore a few days.
I’ll never get in a tree stand unless I’m on a lifeline from ground up and back down.

I appreciate that illustration Dale.

I'm a very high risk personality.
Came close to buying the farm too many times to remember.
I started writing down my near death experiences.just to quit forgetting and realized that I have to write at least two books. 😄 It'll be a series when I include my biography of my late Dad.

That said, my friends saw the scores of trees that I have to top and trim and told me of another bud who fell at that distance 18-20'. His attorny son checked insurance actuaries and said he was fortunate to break as many bones as he did. From that one fall he had an 80% chance of dying. If someone is on blood thinners too it just takes a bump on the head.

Reminds me of James 4

"Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."

I had a reverse shoulder operation from a fall off a ladder and lost 75% of the use of my left arm and hand. It also re-broke a place in my back and made a small rotator tear that I'm living with.

BE CAREFUL, everyone.

When I first got out of the USARMY I spent a short time as a lineman, one of the guys I was working with was getting ready to climb a ladder, about 7 feet up the ladder slid and he grabbed the pole in a bear hug trying to break his fall. As he slid down the pole his shirt lifted up and he ended up with some horrible road rash on his chest and stomach.

"Walking" ladders drove our safety guy nuts! Lol!

My favorite JeffO ladder vid.
The music ties in well with it.






Glad to hear the OP is GTG.

Thats a good way to get hurt.

I don’t mind 40” ladders, but I do dislike 40’ ladders
Be careful !

Dayom. That could have been bad. That may hurt a week or 2.

Into my second beer and third dose on advil. Feel better than I did this morning. Probably will get back on the horse tomorrow after work.

I have too much to loose. I won’t climb in my treestand anymore without a harness. I won’t let my employees climb in dangerous situations either. I have had to fire one recently for stupid ladder placement. I warned him twice, even told him there are more ways to do things besides fast. I appreciated his drive but safety is paramount. I came up on a job and he had a platform on sawhorses with an extension ladder on top. I had him come down and fired him on the spot. I ripped his platform apart and pushed the 2000 dollar scaffolding on wheels I bought last year into the room. I looked at the other two employees and said if i see anything else like that again ill fire you too.

Ladders, scaffs, they can all KILL you if you don't pay attention.

I am a total bear when it comes to setting the feet of a ladder at the proper angle. Or roping off, or whatever. Come close a couple of times. The very worst was on a windyish day, I had some punchlist on a building facade, I was working by myself on the punchlist. So, I would guess 36 feet to the parapet. I'd just climbed to the work point at about 34 feet, braced myself in and was starting to tie off to a lead I'd dropped from the parapet, tied to an A/C unit.

FOOM comes the wind and away we gooooo, it was a huge gust. If I hadn't had the lead in my hands, I'd be dead or crippled. But I got moved over about four feet and the ladder foot disengaged, twisting the ladder so it wouldn't stand any more. So, very effing carefully, I tied the lead to the rungs like I meant it, then monkeyed down with my arms and legs wrapped around the rails. Only after I was a step off the ground did anyone else notice.

Aside from ladders, I've exited two roofs over 20 feet free fall, landed perfectly both times however I don't know how I did.

Needless to say, I always use the biggest effing ladder I can stuff into the work space and never climb it unless I'm happy. Same for roofs. Either cleat it or get me a safety line tied to a locomotive or something.

👍

I'm stuck using hand saws above roof peak hight on top few rungs, so fatigue sets in and I can't depend on personal strength, alertness, balance, etc.
I got done watching tutorials on double harnesses. I have high rated webbing tape, carbiners for me and straps for ladder to tree tie-ons. Should be good as possible without helpers.
The shoulder tear seems healed now, so will pace and get my strength back a little each day. I don't have any more time to get injured.

Damn, HappyCamper, I love that one. Never heard it before I am not much of a bible scholar:

James 4:14, KJV: "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." ... Your life is like the morning fog--it's here a little while, then it's gone."

The Word of God is powerful.

I reach out to nursing home patients and assisted living seniors mostly. I'm often reminded of these passages whether its a child or a senior. Life is valuable and it seems short in light of eternity. Most Young adults wouldn't bring up these conversations we are having because most haven't had these experiences and take a video game view like they just hit the reset button.

My father at 82, foolishly, was cutting a large tree branch while 10 feet up on a ladder with a chainsaw. He fell and it destroyed his life, 3 months in a coma followed by brain damage and Alzheimer’s. Before this he was in great shape both physically and mentally. If your not young don’t do something like this. Better to have a younger guy do it for you.

Glad you’re ok...Step ladders are potentially hazardous to one’s health. Come to think of it, so are extension ladders.

I’ve falling once, from both.

It hurt!

😎

I have fallen from both.

Perhaps concussion is the reason you all stay in Oregon.

We’re working on getting out, and we will.

😎

Happened to my dad when he was about 67. Landed on his side and knocked the wind out of him, but no broken ribs or bones. He was sore for a spell afterwards.

My bride is the same, DS. She even gives me "the look" when I drag out the 2-step stool to change a light bulb in a fixture in an 8 ft ceiling . . . Used to do that standing on the floor - just can't stretch that high anymore. Did lots of roofing and painting with old wooden extension ladders years ago, but not these days.

Sure does. And much more likely to break something.

Oh man, I am so sorry to hear that!
I used to worry and get on my Dad for getting on ladders when he was on a blood thinner. They want to be so independent at that age.

I'm not very old, but not nearly as young as I used to be.
My friends spent half an hour or more trying to talk me out of it. They said, call the young guys at church and ask them, etc. LOL! IF I could find a few young dudes so motivated, I would be putting them at greater risk because they would not have the experience needed from small, more skill developing jobs. Somebody's bound to get hurt. I can't afford the tens of thousands that an arborist would charge either. After thinking it through, My last resort is to pace myself, prestretches, supplement, and continue with the smaller tops...then work my way up to the large 25-30% off of the biggest ones.
I'm just outta shape from my spring injury and sedentary winter.

I will take your unfortunate Dad's experience to heart and take care to use a double safety harness, tree lash points, helmet....and pray. Thanks.

I've been repainting the soffit, fascia and trim on my house on my days off for the last week or so. 10 to 20 feet. Lots of uneven ground and frequent ladder moves. I swear I've spent as much time setting up the ladders properly as I've spent on them. Time well spent.

I slipped off some wet wooden steps screwed into a tree one time while hunting. Herniated a lumbar disc which required surgery and fractured three thoracic vertebrae. That one hurt.

I stay off of them if at all possible. I have had a few friends who fell off and got seriously injured. Both too old to fully recover. Hitting ground isnt worst of it is getting tangled up in the ladder and busted up.

Pretty sore this morning. Doubt I'll be up on the ladder today.

I spend a fair amount of time up a 12' orchard ladder. They look spooky but they're actually quite stable with the wide set legs. As long as you're careful to set the pole, you're on a wide spread tripod.

My local friendly doc and I were visiting one day and discussing peoples' thinking and behavior. He has a very bright neighbor, Ph.D. and engineer type, who simply doesn't have a lick of common sense. One day he put a ladder up and leaned it on a branch of a tree he was going to cut off, and, just like a cartoon, cut it off between the ladder and the trunk.

I give ladders alot of respect.

maybe 2 years ago I was fixing a gutter due to ice build up, climbed down and my foot slid off the rung. I fell off the ladder, rolled off the deck and broke a guard rail. It hurt like hell but the guard rail slowed me down, plus I had a heavy coat and I landed on the square of my shoulders.

I was lucky I didn't get seriously hurt. But it was the reminder that I'm not a kid anymore.

Having built the log cabin, I was building the porch on the left. I had the 6x6 posts and beam set up on the outside of the porch. The rafters are 14 foot 4x8, white pine.
The high part of the roof is 12 feet above the floor. I had set up a 10 foot extension ladder leaning up against the log wall.
I set the big pine timber on top of the beam, and I was carrying the 4x8 on my shoulder. I was going to carry it up the ladder, and install it with some 3 1/2 inch decking screws.

I climbed up the ladder with the big timber on my shoulder, and the DeWalt cordless drill, the screw gun, in my right hand. I set the 4x8 against the top log, and ran the screw in with the drill. At that instant the ladder kicked out. I had some fast reflexes because I grabbed that beam with my right arm. I dropped the drill and was swinging there, 5 feet above the deck, hanging by my right arm, just wrapped my arm around that timber. I wondered if a single 3 1/2 inch screw could hold my weight.

Five feet is not far to fall, but I wanted to make sure that ladder got settled before I dropped, if my leg got tangled up in those rungs could have been hurt badly.

I hung there for a minute or two, waited for the aluminum ladder to get settled, and then dropped down onto the floor, no injury.
After that, when I set the ladder, I laid down a 10 foot 2x4 on the wooden deck and screwed it in with 2 of the big screws, to hold the ladder in place. I got real serious about secure ladder placement after this incident.

Time and materials to tie in a ladder is never a waste, it is part of the job.

I fell about 26 feet several years ago. I got lucky and all I broke was my nose. I dislocated my shoulder and left foot pretty bad. I busted my head open above my left eyebrow and busted my lip all the way through. I fell on relatively soft ground, which certainly helped quite a bit. I was pretty roughed up and sore as hell for the next several days, but I was darn lucky that I wasn't hurt a lot worse. I wont be getting up there again unless I scaffold it all the way up.

I was thrown from a Horse with my foot caught in the stirrup for about 2 jumps of the horse . my right side was black and blue from my knee to my arm pit for 2 months but I was ok...my closest call.

I worked for a roofing company for a while. We were required to tie off all ladders. However, on most houses, there's nothing to tie to. I've seen ropes tied to rain gutters and about everything else. Most tieoffs won't help a bit to prevent a fall. What it mainly accomplishes is keeping the ladder from sliding off the roof and leaving you stranded up there.

Good

Throw the rope over the house and tie it to something on the other side.

Sounds like the Ladder Day Saints have been watching over several of you.

Tree stands, for you guys that use em.
Be aware and use a good body harness.

Always hearing every fall about tree stand falls.

🤣🤣

Yep, fall arrest systems are one of the most important subjects we teach in Hunter Safety. Personally, I don’t use screw ins, climbers, or portable ladder sections anymore. Ladder stand with prussic line attached from when I leave the ground to when I get back down.

Wait until your 71 and do it..I ended up in the ER from falling off my truck camper a month ago...Laid out there yelling for the wife watching TV loudly and I could not get up...She brought me some crutches because it messed up my knee and I made it in the house..Then the pain just kept getting worse to where I couldn't stand it and to the ER we went...Knee pain sux and no elective surgery's going on around here so I now have a snap crackle and pop everytime I get up,but no pain...LOL

Old age is a blast for sure...

Ex-husband of my wife's friend lost his leg below the knee when an extension ladder collapsed down and got his leg.

I don't even go in treestands.

...but, NOT the receiver hitch on the wife’s SUV - unless you take her keys up the ladder with you.

I recovered. Neck still a bit stiff, but not bad.

Holy smokes Steve, I just read all 5 pages of your thread and it scared me a whole bunch. Probably better that I finished putting up the gutter toppers last weekend. My right collar bone xray looks like the peaks of the Sidney Australia opera house. Years ago I broke that in three places and piled it up on itself from a ladder incident. My first and only ride in a rescue squad. Cutting a big limb with a chainsaw that swung around like a pendulum and took the ladder out from under me. Doc told me that people that slip in the shower break their collar bone. People that fall as far as I did die.

A question for you more skilled ladder using people. When do you use those rubber cleated rectangular feet on the bottom of your extension ladder and when do you flip them 90 degrees to use the cleats that would dig into the ground? Should you use the flat rectangular ones on bare ground or just only on a hard surface?

Been reroofing my house using an extension ladder to get up on the roof. I cheated, I extended it 4' above the roof, drilled holes thru the feet and use deck screws to screw it to the deck.laid a 2x4 along the front of the fascia and screwed it down after which I drilled holes in the ladder rails screw the ladder to the 2x4 on the fascia. I am 65 can't afford any dumb mistakes, so far so good. MB

Set this against the house and it collapsed. I guess you are not supposed to do it.



It was about 3 weeks before I could raise my right arm above my shoulder.

I try to work out of skylifts now.

If I can"t Fix it, Paint it, Cut it or Reach it with a 10ft ladder I hire someone else to do it and have a beer. All my ladders are the 300lbs+ rated.

Don't use those rectangular rubber cleated feet on the ground. Flip them up and use the bottom of the ladder itself, it will dig into the ground.

Fell off of a 32 footer while working on windows,luckily I was on the bottom rung.