Please be careful on your roofs!

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ikessky

ikessky

Minister of Fire
Sep 2, 2008
862
Northern WI
I think it goes without saying, but accidents really do happen fast. I ended up at the walk in clinic last night getting x-rays for a possible tib/fib fracture. On my last step up to the roof, the bottom of my ladder slipped out and down I came. My left leg went through the rungs and I landed on my back on top of the ladder. 260 pounds comes down pretty fast and it hurt pretty bad. I had a bump on my shin the size of my fist (that is no exaggeration!). Luckily, there are no fractures, but the bump is all blood. I have to follow up in 3-5 days and see if they need to open it up to remove the blood. Other than that, I'm just really sore. My achilles hurts on the right leg, I jarred my back, and my arms and hands are scrapped up. Now I have to explain to everyone in my office why I am limping today.
 
ALWAYS have someone Foot the ladder ALWAYS. Never....Never climb a ladder unless there is someone else there to call for help. If you look on the side of your ladder it is probably rated for people 250lbs Max.
 
300lbs max. I upsized just in case the next few years aren't good to me! ;-)
 
My ladder did the exact same thing a couple of years ago whne I set it up on my deck surface which was frozen. It was like a seen out of Christmas vacation as I pulled the gutter down with me as I went sliding down the roof edge. Thanksfully I did not get hurt.

Hope you recover fast.

I know put the ladder on a rougher surface on the driveway if it is clean or have my wife brace the ladder with her feet.
 
Ouch - hope you get well soon. Wow, splitter accidents, strained back lifting oak logs, ladder falls...maybe we need to start up a new Forum..."Laid up in bed by the fire"

Be careful out there guys (and gals) - not too much about wood burning worth going to the hospital for, and I haven't seen many hospital rooms with a nice cozy wood stove. Not to preach but where I work they stress safety all the time. Of course they go way over the top with thousands of rules that nobody could keep track of, but there are a few that I try to take home with me:

- stretch a little bit before any lifting or strenuous activity
- keep the work area clean and free from 'slip / trip / fall' hazards plus try to maintain 3 point contact when climbing ie only one extremity is moving at a time
- plan the job ahead of time and inform others what the plan is, also let them know if it changes
- If you have to strain for a task, break it into smaller moves or get (mechanical or human) assistance

I'm sure there are plenty more, but those seem to be the big ones I continually use.

I've been surprised how a little communication and planning can go along way. Last time the wife and I were out cutting wood, I took 15 seconds to explain my 'cutting plan' (which trees I planned to drop, where, and in what order) I was busy bucking up some logs and when I got ready to drop the next tree, I looked around to find the wife had already moved the truck from where we were loading wood into a safe position for the next drop. I ask sarcastically, "Why did you move the truck way over there??" She replied, "Well, you said you would cut that tree next" So it worked out pretty well.
 
It can all go wrong in the blink of an eye. This past July, I was up about 12 feet when it felt like the ladder was falling backwards. I decided I should jump. When I landed (on concrete) I shattered my heel. I had to wait 2 weeks to get surgury as the swelling was so bad. I may never walk without pain again. :down:
 
Wow, very scary. My Uncle did the same thing, unfortunatly for him he dislocated his knee at the same time. Good luck for a quick recovery.

-Mike
 
Plan for the worst, hope for the best.
It's so easy to get careless when you take things for granted. A close call on the highway and I say to myself "what was I thinking?"
Thanks for the reminder - hopefully sharing your pain helps prevent a more serious accident.
 
Had a similiar thing happen a few years ago. Now when I go up the ladder by myself I set the ladder up only on the lawn and hammer a couple pieces of re-bar into the ground so it can`t kick out. Of course that won`t work if you have to place it on pavement or concrete. But if ya got lawn? :)
 
Had it slipped on the lawn, I would have broken my leg for sure. I fell 9-10 feet as it was (I was on the deck). The lawn would have been another 4-5 feet.

I'm really glad the little ones weren't in a spot that they could see it happen. The heard the crash and ran to the patio door, but all they got to see was me trying to get up.

The doctor finished looking at my leg and said, "Does anything else hurt?" I replied, "Only my pride doc. Only my pride." :red:
 
If working on ground, the feet on most ladders have an end that has spikes or teeth on it. Flip the feet so the teeth are down & dig them into the ground.
On a deck, either have someone foot it, or nail a 2x4 behind the feet to anchor it.
 
What still amazes me after my bout with the ladder sliding out from under me was that when it (16' ladder) slid and cleared the gutter is nailed the sliding glass door hard and it did not even scratch the glass. Maybe there is some quality in Pella windows.
 
Yikes! Best wishes on your complete recovery ikessky.
 
Thanks for the well wishes everyone. The leg is sore and really black and blue. Maybe I should take a picture for everyone..... The good news is that now I don't have to put up Christmas lights this year! ;-P
 
We do seem to have a lot of accident-related posts lately.

My ladder wake up call happened when cutting a small Alder that was leaning against the house. I had the wife holding the ladder, and I wasn't very high up (maybe 6 feet off the ground). When I finished the cut with the handsaw, the top of the tree fell off, and the trunk sprang back up, leaving nothing to support the ladder. Leg through the rungs, and came down pretty hard. Just bad bruising, but it could have been a life changer.
 
All my days roofing, every day I would tell the guys "I'll never fall".
Never did and don't know a heck of alot of roofers that can say that.
;)
 
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