I am okay! I took a little fall yesterday at work. So here is a little reminder: If you are not completely secure with the way your equipment is positioned Don’t use it until you are! I took a helper to a job site, we had two 4x8s to hang on a storage building. It was a simple install, not high at all (I fell 5 ft.) This was anew construction site and the terrain was terrible. We had to set our ladders at a low angle, almost like steps; something I am never comfortable doing. I had the ladder feet dug in and bounced up the ladder to make sure it was set. While we were trying to get the sign in position I decided I needed one more step up the ladder. The next thing I know is that I am trying to figure out why I am standing on the ground with the ladder around my waist. I was just a little dazed, when my helper yelled at me. He was thrown off balance and had to jump off his ladder, leaving the 3/4 sheet of MDO balancing on the top of the ladder. I got a hand over my head just in time to redirect the signs fall out over me and onto the ground. The ladder rung in front of me took big strips of skin off of my shins and the rung behind me gave me some ‘rug burns’ on the back of my thighs. As soon as I realized I was OK, I was p*ssed! At myself. We took a break, re-assessed the situation and dug holes to set the ladder feet in. It really was an easy install...I know better and I let my guard down Be careful out there We can get hurt
Posted by Chris Elliott (Member # 1262) on :
Hey Bill, that's a good reminder & I'm glad you came out as well as you did!
I was drilling PK holes in the front on a shopping center to hang some cans, working off of a ladder about 20 feet above the sidewalk (in a hurry, of course). I noticed it was a little windy but didn't think about it until a gust hit me just as I pulled the rotary hammer out of the hole & the top of the ladder went sideways. Dropped the drill & grabbed the ladder with one hand & grabbed the wall by sticking two fingers into the hole I cut just as it was almost out of reach(kinda like a bowling ball grip). Managed to hold on long enough for the wind to die down, then pulled me & the ladder back in place, got down & promptly tied off the dang ladder like I should have to start with. I really hate it when I do stuff that even I think is stupid. At least I had the drill tied off so when I dropped it I didn't hit anyone below. It would have helped a little if several shoppers who saw my stunt could have kept from laughing once they realized I was OK. Of course they had to come over & tell me how funny I looked up there stretched out spread eagle with the ladder in one hand & the wall in the other.
[ March 29, 2003, 08:14 AM: Message edited by: Chris Elliott ]
Posted by Steve Nuttle (Member # 2645) on :
Bill glad you are ok and thanks for the reminder. I always tell my guys and girls that if you are not happy with the way your equitment is don't do anything till you are! I had to laugh though, at your statement, "It really was an easy install.." I don't know if it is just me or what but I rarely have an easy install! Even the ones that should be a peice of cake, usually have something go wrong! Oh well! Againg thanks for the reminder and glad your ok.
Posted by Bill Dirkes (Member # 1000) on :
It really should've been an easy install, I think that's the first mistake I made. Thinkin it was gonna be a piece of cake sorta took my brain out of gear... And my arse paid for it! My pride in my work was hurt worse than anything else Just don't kick me in the shins for a week or so Chris, even side to side once a ladder starts to go...look out. Sounds like a nice catch on your part!
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
its always .....them easy ones...where you dont think anything can happen...i was building an 8x10 shed onto the side of the house here. was onlyon the 2nd step of a 6 foot fiberglass WERNER ladder. i musta been standin to much on one side of the step, the leg snapped and down i went. some how my left leg wound upinside the ladder fold-out braces, was all twisted and bleeding, when i fell my back hit a scrap piece of 4x4 and laid my back open. worst part was i was alone, and "ive fallen and cant get up"!!! thought the leg was broke because i got knocked out. i finnally extracated myself and called a neigbor to come see how bad my back was cut. should went and had stiches....i hate falling...oh sidenote: i had that ladder for a 2-3 years, it was never in the sun and was kept mostly inside. i emailed WERNER LADDER CO. told them what happened and the sent me an email back telling me to print out the email, take ladder and email back to where i bought the ladder....AND GET A NEW ONE FOR FREE!!!! hows that for warrenty?
[ March 29, 2003, 08:09 PM: Message edited by: old paint ]
Posted by Ken Henry (Member # 598) on :
Glad to hear that you got through that experienced with no broken bones Bill. Falls off ladders are never fun, and the older we get, the more brittle our bones become, so your reminder is so important. Another thing may be worth mentioning.In the springtime, if the frost isn't completely gone from the ground, ladder placement can become unstable very quickly. As an extra safety measure, I lay down a plank to place the ladder feet onto. This distributes the load more evenly and lessens the chance of one foot sinking in and throwing the stability of the ladder off kilter. This practice is the result of taking a spill a long while back, when I thought that accidents only happened to "the other guy". I learned that lesson the painful way with a cracked patella. It's really amazing that those "painful lessons" are the ones that really tend to stay with you and become unforgettable.
Posted by Kathy Joiner (Member # 1814) on :
Bill, I'm glad you're O.K. It may have been just a reminder to use caution next time you do one of those billboards or murals you do so well.
Posted by Rick Beisiegel (Member # 3723) on :
Hey
Glad you're ok. I fell 13 feet onto pavement 5 years ago while hanging a sign. After a week in the hospital, and six months in a hospital bed in the living room, I am still just a dumb ole sign guy. Word to the wise...never overreach the ladder! I broke a vertabre and recovered without surgery! Many thanks to my wife and friends.
Posted by Don Hulsey (Member # 128) on :
Glad you're Ok neighbor. The easy ones are where it usually happens.
Hey OP, maybe you should check the weight rating on that ladder. heh heh
Posted by timi NC (Member # 576) on :
Glad ta hear you are ok Bill,...If ya don't secure your ladder,don't be surprised if the ground flies up and hits ya in the butt! I use the new ratchet straps designed for cargo to tie my ladders off. You would be amazed at how well they work and how easy they are to use. Some times the extra time it takes to drill a hole and install an eye bolt and lag into a wall can be a life saver once you strap the ladder to it securely.
Posted by Randy Campbell (Member # 2675) on :
Glad to see your ok.
Posted by John Deaton III (Member # 925) on :
Glad to hear you are ok there Bill.
Posted by Mark Fair Signs (Member # 289) on :
hey bill, i hope you are okay bubba. i worked many years climbing high in the outdoor advertising biz. i guess i was lucky because i never sustained major injury.
your signwork is inspiring. a better day will come soon.
hey john deaton, you have an uncanny way of capturing the moment in your "TOoNs"
be safe lettervillians.
bubba
Posted by Bill Dirkes (Member # 1000) on :
Thanks Y'all! John Deaton! you are Da Man! If ya don't mind I just scarfed the pic to my hard drive. (abd that rug rash really was lower on my legs!,really )
In 24 years of billboard work I've hit the ground 4 times; and thank God I've been fortunate to get up and walk away each time. In 3 of those tumbles I stopped paying proper attention to the situation. And that's what I wanted to remind us about.
I know too many men not so fortunate. Too many broken bones, sprains, and bruised organs. This IS a dangerous job. (Don't tell my wife, Lynn already worries too much!)
Thanks!
Posted by Glenn Taylor (Member # 162) on :
LOL! Great cartoon, John.
And you guys are right. We are in a dangerous job.
A few years ago, rather than asking for a hand, a helper tried to pick up a 4x8x.75 and dropped it on his foot. He actually crushed the a bone in one of his toes.
Several years ago, I was setting up some extention ladders (ladder jack and scaffold) for a interior wall job inside of a tobacco processing plant. There was some extremely fine tobacco dust on the concrete floor which made the floor slick. As a precaution, I decided to climb up the ladders and tie them to the rafters in the ceiling for safety. Just as I got to the top, I felt the ladder's footing giveway.
I fell 20 ft onto a concrete floor. I had dislocated my right shoulder, sprained an ankle, broken my big toe; and one of the hooks on one of the ladderjacks went through the skin in my chin and exited through the side of my jaw.
Since then, I've tossed the ladderjacks. Also, I don't do any installations on ladders without a "qualified" helper. Its just not worth the risk anymore.
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