# Be careful up there.



## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Not sure if I posted this on here a while back, but a reminder won't hurt.

An old man fell off a ladder right beside us here in October and killed himself. Just had a phone call from home and my brother in law has fallen off a roof and broken his ankle. In both cases the falls were around 2.5m. Many of us have vans higher than that. 

Be careful up there and secure ladders.


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

An update for those who are interested. He's broken both ankles, one is a very bad fracture. I guess he was both luck and unlucky. Be careful all of you.


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## TeamRienza (Sep 21, 2010)

Easily done, a friend of mine who is a linesman with the electricity company did himself a similar injury when doing something on a ladder at home. Overstretching to the side and wallop, trip to casualty. Ankles still not quite right a couple of years later.

Davy


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## dghr272 (Jun 14, 2012)

TeamRienza said:


> Easily done, a friend of mine who is a linesman with the electricity company did himself a similar injury when doing something on a ladder at home. Overstretching to the side and wallop, trip to casualty. Ankles still not quite right a couple of years later.
> 
> Davy


MEWPs (mobile elevated work platforms) are NIEs main tool now due to the number of accidents involving ladders. :surprise:

Terry


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

This dozy bugger was two stories up walking about on our slate roof and fell in to the road. He was very lucky.


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## dghr272 (Jun 14, 2012)

erneboy said:


> This dozy bugger was two stories up walking about on our slate roof and fell in to the road. He was very lucky.


Hope he got crutches for Christmas.

Terry


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Crutches are no good with two broken ankles. It is a wheelchair for him. That will give him new outlook on life 


Chris, with his metal knees, struggles to work off ladders thank goodness. He invested in a second hand cherry picker (mobile elevated platform) to help him do those high up jobs that would normally find him up a ladder.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I have fallen twice when doing work on the van, landed on my head so no real damage  

Seriously though, I was very lucky our drive runs up the side of the house and near to the back against the garage, it is elevated about 3 feet above the perimeter path, last year working to remove some awful stickers off the back of this van, I was on some scaffold planks on my tressels, I had about a foot of overhang, but I'd been up and down all day, but just once I put my full weight on this bit and went arse over tit right down across the drive and onto the path, fortunately I put my arms out to grab anything I could and this slowed me down, but I was quite badly bruised and very shaken up, but nothing broke.

Another time I was just washing it and the ladder just slid sideways, despite me tying cloth around the top of each leg, again some good bruises, but no breaks.


And you don't need a ladder to screw up, after our Ireland trip last year, I was emptying the van and I came out carrying Duvets and pillows in one go, I thought I'd be safe and go out sort of backwards and sideways leaning on the the door jamb, clever NOT, my foot went between the step and the van, arms full, sky floor, sky floor, crashed into a well placed bush, again no injuries except to my pride.

From this I have deduced falling is fine, just go easy on the landings.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

I have a simple solution. Never ever do any DIY. Thats what roofers, decorators etc are for. I only make it more expensive to sort out if I get involved anyway.


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## 747 (Oct 2, 2009)

erneboy said:


> This dozy bugger was two stories up *walking about on our slate roof* and fell in to the road. He was very lucky.


Bloody hell, what kind of motorhome do you have? :surprise:


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Must be that one which Clarkson built.


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## charlieivan (Apr 25, 2006)

A guy who lived on a campsite we worked at fell off some step ladders at work and landed on his feet. He said it hurt but his pride had him walk away and he said the pain was like needles in his feet. Turned out he had broken several bones in his feet and was wheelchair bound for months and several years later he still couldn't walk properly.


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