Working at Heights

I only climb up a ladder occasionally, its most important that what I'm on is secure and stable and its really quite difficult to get and keep the ladder level. Ground is always uneven and the contact points are small. Not sure if a product for this already exists, but might be an idea.

 

Parachute

 

I have leg levelling devices on both my main use ladders. They're slightly different in operation but both foot operated. On one you hold the ladder upright and press a lever on the side that needs extending and the other requires releasing a clamp, sliding the ladder along the foot until it's upright and locking the lever again. These make the ladders very stable on a variety of uneven surfaces however it comes at a price. They are permanently fixed and both add weight to the ladder they're fitted to. They also make the ladder wider at the base which means that they have restrictions on where you can use them, where and how to store them and also moving them around on top of the vehicle. One is a retrofit device which required shortening the lower section of the ladder (double extending) to attach it so it now doesn't retract fully. The other was purpose made and part of the ladder.

Depending on the work I will also use a standoff if applicable and tie the ladder using ratchet straps wherever feasible - much depends on the tie off point. As working from ladders is not ideal the feet do make them much safer in my opinion.

If you could develop a system similar to the retrofit type which could be removed when not required and which didn't require physically altering the ladder that would be a good thing. Good luck.

 

I was going to say that. You're as daft as me.

 

Piece of 3/4 ply with a 2x1 batten put the ladder on that.

 

If your ladders not long enough, back your truck up, ladder in the back, tied off to the gutter with some baler twine.







Not sure why I'm laughing, I've actually done this.

 

I have an apprentice that does ladder work now, he also does loft work as well

 

The product that I use for working at height is a scissor lift or someone else.

 

Two big issues with working off ladders is that the higher you go, the more vulnerable you are to driving winds, which in turn makes the job significantly more difficult, and the other is limited access to tools when up the top of ladders at two storeys in height. Irrelevant of the fact that we shouldn't be working off ladders for a period of time, if a solution could be provided to these problems, as difficult as they are to solve, I think it could be a winner.

 

Richie, a company called Spanset specialise in fall arrest equipment for people working at heights. You may find some of their product info helpful and it may give you some ideas.

www.spanset.co.uk

Harry

 

I think safety measures for working at height while still at ground level.

 

Ladders are only really for access or quick jobs.

Scaffold towers are time consuming and clumsy but needed for decent jobs.

But nothing in between.

Design something in between them, and make yourself rich and have a good project too

 

I do a lot of ladder work when doing CCTV.

What I don't like:
- Ladder classification. There's a bunch of different numbers now to describe what a ladder is for, whatever happened to 'domestic' 'trade' and 'professional' I don't know. I've got stronger rope-lift ladders that must be 30+ years old for two and three story work, and a domestic one I keep for one that will do up too 2nd story windows and flex like hell when going up above them. Fibreglass for steps.
- Ladder feet. The bottom of the ladder needs to be kept solid, and I've had ladders slip out from under me about 6 times. Very ******* scary, luckily these have been at no more than 3m up. I use attachable feet that stop this, and I sometimes reverse the van up to the bottom of the ladder, to stop it slipping out.
- Points of contact. If someone could make a device that works the opposite way to a stay, that you clip on and sit on, that'd be brilliant. My back gets unhappy when I do a full day up a ladder.
- Staps. If I'm up high, I'll commonly try and find a stack/rail or eave I can tie to, and I have a harness that I strap to the ladder.
- Cherrypickers/scissors - If hire prices were lower, I'd happily pay for these to do all work beyond 5m. I use them sometimes, particularly for bigger jobs/lots of cameras and conduit.
- Wind. One thing that makes ladder work uncomfortable is the wind, you sometimes feel like it will take you and the ladder over.

What I like:
- Rope-assisted ladders. They really do help extending a ladder out when you need to get particularly high.
- Stays. They not only protect wall features, but add more grip/surface area to the ladder, and you've much less chance of flipping the ladder round when you're up it.

Hope that helps.

 

Like Joe95 above, I tend to work alone. Finding tying off points either at the top or bottom is really difficult. There are all sorts of gadgets about but none I would trust or are practical to use.

Ideally all buildings should have wall anchors fitted as part of their design. Once installed you can fit a screw in "eye" to tie off a ladder - http://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-lipped-drop-in-anchor-m12-x-50mm-50-pack/39893

However, builders aren't going to do this as a default.

An alternative would be to have an extendable bar that can be "jacked" across a window opening and then tie a ladder to this. An alternative would be some form of larger version of brick layers corner blocks with a cable strung between the two.

The other thing would be to make a simple angle gauge which tells people if the ladder is too step or too shallow an angle - simple but will save quite a few accidents.

 

Universal ladder cup holder would be handy as by the time you get down to ground level, your tea has always gone cold

 

Good design product maybe a tool\equipment holster that clips onto ladder. Always tricky trying to take everything u need up then drill fixings etc.

 

There are quite a few on the market from toggle straps to shelves but all pretty dangerous.

The biggest danger is that people forget is that ladders are typically for access and shouldn't be used for long duration work. Anything more than an hour for me it is on some sort of platform

 

Ladders are always used more than they should be due to cost really. 20minute rule where I work

 

That's where my problem lies, I could be up a ladder for a full week, working around a building, so fixed/wheeled platforms are out of the question. They are too heavy to be pushing round all day on my own.
Really, I should be using a cherry-picker, but they are expensive to hire and too much hassle too own. I don't fancy trying to get a MWB van and a trailer around central London.

And, I don't know any CCTV firms who own cherry pickers.
I'm comfortable doing it, and I do know I can fall to my death or be paralyzed.