ladders are a no-no

[nmurph]

my boss' husband was on a ladder yesterday doing a little chainsaw trimming. he grabbed a limb that snapped and sent him to the ground. he broke both arms at the wrist and fractured his L1. he was sent to surgery and received plates and screws in both arms. needless to say, it will be a long, painful recovery.

 

[gwiley]

Rephrase?

I would rephrase that to be "reaching out too far from ladders while using a chainsaw is a no-no".

Remember, ladders don't kill and maim people, gravity does

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

I'm glad to hear you say that, Dan. I keep hearing about how ladders are certain death, and it doesn't make sense to me. I know there are lots of ways to hurt yourself using a ladder, but it doesn't make sense to me that they should never be used.

 

[nmurph]

Remember, ladders don't kill and maim people, gravity does

not exactly. sudden deceleration is what kills. if gravity killed there would be dead sky divers everywhere. i kind of like gravity. it helps keep be firmly planted on the ground.

 

[046]

danger of ladders is the complacency it brings to some folks

nothing wrong with using a ladder to quickly access canopy. but I've got a rope on me exactly like I'm normally climbing.

 

[KodiakKen]

just a note

I work for the local phone company and I am on a ladder every day. I use them on the support strand, poles, trees when necessary, roofs, and sometimes to walk across big ditches. I have never had an accident. ladders being dangerous is like saying guns kill people. A person that has limited or no knowledge is as dangerous as a live round in a blazing fire

 

[nmurph]

the difference in using a ladder as a platform to cut from is that the saw introduces some unique dangers not encountered when using ladder in a more conventional manner. you are often using a chainsaw at eye leve with the inherent danger of kick-back being so much closer than when you are on the ground, you are cutting weight our of trees that can cause a shift in positioning of the ladder, and you are dealing with a tool that can inflict serious or deadly damage if you fall on it when you land on the ground. and a chainsaw usually requires two hands to operate. i'm not saying ladders are dangerous, but when combined with a chainsaw the likelyhood of a bad outcome increases. look how many incidents are reported here where a HO tries to use a ladder to do some trimming.

 

[gwiley]

not exactly. sudden deceleration is what kills. if gravity killed there would be dead sky divers everywhere. i kind of like gravity. it helps keep be firmly planted on the ground.

Excellent point, I stand corrected (or at least sit corrected). Rep for accuracy.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Nice to see some common sense discussion of the dangers of ladders (and I know they are very real!), without the mindless mantra of "NEVER USE LADDERS!"

 

[nmurph]

update

my bosses husband is up and around, though far from well. he is still sleeping in his hospital bed.

my wife called be this morning and told me that the husband of one of her regular customers (she is a bank loan officer) was cutting an oak limb that had broken, but was still attached to the tree and leaning on the garage, sunday. when the limb was sawed through it sprung at him and knocked him off of the ladder. he now is in the hospital with.......wait for it........two shattered wrist (required surgery) and a fractured pelvis.
i know that ladders are a tool and that they don't kill people. but when you put stupid people in dangerous situations or smart people have the unforseen happen on a ladder, the results often serious or deadly.

 

[Grace Tree]

A lady called me to do some cabling and trimming. We don't cable so I gave her the names of a couple tree guys I trust and told her to give them the trimming too. She told me that she used to have an Amish guy who was a great tree trimmer. He'd even tie two ladders together so he could reach the really high branches. Then she told me he didn't do it any more because he'd fallen. Duh!
Phil

 

[nmurph]

sounds like Darwin let one slip through the net........i like your company website.....you sound like a first class operation.

 

[Grace Tree]

Thanks. If Darwin really worked there wouldn't be too many Amish left. They're pretty reckless with there own lives and worse; the lives of their kids.
They must have a special Darwin exemption.
Phil

 

[Mike Van]

Give a man a ladder [or two] - And he can reach ANYTHING!

 

[Jumper]

For positioning only, not for actually using as a work platform, especially when not secured with some form of fall arrest, EVER!

 

[Swanie]

Its not the fall that kills you it is the sudden stop.

 

[tomtrees58]

its always Ben rule 1 never cut on a ladder its is used just to get in to a tree

 

[flushcut]

its always Ben rule 1 never cut on a ladder its is used just to get in to a tree

:agree2:

 

[ray benson]

Good rule Tom.

 

[yooper]

its always Ben rule 1 never cut on a ladder its is used just to get in to a tree

I agree also...but I never use one...Tom what is rule # two?