Ladder safety tricks to keep you safe
Disclaimer: climbing roofs and using ladders is extremely dangerous. Nothing in this video should be construed as me telling you to use a ladder to climb anything. Use ladders at your own risk.
Probably one of the most dangerous tools in any garage or tool shed. One small oversight while setting up a ladder can have disastrous - even deadly results.
According to the World Health Organization, the United States leads the world in ladder deaths.
Each year, there are more than one hundred and sixty four thousand emergency room-treated injuries and three hundred deaths in the U.S. that are caused by falls from ladders.
Most ladder deaths are from falls of ten feet or less.
And on a typical cat deployment, a property field adjuster may use his or her ladder more than twenty times in a day. Think about it. You have to use your ladder every time you access a home and it's outbuildings or you might forget to get some photos or a measurement on a roof (requiring you to access the roof again). Each and every one of those trips up and down your ladder is a high risk endeavor.
As an adjuster, I've fallen from one roof. Thankfully it was a very short fall, I wasn't injured, and nothing was damaged.
But it was a sobering experience and it made me even more careful every time I stepped on my ladder in the field.
So in this video, let's go over ladder safety for claims adjusters.
Equipment:
Make sure that you're using a good quality ladder that you periodically inspect for any signs of wear, cracks, or weakness. One of the reasons I don't use fiberglass ladders any more is because when they are exposed to sunlight for a long period of time, they will begin to deteriorate. They will crack and start to fall apart.
NEVER use an insured's ladder. I can't tell you the number of times I've had an insured say, "oh you don't have to get your ladder down off your truck, I got one set up for you on the back deck." And it's a 1901 cracked and splitting wooden ladder that has rungs duct taped together. NEVER use that ladder. For ultimate in safety, always use your own ladder.
Be sure to plant your ladder in something that will hold it. Now what do I mean by that? I personally will always stick my ladder, claws down, into the yard whenever possible. Driveways and decks are the biggest killers when it comes to adjuster fatalities. Even if they are dry, they can be extremely slippery. Concrete, asphalt, particularly decks with the deck boards lined up perpendicular to the wall [ladder fails]. All death traps.
Try to find a corner to set up into. This will give you a very solid place to anchor your ladder. However, if the wind is blowing the opposite direction and you haven't tied off your ladder, it won't help you.
Always strap off your ladder with a bungee cord. When you jump out of your vehicle and walk up to the house, one of the first things you should do is set up your ladder. Head on up to the top and strap it off. How embarrassing - and potentially dangerous - could it be to be introducing yourself to the homeowner and then have your ladder blow down in the front yard.
Always try to extend at least three feet of ladder above the gutter or eave edge. This will give you something to hold on to while you're getting off the ladder onto the roof and vice versa.
On that same note, I personally would avoid any ladder that has a flared base and top. Some folding ladders have wide bases on both ends. But it makes it harder to get around that flared base at the top, which increases risk.
Avoid carrying things in your hands when you're climbing a ladder. Clipboards, cameras, phones, other ladders for double pulls, etc. You need both hands on the ladder at all times. This is another reason why a high quality tool belt or holsters is absolutely critical for your safety. It keeps your hands free.
