How to Use Ladders Safely | Ask This Old House
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.ค. 2024
- This Old House general contractor Tom Silva and TOH TV host Kevin O'Connor show the proper techniques for using all types of ladders.
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Steps for How to Use Ladders Safely:
1. Ladders made from wood and fiberglass are preferred by electricians because they don't conduct electricity.
2. Aluminum ladders are lighter and less expensive than comparable wood and fiberglass ladders. However, don't use aluminum ladders around electrical wires because they conduct electricity.
3. Never exceed a ladder's maximum weight rating, which includes the total weight of you and all the materials and tools you're carrying.
4. It's best to store ladders indoors, away from the harmful effects of the elements.
5. Thoroughly inspect any ladder before using it. Check wood ladders for cracked rungs, broken rails, or loose, wobbly connections.
6. On fiberglass ladders, check to be sure the rails aren't fraying and aren't cracked or punched with holes.
7. Inspect aluminum ladders to ensure the rails aren't bent, twisted, creased, or deformed in any way.
8. When climbing a ladder, keep your hips centered within the rails. Don't overreach too far to the left or right.
9. Always maintain three points of contact with the ladder: two hands and one foot, or one hand and two feet.
10. Wear a tool belt so that both hands are free to grab the rungs.
11. Stepladders are designed to be used in the spread-open position. Never lean a stepladder against a wall.
12. Don't stand on the top step, the very top of the ladder, or the paint-can tray. And never climb up the rear of the ladder.
13. To stand up an extension ladder, have a helper brace the bottom of the ladder with his or her feet, or simply set the ladder against the house's foundation.
14. Raise the ladder by pushing it up rung by rung to the upright position.
15. Grab the bottom of the ladder and walk it away from the house.
16. To achieve the proper climbing angle, position the bottom of the ladder a distance from the house that's equal to one-fourth the ladder's height. For example, if the ladder is 16 feet tall, set its base 4 feet from the house.
17. Another way to confirm the proper ladder angle is to stand upright with your toes against the base of the ladder. Reach straight out with both arms. If you can grab the rung without leaning forward or bending your arms, then the ladder is at the proper angle.
18. When working on soft terrain, pivot the extension-ladder feet to a vertical position and push them down into the ground.
19. If the ladder is equipped with adjustable levelers, use them to steady the ladder on uneven terrain.
20. To extend an extension ladder, start by moving the ladder out away from the wall. Then, pull on the rope with one hand and push up on the ladder with the other. Be sure both rung locks are engaged before climbing.
21. Attach a stabilizer to the top of an extension ladder to increase stability and provide easier access to the wall.
22. An articulating ladder can be locked into various configurations, and can be used as a straight ladder, stepladder, extension ladder and trestle ladder.
23. When using an articulating ladder, be sure all locks are fully engaged before climbing.
24. If, at any time, you feel uncomfortable, unsteady, or hesitant, stay off of ladders. It's not worth risking serious injury or worse.
About Ask This Old House TV:
Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we're ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers-and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook.
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How to Use Ladders Safely | Ask This Old House
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The part that always gets me is the huge ape at the top throwing barrels down at me.
lol, good one
This Old House is the home-owning dad you never had. Thanks, guys.
Watched a dozen of these. None talk about the hardest thing. The proper or safest way of getting on and off ladder at roof line.
th-cam.com/video/5q01UVDpZnY/w-d-xo.html
I agree with you 100%.
That’s something I wouldn’t even attempt
Same
Yes dude. Transitioning from a roof to a ladder feels like the most dangerous part, and I think that is when most of the accidents happen.
What a great show I was growing up as a young kid when Bob vila was on this old house.
these guys from this old house have my fullest confidence really trust them!
Thanks very much guys. I just bought an 8m extension ladder and this video clarified for me how to start using it today. I was a bundle of nerves before.
one suggestion is to tie your extending rope to a rung before mounting. If you can, lash the bottom and top of the ladder to what you are ascending. Use a ladder wedge for leveling the rails. Use boots that have at least a half inch heel and steel reinforced soles to avoid getting "bird feet"or slipping off the rung. If you work on a ladder for any length of time consider getting a ladder platform. when mounting a roof from a ladder have at least two rungs extended above the edge.
Thank you for the video..very informative..used to watch this old house with my dad in the 90s
One thing I didn't see mentioned and it is stamped on the side of the ladder:, When raising or moving a ladder, always, always look up. In addition to being electrocuted even with wrapped lines, you could snag a line or branch and lose stability causing the ladder to fall and strike someone.
This Old House is the best😁!
Honestly I didn't think I would learn anything watching this but I did. Never though about working a ladder with fiberglass and electricity. Thanks guys!
+jcha one of the oldest rules in the book
A ladder is the one thing that almost did me in, fortunately with a little luck I started to breath again and walked away with just a massive bruise across my whole chest.
My thing is this, how do you become more comfortable being on a ladder if you are supposed to just stay off of it? I started working construction about 6 months ago, and when I first started I was terrified of being 30 feet in the air on a ladder, but after forcing myself do get up there over and over I now feel completely fine up there.
yeah I get the same way. If I have not climbed a ladder high up for a while i get so damn nervous but a few days in it's nothing lol
James Avery Or if you are not afraid of heights and your legs shake but you’re confused as to why and just shaking your head 😆
I'm afraid of fixed metal building ladders. I have an opportunity to work a job as a supervisor but it consists of climbing metal building ladders only about 30 feet high and steep almost straight up. I'm afraid of heights. Climbing up is fine but going down I'm afraid of. Any tips
Same here. I had actually never used an extension ladder until I started framing a pole barn and I was terrified, but now I feel pretty good up there.
The first time is always the hardest.
The rule of “three points of contact” also applies (of course) to rock climbing. Thx for the video!
Also the rule of angles helps a lot!
I love how you explain how to set up the ladder by yourself with help lol 😂. Very helpful video though thank you.
Very useful. I have just given up because I decided I was unsafe but the video helped me. I have a very very high house and am not comfortable once I get my double ladders extended up there particularly even with the device to keep me back a bit from the guttering. It annoying as I have no fear of heights and someone would charge me a lot toclear an awful lot of high guttering but I just feel unsafe and the video helped me make up my mind and my experiment after watching it. I did learn a fair bit from my father about ladders too and alwys remember the day my husband fell from the top cutting the very high hedge, but luckily on to very soft grass so no need for the emergency room.
This is a great video. Thank you guys...I just started working with roofers and this is so helpful because most workers don't give you the full version of ladder safety.
That is because most laborers have a low IQ. Try supervising the idiots too.
helpful information, thank you for sharing !!!
You guys are the best!!! Thank you.
Wait a second... how’d the camera man get up there to film them on the ladder?! Oh yeah... a ladder
You guys would have a heart attack watching me use a ladder and the ladders I use. I use a 32’ aluminum extension ladder fully extended that’s about 30 ish years old, and I had it fully extended up against my house, and before I knew it, I was looking at my neighbors house!
Thanks for posting and good looking out :)
Great information! Thank you for sharing.
Did you know, studies show that having a ladder indoors is more dangerous than a loaded gun....thats why in my house i own ten guns in case some maniac sneaks in a ladder.
Ahaha
Nicely ones1
I believe it. I've broken a limb after falling off a ladder but I've never been shot. I should buy some guns.
Dunn
I meant funny
show me that study.
They forgot Rule #1, which is Demonstrated at: @8:30: Don't try to move the ladder left or right or try to pull it away from the wall when you're on it 16 ft in the air. There couldn't be a worst time to test a ladder stabilizer's abilities. My heart fell into my stomach when he did that. Even when I watched it a 2nd time.
Tom Silva is the man!
Guys these are extremely helpful thank you so much, nice humans 🙏🏽
Tom Silva is such a master and should be respected as much as someone respects a surgeon. Kudos to you Tommy!!!
I wanted to see how to move from a ladder to access the roof. That always scares me and I see the pros secure it to to roof so it will not slide when you have one foot on the ladder and the other still on the roof.
Great Information!!👍
6:55 Worth the price of admission right there.
Operation: Snake and Ladder
What a Thrill indeed.
What a surprise Kev, you actually did your homework this time! Good one Kev!
Good one guys, I learned the hard way.
Good to learn about laddah safety. One of the top OSHA violations nearly every year is ladders.
Screw OSHA
Great video
Wood ladders are rare now.
Also, that last ladder is the best one, but would be better as a fiberglass ladder
I always find something askew about how they speak to each other on TOH. Like clearly the content is for the viewer but they don't speak to us directly.
Thanks gentlemen
Good tips: 3:20 to 3:34 “ If these rails are bent at all they are weakened.” 3:47 to 4:09 -about three points of contact and using a toolbelt so you can maintain the three points of contact. 8:20 Explains the value of a stabilizer (AKA standoff).
Thank you for amazing video. I am just wondering if you have a video showing that one erects a fully extended telescope ladder 22 ft+ from the ground to up against the house. Thanks.
Thank you
Amen to all you have said. I fell off a ladder many years ago. About 15 feet. However I fell into a bunch of stacked toilet paper and survived! lol. Ever since, I have been ultra careful on ladders. Nonetheless, I still get sweaty palms when even on a step ladder.
How about a video on the proper way to carry a paint bucket up a extension ladder without breaking 3 points of contact?
merci pour les avis de sécurité.
Nice ladder so powerful
good tips guys but have you got any tips for when using the "suction gloves" from mission impossible 3?
Grate video guys, we are also keen to keep ladder users safe and this is why we have introduced ladder grips onto the market they can provide any ladder with more than 300% more stability.
Great, not grate.
Can you add a stabilizer onto an articulating ladder? Just something that allows holding when on a higher rung...
PROTIP
always be careful around ladders
also don't walk under a ladder.
PROTIP
Listen to Snake Eater while climbing a ladder.
Eve Peters no really?
Feels like the basic ladder training I got back when I worked residential. Got into the world of OSHA and realized this kind of stuff don't fly when the man is on your back.
How come the higher up I go on a ladder the more I get scared? On the first rung I don't hold on, can close my eyes and jump up and down... on the top rung I am clinging for my life not wanting to move.
Do you have Vertigo like me? Maybe you are a scaredy - cat like me.
It could have something to do with the fact that falling from 20 ft could put you in a wooden box, whereas falling from 1 ft is, at worst, embarrassing.
great video for us thanks. the screws on the spreaders of my aluminum ladder have rusted so badly that i can't open them, one spreader fell off today. my question is have you heard of anyone buying new spreaders and from where? or should I just buy a new ladder? Checked home depot, nothing. thanks.
that's really good video for use a ladder
About the ladder half of this psa i understood the steps of construction safety.
😊📝
What a thrill...
I have vertigo issues at 62 years old and can only go so high on a ladder before getting dizzy. And I prefer step ladders over extension ladders because I feel MUCH more secure on the former ladders.
Doug Celeste just when you thought Doug couldn't get any more fascinating.
Omg, him swaying back up there. My palms are sweaty
Would it be OK to put a step ladder on a trampoline? I need to fix a frayed service entrance cable that got damaged in a storm and I just need about 4 more feet to reach it. I don’t want to buy a longer ladder cause I’ll never use it again probably.
very informative . can you show how to raise a latter when there is not enough space to start with it lying flat on the ground to over the height needed ... I have my sisters house where her neighbors house is about 10 to 12 foot apart but i need the latter to go up higher around 25 to 30 feet.
Late reply: I'm no pro. But you could try: 1. lay the ladder along the wall. 2. secure the base so it doesn't slide (a helper would be great here). 3. go to the top end and slowly walk it up the wall.
After watching quite a lot of american made construction videos, I'm not surprised there are so many ladder accidents. Mobile tower scaffolding or full scaffolding to make the job safe is standard where i am in the uk. Generally, ladders are for access only, or small quick jobs if it can be done safely.
My wife is a SLP that works with People who suffered TBIs and one of the most common accidents that lead patients through rehab to her is falling of ladders in trades.
That last tip about placement of the top of the ladder against a roof is incorrect. OSHA says that ladders need to extend 3 feet past the edge of the roof of a house, so you don’t fall when you’re stepping on to go down.
i have a little giant how is that ladder rated. is it safe?
Slap on Penetrol by Flood on your fiberglass ladders every two years to seal from the elements and retain or even bring back that like new color, works on recurve fiberglass bows and chairs and also many other things around the house or workshop. I wanted a way to save my fiberglass ladders after the investment and Penetrol is amazing.
You guys forgot to add, when you extend the ladder above the roof edge, ALWAYS extended it half your body height for easy mount and dismount.
Every time I’ve almost had an accident on a ladder, I was well aware of myself being unsafe. Use common sense of course. Sometimes you think you can get away with an unsafe movement, and that’s where you get hurt.
It’s ppl that fall. Not the ladder.
Where do you place the ladder to access a roof when there are no gutters?
With the top stabiliser/ stand-off, the ladder is a foot or so away from the wall and this will affect the angle...should this then be 1foot/4 feet plus 1 foot to maintain the 75 deg angle?
You forgot to carry the one, poindexter
How do you safely take down an extension ladder 26 foot that is against the house?
The best ladder you can get is the one you find on the freeway. Not only did you get it for free, but it has survived falling off a truck and will give you years of service.
After all that, you never did tell beginners which side of a regular extension ladder should face the building and why ? After years of not using a ladder I almost screwed up and climbed the wrong side.
Portable Ladder Safety. Falls from portable ladders (step, straight, combination and extension) are one of the leading causes of occupational fatalities and injuries. ... Always maintain a 3-point (two hands and a foot, or two feet and a hand) contact on the ladder when climbing.
That's what they said in the video
What a thrill.
A few days ago a man was electrocuted, while raising an aluminum ladder, the wind move it and it touch the power line, while the worker was placing it on a tall wall. From now on, I'm only going to buy fiberglass ladders.
Ladders are faggy
Angel Luis Trinidad
Great tips! Great channel! What is a brand name of the "articulating ladder" they mentioned at 9:14? Thank you.
Binh Minh Pham go find out
Called articulating or multi-step ladder. Mastercraft or Werner are great brands.
I appreciate you trying to show how to use ladders by yourself, but your 2nd guy is always helping! Please watch how fire fighters use ladders by themselves before you make another video
Yeah the way they were both experts gave me anxiety. Good video though. Never heard that accent before!
This is a very informative video on ladders, but they didn't mention how to reduce leg strain when using a ladder, such as how should the feet be placed on the rungs.
Jeff then what is it?
If an aluminum ladder has a rubber foot like the Gorilla GLMPXT-23 for example, wouldn't that also insulate from electrical shocks ?
I'm not sure about that. Maybe wear rubber gloves to be safe.
@@lexbeltran1354 would standard latex surgical gloves work, or should they be thinker ?
@@accidental_relevance They should be thicker.
How high can an extension ladder go? Can I raise it to the last rung safely?
The other big reason to store a ladder inside is to prevent thieves from having access to it. If you can’t store it inside. Make sure to lock it up. Otherwise a thief can use the ladder to get into a 2nd floor window.
My next door neighbors leave their ladders leaning against the side of their house. Not a smart thing to do.
My friends live in a neighborhood where they steal ladders for the aluminum. Unreal!
Great advice, but one important detail is skipped and that is how to secure the rope to the ladder for safety. Long time ago, I remember pulling up the extension portion of the extension ladder and the locking mechanism disengaged on its own for some reason and I went all the way down while holding it. Luckily nothing happened but could you give advice on how to secure the rope so this does not happen?
When it comes to This Old House they're always missing one detail or another it's just the way it's always freaking been
@@deadmanswife3625 , As Tom Silva stated in the video, for every 4 feet of height, the ladder needs to come out 1 foot. You get this wrong, there is a risk of death or severe injury! The manufacturers also post this information on the ladders they sell but it is not enough. People make mistakes all the time. It needs to be idiot proof! The manufacturers design these ladders so that the users can quickly raise and lower them overlooking the safety issues. They need to add additional hardware on these extension ladders, where you don’t have to rely on the rope to secure the extension. These ladders flex, vibrate, rattle as you climb up on them. The flexing, vibrating can easily cause the locking mechanism to disengage leading to death or injury…
@@ozusozudogruinsan yes we understand about the 1 to 4 ratio for height and out away from the wall or tree. Supposedly after you lock the extension in your supposed to tie the rope onto one of the rungs as a double safety-feature.
however they don't mention climbing from the ladder to the roof and a few other things I'd like to know but hey. It is all Good
@@ozusozudogruinsan and yes when you have them close to fully extended they can really sway from left to right if you're not very careful to place your feet close to the center and step straight up not sway from side-to-side like a duck As you climb🤣
@@ozusozudogruinsan if something is made idiot proof a bigger idiiot will come along
When I'm up high on the ladder I look around for the safest place to fall in case I do.
There's not enough room to put up a ladder where I need it because of trees in the way. What do I do?
Great Safety Tips Guys 😉👍🏽🪜
Yup, dislocated big toe 2 years ago. 15 foot drop.
Disappointing covers of the multipoint ladder. I wanted to know, when used as an extension ladder, if the more extended section should be at the top or the bottom?
If the more extended section is at the top, the center of mass of the ladder will be lower, making it slightly more stable.
My son fell off a ladder 2 metres up bruised ribs he still survived luckily
Ps I am a brickie but in Australia
Most deaths or paralysis occur getting 6' step ladders as the break point is between the second and third vertebrae where the average neck line contacts the ground
If you're going to fall, jump of vertically they say, then you land in your feet, hit your knees then with elbows protecting your head you roll into a ball then roll and turn impact force into kinetic rolling energy, but better off being tied off on a life line, it simple anchor bracket and rope, takes 5 minutes,
Say you have a roof tie down anchor 25' from where you're working at a roof edge, it's 65' from the ground, 70' from the bottom of the elevator shaft, hook your rope around a roof truss right where you're working, so maybe an 8' straight fall would occur if you fell off a wall, however, if you didn't wrap your rope around a close framing member you might be in for a 20 foot fall at the point of drop in only to swing 15' back into a block wall and then your 6' lanyard, so, a 170 lb guy falls, he's at the end of his rope perspective to his fall location, but the anchor point is 25 feet back, he falls for 20 feet in a swing and smashes full velocity 15 feet away into a cmu wall, nominally, but the lanyard or rope with a built in lanyard system (which should then be only connected to your harness D ring and not your 6 foot lanyard) unleashes, so then a 20' swing drop becomes 26 feet of properly connected, or, if improperly connected becomes 6' on the rope with built in fall arrest plus the 20' of rope plus the additional 6' lanyard you're talking s 15' lateral positional fall at the drop point away from Anchorage, and a 32' drop to take you smashing into a concrete stair it elevator shaft, this needs to be reintegrated in OSHA cottages around the globe. It's sometimes impractical to move an anchor every ten minutes, but wrapping your rope around a close framing member plumb up from where you're working might be in order
I'm sure this is valuable information, if only you could write legibly.
6:10 "But who carries a protractor?" - someone who has a protractor on the other side of his belt
Very helpful...except the part where you're trying to extend the extension ladder yourself. The guy who's supposed to be doing it himself is getting help from the other guy, who's holding the ladder, too. They should have shown just the one guy doing it completely by himself.
that's all I use Werner 1A fiber glass
Wooden ladders that get wet do conduct electricity.
Ladders must be able to support 4 times their (complete) intended load.
Ladders are color coded for weight and category.
If the labels are not legible you cannot use it.
Ladders cannot be used in a horizontal position.
Extension ladders must extend 36" above the intended landing.
the way firefighter put up a ladder and judge the angle is to stand on the first step and put your hand on the rug and if your arm is straight and level you are about the right angle ..
This show was great tell they got a host that did not know anything
So can I lean a ladder against a wall if it’s a wooden floor?
How do I use a ladder in a stairwell?
Can I use a couple ladders as a plank holder?
Can I push a ladder over that my coworker is on?
Who carries a protractor around with them? I do! I do! (got a protractor app on my phone!) Admittedly, I don't pull it out to measure my ladder angle. I like Kevin's tip better.
I use copper ladders in the rain when installing electrics.
Good safety tips.4 feet up 1 foot out. One question. What is the proper ladder protocol to get on a roof? It's the most dangerous, but with trees in the yard debris accumulates. So it is necessary to get it off. Maybe reach it with a pool, so you don't have to get off the ladder.
Pool?
@@soozspenser No
Understanding how my ladder works......✓
My ungodly and unreasonable fear of heights.....F*ck