Jason Anker was paralysed from the waist down due to an avoidable incident while working at height. For many years he has been unable to talk openly about his experience. This is reflected in a story that is very raw; the emotion in which he delivers his talk is as strong as if it was the day of the accident. His story has a powerful impact and grabs the attention of those listening, from Directors, Managers, Supervisors and Operatives alike.
For the very first time since Jason’s accident he presents at the Access Industry Forum’s Knowledge Base in May 2012 to an audience that includes his parents. This was an emotional event for everybody and reiterates how important it is to ensure that you always work safely.
Also in the front row of the audience were senior officials from the UK Government’s Department of Work and Pensions and the Health and Safety Executive.
At the end of this video hear directly from Jason’s parents on their initial reaction to his presentation.
Thanks for posting that. Can some of the real pros post some ladder safety tips (even if you feel they are basic and common sense) to help and remind all of us?
never put your ladder out to far when working on composite decks. They are so slick that if u put your legs out to fare your ladder will slide out from under you real quick…
I was working the other day at a large (largest in Idaho) manufacturing plant, doing the administration office windows. The had 4 windows on the second level. Easy to get to with my little giant. An employee walked by and asked my if I was tied off. I said “no” as there was noting to tie off to. A few minutes later the Gal that hired my came over and said an employee was concerned I was violating some safety rules. I told the boss lady the same thing and she asked if I could have gone onto the roof and tied off. Mind you the roof was 15 or more feet above where I was working. I had no real answer for her and since I had already cleaned 3 of the 4 windows, she suggested I let the last one go. I don’t have a harness or ropes anyway. I finished the job on all the other (safe) windows and got paid.
I wonder what could I have done? I have seen harnesses that keep you strapped to the ladder but that doesn’t keep you from having the whole ladder come down on top of you. I don’t have pics, sorry. The ladder was set a little too steep because of a railing on ground level below the window and my employee was holding it while I climbed. Any suggestions?
There is no regulation regarding having to tie-off when using a ladder. The employee of that company was mistaken.
You did well having your employee brace the ladder.
Thanks He Man. I wasn’t sure how to respond to them. There was no tie off point and I wasn’t going onto the roof. I don’t think they knew what they were talking about. They may have strict safety rules for their own employees and felt I should be safer. If I was any safer, I would have had my employee on the ladder and I’d be on the ground lol.
i wont enter into any chat with strangers nor allow my workers to chat with strangers when doing ladderwork. i almost fired one worker last week because she was footing the big ladder and decided to move from her important position to allow a passerby easier access on the busy street .it wasnt the first time and now she knows the next time she does it will be the last .
Great points, although the “boss” asked that he be tied off, not his ladder.
As you know, some commercial sites have their own rules. Stricter rules than the law.
Let her know that you are aware of the option that she gave, tell her why you didn’t do it and be comfortable moving on. Be okay with being extremely honest. You are the expert. You know why you didn’t do it- because it’s not necessary and not legally require. In fact, it may be more dangerous.
But one thing I want to stress is that you should never settle for your ladder position being too steep. It’s not professional or a good example. It’s less professional than skipping unsafe windows.
We as experts, always wanna get every single window, but the more experience you have the more you learn that it’s okay to say “no” to a window (or set of windows) that you are not prepared to clean safely. Learn from it and figure out how to do it safely next time.
Please do not kill yourself! Remember your family and friends love you and don’t want you taking risks.
One risk leads to two risks leads to a habit of risk taking. Don’t start that habit. You can really become addicted to over reaching, etc.
You hit the nail on the head. I make sure to mention that I will clean “All safely accessible windows” when doing phone estimates.
Only once, in a few hundred residential jobs, did someone have an issue with me not doing a window because of safety reasons. In fact, it wasnt a ladder issue either, it was a large (like 12x8) top-hinged storm bay window that was rotted out and I sure as hell wasn’t going to risk that coming down on me.
100% of homeowners that I’ve had to refuse a window on understand why I have done so, and usually admit that they didn’t think anyone was going to be able to do it in the first place. There are a lot of old, tall homes around here that the builders didnt take cleaning into account with when they designed them.
Its not worth the $10-$20 to risk your neck.
THAT BEING SAID
To the original poster, the best ladder safety decision i ever made was investing in a Waterfed pole, hence greatly reducing my time on ladders.
I had a full schedule that day and squeezed them in as they are a big client. I started early but they have employees working 24-7. I had not been there before and had no way to anticipate this issue. If they call me back, Ill do those windows first thing.
I think using a ladder for purposes not anticipated in its design is the most common cause of falls. Workers select among the ladders that are made available to them by the employer, but these are not necessarily what safety would dictate.
