Just read of another roof accident in the middle of the state. Guy fell off a 14 foot roof and landed on concrete. Looks like he was lucky and got away with just a concussion and a broken arm. Dont have all the details. Am posting this as a reminder that these things happen, and usually because we get lax or try to do something we should not be doing.
Thanks for the reminder.
EVERY TIME you get out your ladder. PAY ATTENTION.
We all must develop the habit of being aware of our equipment, our surroundings and our movements.
Be Safe
I have known several adjusters who have died from falling off a roof.
Every time I climb on a roof, I think of you Bill.
I know what you have gone through and myself and my family thanks you for the reminder.
Yes, we need to be cognizant of our surrounding, equipment and pay close attention to our actions when climbing. We cannot allow ourselves to be distracted for any length of time. Thanks for the reminder Bill.
Bert
Thanks Bill Hope all is well with you
I am doing well. Thanks for all the well wishes. Update: he was a roofer installing re-roof. He lost his footing during the dry in and slipped. We need to be careful not only going up and down the ladder, but also up on the roof.
Good reminder thanks.
I wonder if he was using those telesteps?
It happened to me last week, I have been doing this for over 10 years and have always been careful. I put my ladder on a 2nd story deck to get to the roof at a steep angle. I checked the roof and was about to climb down and thought I should adjust the ladder so wasn’t so steep. I moved the ladder and apparently set the feet on a few granules of sand on the deck. I took 2 steps down and the ladder slipped. It was like slow motion, my foot slipped through the rungs, I lost my grip, flipped backwards and twisted hanging upside down, thinking I broke my leg as my fat *ss twisted around backwards and thinking great I can’t wait to hit the deck and break my elbow or wrist and then land on my face. I swear it was an act of God that the ladder top caught the drip edge. So was hanging upside down and backwards with pain shooting through my leg and back (my back hit the ladder when I flung backward, broken rib?).
I was able to pull myself up, untangle my leg and hobble down. I didn’t break the leg (yay).
I was by myself and managed to finish the last few minutes of the inspection and went home, then the pain really started setting in. Huge bruises on my thigh and around the knee and could not extend my leg. I spent most of the weekend in the Jacuzzi with red wine.
I limped around until Wednesday and now Friday my leg is still sore and my rib still hurts when I reach, cough or sneeze.
I did not go to the doctor to pay $$$ for him to say “that’s gonna hurt a while, take some Tylenol”
So the moral of the story is “No matter how long you have been climbing ladders, even if it is only 8 feet, pay attention and be careful!”
Sorry to hear that happened to you Michael. Hope you’re doing better today. Thanks for sharing. Yes, we truly need to be extremely careful out there.
Bert
Thanks for the reminder. Now where is Mike Meeker to protest using ladders as people can be killed because of them.
Every time I come down from a roof, I thank the man above to giving me the ability to provide for my family. Stay safe my fellow inspectors…
To me, it is the worst part of the job. No matter how long I climb ladders, I will never get comfortable with stepping off a roof onto the ladder. I wish someone could invent a wider ladder without adding weight.