My foreman roasted me for using the wrong ladder height and saved me a hospital visit

I was setting up for a siding job on a two-story house in Portland and grabbed my 16-foot extension ladder. Foreman walked over and said 'you planning on reaching the roof with that or just getting halfway and falling?' Made me swap to a 24-footer. Changed my whole setup because a 16-footer forced me to overreach and lean way off center. Now I check the rule that the ladder should extend 3 feet past the roofline minimum. Has anyone else had a boss call out a bad safety habit that became permanent?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_tessa19d ago

I read somewhere that like 60 percent of ladder accidents happen because people use the wrong size. Your foreman probably saved your ass for real.

murray.cora19d ago

Geez, I honestly used to think any sturdy ladder would do the job as long as you're careful. But seeing that stat laid out like that, it's hard to argue with the numbers. Guess it really does pay off to match the tool to the task before you climb.