AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN!!!
« on: April 10, 2006, 09:30:18 pm »
Driving to the office this morning I was almost stopped in my tracks by what I saw. I had to laugh though  ;D  Sorry but I do have a warped sense of humour  :-[

Here was this guy up a very rickety ladder at a real nasty angle... the feet on a very damp uneven pathway. One foot of the ladder was on a slippy block of wood to try and level it. The guy was repointing the brickwork. Parked right in front of him was an... AMBULANCE!!!  How appropriate I thought.  Sorry but I just HAD to get evidence of this one for you lot.  This was taken on my mobile so the quality isnt good but it shows what I saw.



I honestly couldnt leave this guy to carry on in this way so I popped out of the car to have a word with him.. nicely of course.. ermmm you can guess what sort of response I got  ::)  BTW he didnt see me taking the pic.

Cheers

Andrew

jouk45

Re: AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN!!!
« Reply #1 on: April 10, 2006, 09:53:39 pm »
if the ambulance had to hit is ladder and knocked him off to his ijury, could he sue the hospital.

Morph

Re: AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN!!!
« Reply #2 on: April 10, 2006, 11:09:35 pm »
It sums up the problem we have with ladders and safety.

He is obviously needing a ladder, but is aware of the need to keep the public footpath clear.  In an effort to make it safe for the public, he has neglected to make it safe for himself!  This is what we ladder users do, time and time again.

It is not funny....it is dangerous and very sad.

With due respect Andrew, in the light of recent events, I am surprised you chose to post that you found cause to laugh.  On the other hand, laughter is often a release from stress....

Re: AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN!!!
« Reply #3 on: April 10, 2006, 11:38:34 pm »
PJ  I agree with you that it is indeeed sad.

The pic doesnt show it very well but there was plenty of room to place the ladder feet INSIDE the front garden where in the event of the ladder slipping the wall would probably prevent a nasty accident.  The ladder feet were actually on the path and the wooden plank used to level the ladder was right across the path therefore causing a hazard.

In fact I was very concerned for this guy's safety. When I mentioned to him that perhaps he would be safer by repositioning the ladder.. and I offered to foot it for him while he came down the reply was...  Go away... rhyming with duck.. off.. its my house and i will do what i want.  So I did go away but honestly it was just the irony of the ambulance being there at the time that made me smile.

I think the fact  that this guy was risking his life for the sake of saving a few quid by not getting someone qualified that he would have to pay and then ignoring well intentioned help and also being very rude made me angry if I am honest with myself.

And yes you are right.. sometimes when under stress re certain events innapropriate reactions happen.

Andrew


Morph

Re: AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN!!!
« Reply #4 on: April 10, 2006, 11:55:28 pm »
Sorry,
Andrew

No wish to offend you. 

Re: AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN!!!
« Reply #5 on: April 11, 2006, 12:01:51 am »
None taken at all PJ.

I can understand why you posted what you did mate.

I would probably have done the same myself.  I dont think I made the situation very clear in my first post.

Andrew

Ian_Giles

  • Posts: 2986
Re: AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN!!!
« Reply #6 on: April 11, 2006, 06:24:03 am »
Well it made me smile anyway Andrew ;D

Of course there is a serious issue there, but that doesn't stop it being funny!

Without the Ambulance in the frame you would have been posting that pic in a very different and very critical way.

Is the name of one of the national cleaning companies UPS? (or something like that)

Well I watched one of their employees with an open mouth as he cleaned the windows on a local police station.
A tired looking wooden extension ladder with aluminiums rungs (and the ladder was way to big for the job he was doing too)
He was standing on the top rung, on the tip toe of just one foot, with the other flung out to the side for balance.
He was holding on by his fingertips on one hand to a part of the window while he struggled to reach the pane up above his outstreched arm.

Nice to see that a national company equips it's employees properly and ensures  they are properly trained isn't it?

~Unfortunately it is the numpties like this that will hasten the end of the ladder.

Ian
Ian. ISM CLEANING SERVICES

geoffreyspecht

  • Posts: 485
Re: AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN!!!
« Reply #7 on: April 11, 2006, 12:57:23 pm »
thats got to be ocs ian

Re: AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN!!!
« Reply #8 on: April 11, 2006, 01:43:43 pm »
I see guys on ladders round here at all sorts of wrong angles! Just goes to show common sense does not come as standard!! ::) ::)