[Dean Taberner]

2 years ago I fell from my ladder breaking my right leg, shin and ankle and also both of my feet. It was not good!!! Has anybody on here suffered an injury whilst window cleaning?

Luckily for me I had a good insurance policy but I was off work for nearly a year!!

[Jeff Brimble]

Maybe the majority of the ones that have broken bones or been seriously injured are no longer window cleaning or dead and therefore not on this forum to answer.
I voted not yet ! and from a risk assesment of the incedences and likelyhood of a fall - I went WFP

[RPCCS]

Currently off with fractured ankle due to a fall 3 weeks ago, fell off in 1990 fractured my heel and was off for 5 months.
6 years later I had another off through trying to be quick and over reaching ,that resulted in a fracred wrist and 4 weeks off.

[tomy jackson]

iv bean of 3 times but bounced so thats why i got wfp

[Simon_King]

Currently off with fractured ankle due to a fall 3 weeks ago, fell off in 1990 fractured my heel and was off for 5 months.
6 years later I had another off through trying to be quick and over reaching ,that resulted in a fracred wrist and 4 weeks off.

Take the hint.....look at going water fed. Next time you might not be so lucky.

[dave0123]

Iv fell off and banged my mouth on the side of the ladder if that counts! it actully moved my tooth slighty! 

[paul hughes31]

the ladder has gone from under me twice over 7 years back, i landed on my feet both times since then i have had spikes on the ladder's not happened since also in the process of going wfp, it's a slow process but will pay off in the long run.

[Jeff Brimble]

Yes it will pay off but.... hurry up !  Put it on plastic.

Dean and evryone I am really surprised how many have been injured- 
Save your lives go waterfed.... and quick !

[Clive McDonald]

I'm wfp but use ladders for hard access and gutters. Ladders have gone from under me yes.
I use wfp to clean gutters, but if they are blocked especially the down pipe going up to sort it is all I know.

I noticed the diy gutter vac post but was a bit stumped(you may have noticed i think i'm a clever dick), and I know jeff specialises in gutters. So hows it done jeff?
Without ladders?

[Ian Lancaster]

Yes it will pay off but.... hurry up !  Put it on plastic.

Dean and evryone I am really surprised how many have been injured- 
Save your lives go waterfed.... and quick !

I thought it was some sort of initiation ceremony

1977 - a window sill collapsed when I leaned on it.  It threw me off balance and I fell 18ft onto concrete.

Broke both ankles and both heel bones - right ankle still has a steel staple holding it together.

18 months off work, then told I'd have to do a "sitting down" job for the rest of my life.

 : : :

Still walk a bit sideways and have problems getting footwear to fit my weird feet.

Made up my mind then not to fall again, it hurts too much

Every time since then that I climb a ladder (or do anything at height) I do a "mini risk assessment" and make sure I've done everything possible to avoid a repeat performance.

[eddie d]

 had a fall 10 yrs ago .
broke the talus in my foot ,shattered  completely .had  bone taken from my hip and grafted in my foot.and all pinned together with 3 pins which will remain forever.

at the time they only gave me a 20% chjance of keeping the foot.frightened the life out of me.

was off 8 months .i put the healing down to coral calcium which my dad supplied at 50pounds a pot .the surgeon said my recovery was remarkable.

still do not have full use of the foot but am able to run 1/2 marathons and stuff.
luckily my misses had me insured and a couple m8s kept the work going .

didnt stop me laddering for a further 6/7 yrs until poles came out.
but ive lived to tell the tale  

[paul hughes31]

Yes it will pay off but.... hurry up !  Put it on plastic.

Dean and evryone I am really surprised how many have been injured- 
Save your lives go waterfed.... and quick !

i ve bought the system 2 weeks back so just in the process of converting my work...

[Dean Taberner]

Yes it will pay off but.... hurry up !  Put it on plastic.

Dean and evryone I am really surprised how many have been injured- 
Save your lives go waterfed.... and quick !

I thought it was some sort of initiation ceremony

1977 - a window sill collapsed when I leaned on it.  It threw me off balance and I fell 18ft onto concrete.

Broke both ankles and both heel bones - right ankle still has a steel staple holding it together.

18 months off work, then told I'd have to do a "sitting down" job for the rest of my life.

 : : :

Still walk a bit sideways and have problems getting footwear to fit my weird feet.

Made up my mind then not to fall again, it hurts too much

Every time since then that I climb a ladder (or do anything at height) I do a "mini risk assessment" and make sure I've done everything possible to avoid a repeat performance.

Terrible injury!!!!!

Ive got 5 pins in my right ankle that will never come out. Well so they say. Ive just invested in the trolley system wfp and have staff working for me so my ladder days are hopefully behind me.  Ill need to attend the gym more often though now to maintain my athletic physic

Dean.

[Jeff Brimble]

Eddie
Please explain coral calcium or link ?

Discount, I have taken a 5 year long term view of gutter cleaning and am probably  where I was 10 years ago with wfp. Its 1/3rd higher than windows and you cannot mess about with height.
Kev is the expert and what he says about the Omni system I have since found correct- there is just something about the alu tube and the etc thats simply better than my diy.

[Wayne Thomas]

I've come crashing down on a ladder 3 times.
Once the ground was on a dry slope  but turned slippery when I was up my ladder because the customer had just watered her potted plants making the surface very slippery. The other 2 times I had to rely on others to foot a ladder for me who both walked off allowing the ladder to slip on me.
I would never ever have anyone foot a ladder for me now, I would rather use stabiliser devices and tie a ladder off, even if I was 3 levels up for gaining access on to a flat roof.
When I fell off I had to get back up the ladder somewhere safer at the earliest opportunity to overcome the nerves, then go home to lick my wounds for the rest of the day.
The longest I was off work because of a fall was a week with bruised hands and knees.
Also had a sill collapse on me (3 stories up) because the wood was absolutely rotten despite it being held together with a lick of fresh paint that I just managed to catch my balance and save myself from falling.
WFP has certainly made my life so much safer nowadays for which I'm truly grateful.

[eddie d]

jeff/
its just a form of calcium which comes from coral .very potent .
comes in sachets which you put in a bottle of water or  powder which you add to your food .
just done a web search and seems to be a lot about it .good stuff.

[Cleaner Windows]

fell off and landed on concrete steps, tangled my feet in the ladder and some toes squashed between ladder and steps, broke my right foot and few toes here and there. I am very carefull now 

[Glyn H]

Personally I was very fortunate, knocked out by a squeegee droping on my head from the guy working floor above me, and this caused me to fall from small pointer but not injured.
Guys I worked with had falls whilst I was working with them one fell onto conservatory roof and luckly didnt go through it but rolled off onto the ground few bruises. Another guy fell from ladder but his leg went through a rung so he was hanging upside down - very badly bruised ankle and shin, the same guy fell from a window sill when it colapsed on a job in Victoria luckly he landed on his feet on window sill on the floor below - all of us including the office staff that saw him fall were shook up but he was uninjured, same guy had ladder slip whilst we were working in Battersea, he jumped at the last minite and just had bruises- Same guy again..... had cable snap on a cradle again not injured physically..... Luckly he has now retired from window cleaning to run a Hotel.

[simon knight]

Been using ladders for 4 years now and not even come close to a serious mishap...mind you I'm certain the law of averages says eventually something will happen. Only hope it won't be catastrophic!

Generally if I  "feel" unsafe up there then I probably am, so I get down asap and pole it. Doesn't do as good a job, but then Mrs Smiths windows being pristine ain't worth my life!

[alan andrewswestsi]

i broke my spine when i got knocked off a ladder by a mobile crane when i was a roofing contractor , spent 6 months in hospital and they had too resuscitate me twice in icu , so ladders no way , only for getting over gates , to be honest any one who uses a ladder and not wfp is an absolute idiot . regards alan