How to Use Ladders Safely | Ask This Old House

Sure easy with two guys

Hey guys I'm watching this. I guess if you're doing alcohol or drugs, FORGET ABOUT CLIMBING THE LADDER!!! ✌️

As a professional painter for 40 years,ALWAYS ALWAYS,,check first before raising your ladder if there's any high voltage cables running in your work area,that is INSTANT DEATH

My wife is a SLP that works with People who suffered TBIs and one of the most common accidents that lead patients through rehab to her is falling of ladders in trades.

that stepladder seems useless

that's really good video for use a ladder

now this is how home owners get killed lol.

This is a great video. Thank you guys...I just started working with roofers and this is so helpful because most workers don't give you the full version of ladder safety.

Me at 270 pounds " 250 pounds now thats alot of weight" 🫥

How high can an extension ladder go? Can I raise it to the last rung safely?

what kind of safety is this when you don't secure the ladder with something like a rope so it doesn't go sideways and to tie yourself with it so you dont fall back when pushing something like drilling or cutting

Real important that the feet are on secure ground. I had used my ladder many times to climb my one story roof. It had snowed one day and not taking a little
time to think I set my ladder up to clean off snow, not realizing there was a thin layer of ice on the concrete. I was at the top and started swinging my leg up to get on the roof when the bottom legs slipped away and the ladder fell to the ground. I smashed my face on it when I went down and was bleeding pretty good from the mouth. Luckily my wife was around and heard the crash and rushed outside and took me to urgent care to get stitches internally in the mouth. Needless to say I’m VERY careful making sure the legs are secure whenever I use a ladder now and put a bunch of heavy stones around them if using on concrete

What a thrill.

There's = There is

You guys forgot to add, when you extend the ladder above the roof edge, ALWAYS extended it half your body height for easy mount and dismount.

Wooden ladders that get wet do conduct electricity.
Ladders must be able to support 4 times their (complete) intended load.
Ladders are color coded for weight and category.
If the labels are not legible you cannot use it.
Ladders cannot be used in a horizontal position.
Extension ladders must extend 36" above the intended landing.

The rule of “three points of contact” also applies (of course) to rock climbing. Thx for the video!

Also the rule of angles helps a lot!

I always find something askew about how they speak to each other on TOH. Like clearly the content is for the viewer but they don't speak to us directly.

great video for us thanks. the screws on the spreaders of my aluminum ladder have rusted so badly that i can't open them, one spreader fell off today. my question is have you heard of anyone buying new spreaders and from where? or should I just buy a new ladder? Checked home depot, nothing. thanks.

And make sure wooden ladders are dry,wet ladders will conduct electricity

I am a trauma physician. Lots of ladder injuries.

In my opinion, you have it too steep. Not enough friction at the top to keep yourself from sliding sideways.

Omg, him swaying back up there. My palms are sweaty

Great information! Thank you for sharing.

He walked under it

How about a video on the proper way to carry a paint bucket up a extension ladder without breaking 3 points of contact?

This Old House is the home-owning dad you never had. Thanks, guys.

Always keep three points of contact….unless you like to talk with two hands while making a video at the top of your ladder.

Understanding how my ladder works......✓

My ungodly and unreasonable fear of heights.....F*ck

Its a ladder, not a laadda

After watching quite a lot of american made construction videos, I'm not surprised there are so many ladder accidents. Mobile tower scaffolding or full scaffolding to make the job safe is standard where i am in the uk. Generally, ladders are for access only, or small quick jobs if it can be done safely.

It’s like spray cancer on your balls… literally

Just watching this made me nervous. haha

I use copper ladders in the rain when installing electrics.

Guys these are extremely helpful thank you so much, nice humans 🙏🏽

New to this channel, I love this information. My question is on all ladders are you not supposed to go up the last step, because at my job I am pretty short. So I could never get to the top step and reach the stuff

The two feet and one hand rule would make seamless gutter installation nearly impossible and take way to long to complete. OSHA would've have had a melt down if they saw how we used ladders. Also that style off standoff is useless when your at the corner of a house. But over all these are good tips especially for an inexperienced climber.

Arms out trick...... Depends on how long your arms are... I am 50% Gibbon

One of the most dangerous aspects of climbing an extension ladder is the side to side movement. Because the ground is not totally stable in every location you move the ladder to (like mulched beds around a house). So, when going up an extension ladder, go up one side a step or two up to see if the ladder starts to go to that side. If it does, the ladder needs to be repositioned. If that side is stable, test the other side by going up a rung or two. If both sides seem stable, the ladder should not shift right or left as you climb the ladder.

WTF? They glossed over the multi-use ladder! Didn't even talk about using it in it's extended position!

No mention on how to dismount from the top of a ladder to a roof surface safely.

When describing the proper angle, you said one foot out for every 4 feet up. Then you said your ladder was 32 ft high and therefore should be 4 foot out. That’s 1:8, not 1:4.

Add dismounting to transition on and off roof thanks

Great video

My house is only ONE STORY and use a 14' orchard ladder to step onto the roof of my house. Most stable ladder I've ever used. Only use on soft ground surfaces where legs can dig into dirt. 14' length extends about 3' past edge of roof.

That stabilizer could you put that about 3 ft lower from the top when climbing on a roof ?

Good job, guys❤

hey class!

horrible accent