Congressman Falls 25 ft off ladder

[red]

Congressman spent night in ICU after 25 ft fall off ladder 
US Rep Greg Steiner was hospitalized Thursday in a Florida intensive care unit after falling 25 ft off a ladder while cutting tree limbs on his property in Sarasota Wednesday afternoon
Steube's injuries are still under assessment but not life threatening 

[samandothers]

Well execution of the task was lacking.  I kinda appreciate the fact he was doing stuff himself!

[Jeff]

Is he over 50 yrs old?

[Walnut Beast]

He probably was loaded and could have hired it done

[doctorb]

Doctorb's rule....and Jeff is quoting it.....

People over 50 shouldn't climb ladders.  You have no idea how many patients I have treated who have fallen off ladders.  The injuries and results get worse after 50.  I know, I know....there are tons of do it yourselfers on the FF (I am one of them). I got a snootfull from them when this first came up years ago.  And yes, I have broken the rule many times.  But I try not to.  Roof work and gutter cleaning are for the young.  Just my opinion....backed up by a career of putting people back together.

[Walnut Beast]

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/florida-rep-greg-steube-hospitalized-falling-ladder

You almost got his name right  44 yrs old

He's also a attorney and his base salary is 174,000 for serving as a politician 

[WV Sawmiller]

Jeff,
 
   I thought that prohibition on ladder use was for Forum members only. :D

[Jeff]

Its for forum members and anyone else I give a hoot about, and sometimes for me. I got nobody else to go up ladders on my behalf, but everytime I do, Bobby is in my head.

[barbender]

Ladders and trimming branches absolutely don't mix, at any age.

[Southside]

You do have to wonder if he fell or swept himself off with the branch. 

[Walnut Beast]

Hopefully the guy heals up ok! It just goes to show it only takes once up on a ladder or not without proper safety precautions or hiring the proper professional to get the job done. 

[Ianab]

You do have to wonder if he fell or swept himself off with the branch.

I'd suspect swept himself off with a branch... Leading to a fall.  If the FailArmy youtube channel is any guide. 
But yeah, ladders and tree trimming are a particularly bad combination, especially 25 ft up. 
I have pruned young plantation pines from a ladder, but that's a specific situation, and you don't go up 25ft.  :

[barbender]

The peak on the one end of our house is 30' up. I do NOT like being up there, or on the back side of the roof that is at a minimum 20' off the ground. I k ow that if I fall from up there, it will be life altering. 

[Stephen1]

I try my hardest not to go up ladders, if I do I always make sure someone is there to either go up or hold the ladder. 
Years ago when I was building the log cabin, I was using a small step ladder and I was coming down, I feel from the second from the bottom step and cracked a rib. Not sure if I was over 50 but I remember it coming up on the FF about the same time about the over 50 and I always tell people we are not allowed up ladders at our age. Everyone laughs at me. I had a friend , well off, CEO of a company fell off his roof and broke his hip, 10 surgeries and 5 years later he passed away on the operating table trying to fix that hip. 

[rusticretreater]

I don't go up a ladder leaning on a tree any more than 10 feet.  The idea is that I can jump off it when I lose my balance.  And I have once. The other part of the equation is the proper technique in cutting branches.  Folks usually think that gravity will just make it fall, but as we know that if it is unbalanced it can twist and fall in crazy ways.  

You tube has some vids of folks who messed up bigly falling off of ladders while working on trees.  And I know a family relation who broke both wrists in a ladder fall while trimming.  I went and spent the money to get the Milwaukee battery powered tree saw.  Not the greatest, but a good bit safer.

[Ianab]

The pine tree trimming is a special case, the ladder is specifically designed to dig in to the dirt, and wrap around the trunk, and you are cutting small branches, usually only 1" or so. Sawing through a larger branch and having it swing down and swipe away your ladder is the classic mistake. If you do that 25ft up, it's going to hurt. 

[NE Woodburner]

For about 25 - 30 years I cleaned my chimney once or twice a year, which involved an extension ladder up to the roof of my 2 story home, then climbing up the asphalt shingle roof to the peak. Never bothered me until one time when I was about 50 or just a bit older. I just had an uneasy feeling being up there and especially coming down the asphalt shingles to get onto the ladder. I was actually shaking a bit until I got on firm ground. It took me off guard as I had never felt the least bit uncomfortable on a ladder before. I decided then and there that I was done cleaning my own chimney or getting up on ladders that high. I paid a chimney service for a few years then had trouble finding a reliable service and purchased a unit that you can clean up the flue from the cleanout using a drill attachment.

I won't say that I have completely followed the no ladder over 50 rule, but I sure think about it a lot more. Biggest issue I have is stubbornness and not wanting to call someone to come help or pay for a service to do something I think am capable of doing.

[red]

Fear is your Friend 

[Patrick NC]

When I was younger I didn't think twice about ladders or heights. Now that I'm not 21 anymore and over 250 pounds I tend to shy away from ladders if I can. Last time I had tree work to do I did it myself,  but I rented a towable man lift. Well worth the rental cost. I'll probably rent it again when I start the roof on my new barn. 

[barbender]

A lift is a game changer. Expensive, but so much cheaper than the associated costs from bouncing off the ground 

[Southside]

A 12' or so fall at 21 broke my L5. I was absolutely in peak condition at the time. 

It's not always the fall, but how the sudden stop at the bottom ends things that counts.

[chet]

Personally myself I would stick with a ladder rather than trusting an aerial lift that I had no clues as to how it was used or abused or maintained.  

[Jeff]

Steve's Drunk and High DUI at Work (Arrested on Scissor Lift) - YouTube

[barbender]

😂😂😂

[Peter Drouin]

 :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

[thecfarm]

Steve, come on down!! 

[petefrom bearswamp]

 I modified the ladder rule to read over 85 I guess.
was on a step ladder three times in the last three days, but only 3 or 4 steps up.
Checked the level of planer and jointer shavings in  my chip wagon, checked one of my security cameras and changed a light bulb.
Foolish? yes but no other way to get it done in that time period.
Anything over  6' step ladder i wait until son who is 61 (perhaps I should tell him about the 50 rule) or grandsons ranging from 32 down to 26 are here.
Even at the low elevation I described above there is a pucker factor involved.

[Dan_Shade]

It's wise to be wise.   :D

I'm almost 50,and I think about the ladder rule every time I use a ladder.

There was a member here that died after falling from a step ladder. 

[B.C.C. Lapp]

Come on man! Dang it!  i know ma rights!    ITS JUST A SCISSOR LIFT!

I'd love to watch the judge's face when they bring him in for arraignment and read the charge.   :D :D :D

[peakbagger]

If I build the next house, its going to have hatch in the roof right next to the chimney and metal roof.

Per Osha, a ladder is for climbing, not for hauling tools up with you (use a rope and bucket), not for doing anything that requires more than one hand. Ladder needs to be tied off and if working from it the worker needs fall protection tied to a stationary source and the tie off needs a shock absorber. 95% of ladder accidents are basic violations of the rules.

I still can do roofs pretty comfortably. I usually tie off to the chimney. Next major project I will probably pick up an inertia reel.

I helped someone build a house who used a manlift for the roof. It was a big roof 32 wide by 60 feet long probably a 3/12 pitch. Definitely handy moving the plywood to right where we needed it and same for ice and water shield and shingles. The pain is it was not a flat lot and maneuvering it around despite 4 wheel drive was not easy. He had two of them at different times, the first year it was fairly new rig and worked well, the second time he got a beat up one from the same rental place, it was real sloppy to use. They were running low on equipment so it was this or nothing. He was glad when he was done with it. He was doing a lot of work solo with me helping on occasion and paying rent all the time so it was not cheap.

[Ianab]

Per Osha, a ladder is for climbing, not for hauling tools up with you (use a rope and bucket), not for doing anything that requires more than one hand. Ladder needs to be tied off and if working from it the worker needs fall protection tied to a stationary source and the tie off needs a shock absorber. 95% of ladder accidents are basic violations of the rules.

OSH have tightened up on builders / roofers here. If they are working on a roof a temporary safety rail has to be put in place. That's generally like scaffolding pipes from the ground up to a rail at waist height at the edge of the roof. Pretty quick for a scaffold crew to slap up, and then the ladders are clamped in place to that and it's all tagged as compliant. I guess it's an additional expense added to a re-roof, but if it prevents a broken neck it's worth it. 

Short term work like cleaning a flue or fixing a TV antenna is exempt, the law says "All practical steps to reduce risk". Getting a scaffold crew in to let you mount a TV antenna isn't practical.

[peakbagger]

I dont think US requires rails on the edges of roof as long as the crews are tied off with an inertia reel. Without fall protection there has to be safety barrier. A lot of my industrial clients did not have rails or fall protection and complained when I told them they needed them. They hire contractors to do the work up on the roofs and just get the contractor to take responsibility. On the last job they ran a permanent safety cable the length of the ridge pole and the contractor and employees were expected to put on a harness and use a retractable inertia reel. I was not worried about the contractors but expect one of the employees will end up on the ground someday.  

[metalspinner]

Speaking of congressmen
I was scrolling CL a while back and saw an ad for some roof slate tiles - $5 each. 
I responded and set up a meeting time. 
When I arrived and met the guy it turned out to be Tim Burchett, our congressman. But I didn't let on that I knew that. 
We went and looked at the pile of slate that was mostly buried in the mud at the bottom of a hill. I made him An offer on the whole pile and he agreed. 
He helped me hump all that slate up the hill to my truck. There was ALOT more than both of us thought and in the end I ended up paying about $2 each. 
While we were walking up and down the hill, I started asking him about the news of the day and his insiders opinion on it. 😆😆
This is what I've been making with the slate ...


 



 

[doctorb]

A 12' or so fall at 21 broke my L5. I was absolutely in peak condition at the time.

It's not always the fall, but how the sudden stop at the bottom ends things that counts.

Very true.  But consider what else you would have broken if you were 61.

[WV Sawmiller]

MS,

   Okay, I'll bite. What is that? A stretcher for cats or something?

[metalspinner]

😆😆
A fancy cheese serving board. 

[beenthere]

Who would eat cheese off that slate?

[metalspinner]

Well, I washed it first!

[Jeff]

Who would eat cheese off that slate?

Me!

[Ianab]

I dont think US requires rails on the edges of roof as long as the crews are tied off with an inertia reel. Without fall protection there has to be safety barrier.

Most roofs in NZ are low pitch (no snow load), and single story. So the temporary rail around the perimeter is realistically more practical than tying in. The roof isn't so steep there is a danger of sliding off, but a misstep near the edge could end badly.  But bottom line is "practical measures to reduce the risk". 

I didn't break the ladder rule at the weekend, but I don't know if riding up in a FEL bucket to trim some trees is OSH approved. Nothing bad happened, and the trees got trimmed so the livestock  trucks can get in the friends driveway without loosing aerials and chunks of fibreglass. It did seem a lot safer than climbing a ladder at least. Basically a redneck man-lift. ;)

[Don P]

Not saying I haven't but they are not a safe lift. A local man slipped in one and cut is hand off at the wrist several years ago while limbing from a tractor bucket.

[Southside]

To be legal it would have to be a manufacturer approved man basket and fall protection harness used with a tractor. They are actually pretty affordable and really nice to work in. 

[red]

The Congressman is recovering at home his injuries include a fractured pelvis a punctured lung and several torn ligaments in his neck 

[trapper]

Wasnt a ladder but last night attending grandson basketball game getting out of bleachers on the bottom step slipped and fell landing on my knee.  Hurts a lot if I bend it past 90 degrees.  Must have pulled a tendon or mussel.  This is the knee that had the knee cap removed 40 years ago. when a front end loader pulled out in front of me while on a motorcycle.

[barbender]

Dang trapper, that doesn't sound good😬

[Hilltop366]

Now who was it on here that was in the tractor bucket cutting branches and the branch hit the hyd leaver and dumped him out the bucket? 

[Ianab]

Now who was it on here that was in the tractor bucket cutting branches and the branch hit the hyd leaver and dumped him out the bucket?

Never said it was OSH approved, just 10X safer than a ladder.  ;) A bucket lift with a fall protection would be 10X safer again, unless the branch fell on it.... 
Still need to keep your wits about you.

[Don P]

Well, on the levers. Our Lull came from a masonry company. It had something come in the cab from above and wipe out the controls in its past. It is much safer than a tractor and bucket and I hope nobody was in there and that it didn't drop on anyone, keep your head on a swivel.

[Magicman]

slipped and fell landing on my knee. Hurts a lot if I bend it past 90 degrees.

Ouch!!  Hopefully you will be OK with R&R.

[Larry]

Now who was it on here that was in the tractor bucket cutting branches and the branch hit the hyd leaver and dumped him out the bucket?

I can take full credit for that trick.  Guess I could blame it on the ladder as I had to climb it to get in the bucket.

I now have a pole saw!!!!!  And accident free.

[beenthere]

The pole saw works until the limb is a few feet higher that is dead and threatening.. then the bucket trick is used with son lifting me in the bucket to cut off the limb.. such that it falls clear of the bucket on its way down. Not smart, but got the job done. 

When it didn't work well was when 16 yrs old and neighbor farm boy (24) and I were painting his Dad's farm buildings. 45+ ft to the barn eaves, 40 ft extension ladder placed in the bucket of a small Farmall cub tractor. To reach the eave height using a spray gun and not climb up and down to move the rigging, farmers son would slowly maneuver the tractor (crab walk sideways) while I stayed atop the ladder and shifted it along to the next spot to paint. Worked fine until a rear tractor tire dropped into a slight dip and the bucket moved laterally. Me, paint gun, paint bucket and ladder traveled down along the barn siding to come to a stop when the ladder caught a 12" diam post at the corner of the barn a few rungs ahead of me. Smashed up the ladder and I came to a stop standing by the post with my hand on top of the post. No injuries. Amazingly gentle stop and lucky as heck. Believe it or not, but it happened.

[Hilltop366]

My wife and I watch Chevy Chase Christmas Vacation every year. Just saying.

[Hilltop366]

There was a guy who worked for the phone company here, he was not inexperienced working with ladders and heights or pole saws etc. He wanted to trim some branches at home up higher than the pole saw would reach so he set up some metal staging and put on his safety harness and got up to the top and tied off and cut a large branch. The branch caught his harness rope and pulled him off the staging then the harness rope broke and he fell to the ground and died.

I have cut branches from staging with a gas pole saw before without a safety harness but have had a branch catch the pole saw and pull on it so I would not recommend even putting the pole saw harness on either, I would rather brake a pole saw than be dragged off the staging. Also cut the branches into shorter pieces too so they are lighter and less likely to catch things on the way down.

[Ed_K]

 Rita and I take turns on who's going up in the bucket ;).

[red]

Doctor b rule people over 50 Should Not Climb Ladders 

[doc henderson]

I thought it was for ladders over 50 feet!

[Magicman]

The last ladder that I fell off of was a 24'.  Luckily, I was on the bottom step.    

[Resonator]

When we cut the tree by Jeff's house, I did use something to climb it and tie the rope off. I won't say what it was, but it looked like a bunch of the capital letter "H", stacked up. (Yes I did it as safely as I could, and yes I'm under the age of 50).

[TreefarmerNN]

Doctor b rule people over 50 Should Not Climb Ladders

Hmmm, I violate that one by 20 years although the 40' ladder is mostly out these days.  Mostly because it's so danged much trouble to put up.  So is the 36" fiberglass but at least it's pretty rigid.

[Magicman]

36' extension ladders are the longest that I have ever handled, wooden and Fiberglas, but I was 50+ years younger then.  I don't even want to see a 24' now. 

[SwampDonkey]

I don't like to be up off the ground more than 6'. I ain't climbing no roofs.

[Magicman]

I have to get on top of the RV tomorrow afternoon. 

[doc henderson]

in trauma, we go back and forth.  used to be 14 feet and now I think it is 20 feet that makes it a level 1 trauma with great risk of death or disability.  It is good to have a spotter and ladder holder.  If you have used ladder all your life and became expert at placement and how to move, you are safer at 60 than a kid of 20 with no experience.  The other issue is not being overconfident and trying to make a ladder work that is not appropriate for the job.  My neighbor had a ladder on top of a narrow portable scaffolding.  the angle of the ladder pushed over the scaffolding, and he landed on the railing of a stairway.  he had life threatening rib fractures and a collapsed lung.  

[Ron Scott]

Government workers received hazardous pay when working 25 feet off the ground as well as when firefighting.