Assignment 1
I have attached a picture of an telescoping ladder.
It is 14 feet long.
It is portable and in excellent condition, however; I wouldn’t use it because of the safety complaints.
Assignment 2
I have posted a picture of two people trying to go up an extended ladder, at the same time. This is improper use and is unsafe. For a team in haste to get the job done, safety must still be first. One person at a time.
I found this telescoping ladder. It’s a Type I , rated at 250lbs and 17ft. Might come in handy, they are very easy to transport.
I read “A Garage Inspection”. It seems as if people forget that the garage is still part of the house and must adhere to codes. I’ve always noticed unacceptable electrical work in garages.
This is a pic of the little giant, the ladder I use for inspections, and all around different items.
Versatile, able to convert to a 8’ step ladder or use as a 22’ extension, uses on stairways is a plus
At 40lbs. and able to fit in the bed of a truck makes it very convenient and has the 300lb duty rating
As a home inspector we should educate the home owner, on the importance of maintaining attic pulldown, insulating above and replaceing the old worn out wooden ladders with the new aluminium lighter weight ladders.
Also noting the weight maximums just as if using a regular ladder
Starting the course and refreshing my memory on ladder safety.
Ladder Safety Training
As a commercial building inspector I have several pictures of un-safe situations, I literally see them all the time. When it came time for the picture/essay for this course I had several pictures to choose from. I came home today and saw the granddaddy of them all. My neighbor was attempting to take down his Christmas lights from a pitched roof section (approximately 15’ high) using a 6’ step ladder. In case you’re wondering, he is not the tallest man on earth. I told him that I was taking a course on ladder safety and wanted a picture of his situation. He, obviously, refused to be in the picture, but reluctantly allowed me to get a picture of the situation. After acquiring the Pulitzer winning photo, I loaned him my 20’ extension ladder to accomplish his task safely.
I read the forum on visual inspection of concrete, in a sense to test my knowledge. I have been inspecting concrete for 16 years and thought I already knew what I was going to read. However, I was very pleasantly surprised to see the depth of the article. A huge part of concrete that is often overlooked is the soil preparation prior to concrete placement, specifically if you’re dealing with clays. This article is very in depth, and a must read for anyone who would like to improve their knowledge of concrete prep, reinforcing, mixing, and placement. Being an inspector I am by nature picky. The only topic the author missed was admixtures, specifically in lieu of additional water on the job site for increased workability and combating various other issues. Well done article.
Ladder Safety
This ladder is a telescoping ladder, it is very convenient ladder to use. They say the locking pins are easy to wear out because of the moving parts and there is no way to be sure of checking the locking pin to see if they engage. After examining the ladder, I found that if you look at pins when sliding it out you can see if they lock, you should always be safe and examine any ladder you or going to crawl up. Just think would I jump from that height? You just might have to.
Doing Damage it is our job??? but it is
Well the first time I heard this statement I was shocked! Because as a inspector you would thing “I want to leave the home like I found it”. But working for the buyer or seller, it is a advantage for something to wrong during the inpection. That being said to debate this when the situation arises is to be convincing to who ever is the unlucky party. You would feel like you should pay but don’t, better to brake now for the buyer, sucks for the seller. So stand your ground if you give in it will cost you some$$$ and that sucks for YOU!
When Inspecting a chimney. It is best to use your ladder to safely access the roof where you can get an easier view. (providing the roof is safe). I don’t think it will be very safe to extend out, over your ladder, to get a better view of the chimney.
In an article names “Ladder Safety”, there are five major factors in ladder accidents. The accident that i can identify with the most is not setting the ladder up properly. I tend to get in a hurry and set the ladder up in places that could be considers a hazard. Example would be soft or uneven ground. This course has reminding me that ladders can be a major hazard and all it takes is one bad day to or one misjudgment to chance your life.
LAdder Safety
A surprising statistic about ladders is the United States has the highest amount of accidents and fatalities involving ladders in the world. This is probably because we have OSHA regulations the require the tracking of injuries and accidents from falls while using a ladder. It is interesting the number of fatal accidents involving ladders has tripled over the last decade. We should be asking ourselves why this is happening. Ladders have been in use for centuries, yet the spike in deaths is a fairly new phenomenon
The ladder in this picture is a Fiberglass Type 1A rated at 300 lbs. It is set at the right angle and is set correctly against the house. Ladders should always inspected to ensure that are safe to use. All ropes pulleys and catches should be in working order.
Ceiling fan in main living room appears to be in working order. Lights function properly as does the fan. However, the motor is loud and makes a grinding sound with in operation. Inspected closer using step ladder and discovered a small metal object lodged inside venting area. Recommend further inspection before use.
Note: Step ladder was set at proper positioning when in use and inspector did not use the last two steps of the four foot ladder.
Attic Pull-Down Ladders
Written by Nick Gromicko
Attic pull-down ladders are the most commonly installed improperly. Many times attic pull-down ladders fail due to improper installation. Improper screws and contact points are just two of several common mistakes homeowners incur when installing attic pull-down ladders. In order to secure a save environment, reading and following instructions while using the provided hardware for installation is highly recommended.
In this image I observed the improper use of an extension ladder. During the building of a popular franchise restaurant. You can see in the image an extension ladder extends across a scissor lift to the roof. this is used as a type of scaffold in it’s application. Also noted that no fall arrest system was in place for a three story structure. Ladder in the bottom of image does not extend 3 feet above the roof and is not tied off. There are so many horrible things that can happen in this one image. Not related to this image on the same job site is the back hoe which was used to support a scaffold leg so metal siding could be completed over an excavated area that was over 4 ft in depth with no shoring. I attempted to contact the site foreman to discuss my concerns about the safety of his employees. The man could not speak English or at least acted like he could not. I contacted OSHA and submitted all the images I had taken around the job site that were potential hazards. I never received a call back nor did I see any improvement in following days till completion on this site.
I observed in the image gallery 2 men attempting to climb a ladder at the same time. The safety of both men is now in jeopardy because second man attempting to climb. Proper technique would have been second man secure the ladder as the first ascended. Then once the first man stepped off the ladder he could hold and sturdy the ladder from the top as the second man ascended.
Hi! This is my first post. I have been reading about ladders and ladder safety.
I am always nervous about ladders, so I appreciated the tip about using a bungee to attach the ladder to the guttering, etc. That way when you’re moving from the roof to the ladder, you are less likely to accidentally push the ladder away from the roof as you are getting on it. This always feels like the most dangerous step of the process to me. I also did not know about tipping the shoe backwards to dig into the soil for better traction.
I also appreciate learning about extension ladders. I didn’t know such a think existed, and it would be nice to have something that compact.
Thanks!
Jennifer