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Warning: My old boss in Corpus Christi called my ladder setup a 'widowmaker' and he was right.
I was setting up a ladder on the side of the dredge pump housing to check a bearing, just like I always did. My old foreman, who retired last year, happened to be visiting the site and saw me. He pulled me aside and said, 'That angle is way too steep, kid. You're one slip away from a 12-foot drop onto steel grating.' He showed me the 4-to-1 rule I'd totally forgotten about from training. For every 4 feet up, the base needs to be 1 foot out. I measured my setup and I was almost at a 3-to-1. I moved it right then and there. Now I keep a tape measure clipped to my ladder just to check. Has anyone else had a simple safety check they let slide until someone called them out?
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fiona_murphy6mo ago
My buddy who does roofing almost got tagged for not tying off his ladder at the top. He was on a low slope and thought it was fine for a quick job. Another guy on the crew saw it wobbling and just walked over and hooked a strap on it without even saying a word first. That silent correction hit him way harder than a lecture would have. He said it was a total gut check moment that he thinks about every single time he sets up now.
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elliot_thomas826mo ago
Forgot to lock the wheels on a rolling scaffold once and a coworker just kicked the chocks under without looking up.
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