The Ladder Association recently crowned two men the ‘Ladder Idiots of 2014’ after the two were spotted dangerously working on a ladder whilst using a tractor excavator to gain extra height.
The image beat all others posted on Facebook by the Ladder Association during a year long campaign to identify the worst ‘ladder idiots’. In terms of Facebook likes and comments, this was the most successful and helped to raise the profile of ladder safety.
Ladder Association Communications & Social Media Officer, Michael Fern, said: “This year the public sent in more pictures of people dangerously working at height than ever before, and some of the pictures were among the most unbelievable we have seen. Along with the winner, one of the runners up also showed a ladder being used from inside an excavator, hinting at how worryingly common even ideas as ridiculous as these can be. Idiots on Ladders is a great reminder of the importance of training. Its message is clear – if you are using a ladder you must make sure that you are competent, otherwise you really are taking your life in your hands.”
The two men from Kent were working to repair a chimney stack and used the excavator to gain additional height. Already 20 feet off the ground, the one climbed the ladder to work on the repair, while the other footed the ladder within the bucket.
“Tragically we see all too often the results of people badly injured or killed from using ladders or working at height irresponsibly,” said James Gray, communications director at TB Davies Ltd.
He added, “The campaign underlines the importance of raising awareness of the correct use of ladders and steps. In the last two years we’ve seen a huge increase in interest from companies wanting to train their staff. We now run a series of ladder and scaffold training courses across the UK, accredited by both the Ladder Association and PASMA (Scaffold Towers).”
For the latest working at height advice or for further information about our range of new ladder, step and scaffold tower training courses, contact our sales team today on 029 2132 0000 or sales@tbdavies.co.uk.