Even people who have been in the business for many years sometimes allow their common sense to get away from them when it comes to ladder safety and proper usage of a ladder. Sometimes people become more concerned with getting a job done for the sake of speed without spending enough time or attention thinking about safety. As a result, people end up doing silly and harmful things such as putting a ladder up on uneven ground. Sometimes it is important to brush up on the basics of safety, especially when it comes to tools that we take for granted, such as the common ladder. We expect our ladder to keep us safe up high, sometimes without remembering that we are in control of whether or not the ladder does its job.

Ladder Terms -

• Butt / Heel: This is the bottom end of your ladder, or the part that is actually placed down on the ground.
• Dogs / Pawls: This is a device that is attached to the inside of the fly section's beams, used in order to hold the fly section in its place once it has been raised.
• Fly: This is the upper section of any extension ladder, the part that is raised up into the air.
• Footpads: These are the rubber swivel parts that are attached to the butt of your ladder.
• Halyard: This is the rope that is used in order to raise or to lower the fly section of the ladder.
• Rail: This is the two lengthwise parts of the beam of the ladder.
• Rung: These are the cross members of the ladder, providing a foothold on which you can climb.
• Tip: This is the very top of your ladder.

There are a number of different types of ladders, including single ladders, folding ladders, extension ladders, combination ladders and step ladders. There are other types of ladders as well but these tend to be the most common out of all of them.

Before we get started on the ladder safety guidelines, you are always going to want to look over your ladder thoroughly in order to make sure that the integrity of the ladder has not been lost. When you are not around, a lot can happen to your ladder, so make sure that the integrity of your ladder has not been compromised since you last used it.

Before you lift or place a ladder, look up to find out what might be above the ladder such as power lines. Never simply raise a ladder without looking first.

You are always going to want to place your ladder on completely level ground. If you are not dealing with level ground, then you are going to want to put down some plywood and level your ladder on top of it to make sure that you are on a flat piece of ground before climbing your ladder.

Photo Credits: Bah Humbug

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Handy Man, Safety, Tools

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combination ladders, common sense, cross members, extension ladder, extension ladders, fly, foothold, getting a job, ground dogs, integrity, ladder rung, ladder safety, rope, safety guidelines, sake, step ladders, uneven ground