Just a question

[cschmid]

Now I will have to research this tomarrow..I remember reading your ladder has to be tied at the base and the top after 10ft..you do not have to be tied off but the ladder does..I must check it out..

 

[ItsHot]

falls / heights

falls / heights

Scaffolds are the number one cause of worksite injuries. I know a lot of people in this trade that are afraid of heights. If you happen to fall be sure to jump up real fast before you hit the ground!! Be careful out there!

 

[1stYearElectrican]

When instructed in a safety course of this , I did state to the instructor : ok so you have to be tied off over 10 ft, so if this is the rule how does one get tie off over 10 ft without breaking the rule???


Here is the OSHA For my area:

http://www.assembly.nl.ca/legislation/sr/regulations/rc961165.htm



Safety belts and lifelines

60. (1) Where it is impracticable to provide adequate work platforms or staging, the employer shall ensure that fall protection systems are used by all workers employed over pits, shafts or moving machinery and by all workers working at elevations greater than 3.05 metres above grade or floor level in accordance with current standards of the C.S.A. Code with respect to fall protection and fall protection systems


For the OP: This is the rules for my area/country, you have to check the laws governing your area on this.

Refusal to work

22. (1) The assistant deputy ministers shall be notified of a refusal to work, where the problem has not been resolved by the employer, and that problem is passed to the occupational health and safety committee, the worker health and safety representative or the workplace health and safety designate.

(2) This notification may be made orally but shall be followed up in writing.

(3) Where action has been taken by a worker to exercise the right to refuse to work under theOccupational Health and Safety Act, the employer shall not assign another worker to perform those duties unless the substitute worker has been informed of the prior refusal and the reason or reasons for that refusal.


I do believe that rule 60 covers the tie off over 10 ft, for I really hate the OSHA website that we use, very unorganized, hmmmmm just like the code book


~FyE~

 

[wawireguy]

I've worked with numbnut electricians that thought you should trim stuff hot also.. Don't listen to anyone that tells you to not work safe. 2nd step down from the top of the ladder, meaning you aren't balancing, you are supporting yourself on the ladder. No higher. No two people on a 24' ladder unless it is designed for it. No doing stupid illegal stuff that will get you killed or hurt. You'll start to notice the dumb(fill in the blank) on jobs you goto. They'll be the guys that have been injured more than once and seem hell bent on doing it again. Stay away from those people if possible. I always stand back when you get a group of electricians together moving heavy loads. Invariably they will rush in like the monkey's they are and haul ass trying to get themselves and or you hurt in the process. I just let em go at it.

 

[220/221]

I have worked with a couple guys who were seriously afraid of heights.

We were on scaffolding SIX FEET off the ground with a full 4' of planks (the good aluminum kind, not 2x12's. If I moved and shook the structure a little bit, this guy would drop to his hands and knees. Needless to say I had some fun with him.

Another guy was a painter. I put him in my bucket truck and he was TERRIFIED at about 8 feet. I could jump up and touch the bucket and he was white knuckling the bucket.

Don't go up un a ladder if you aren't comfortable. Follow the rules and don't use the top two steps. Ever see a 3 foot step ladder? It has the warning sticker on the second step so basically you have a 1 foot ladder.

You WILL become accustomed to ladders with some experience. I stand on the top of ladders but I ALWAYS tell my guys to go get the proper ladder. It's not safe.

One funny thing that new guys do that ALWAYS cracks me up. They will go the minimum distance up the ladder and struggle with their task. I am ALWAYS laughing at them and telling them it would be a LOT easier if you go up one more step :grin:

In my reckless youth, I was standing on TOP of a 16" step ladder troubleshooting a tennis count light. The bottom of the light was just above my head. I opened the hinged panel to access the ballast/wiring and the removable 1000w ballast tray came swinging out by the wiring harness. It swung back, broke loose and hit he in the chest. It continued straight down taking out one of the ladder supports and taking a nice chunk out of the new tennis court surface.

 

[220/221]

when the legs on the front of the ladder just folded under

Come on now....details. Ladder legs just don?t fold over.



And....always tie your extension ladder off when you are working on the roof......on a windy day. It's really embarrassing to ask a passer by to help you get down.

 

[cschmid]

Come on now....details. Ladder legs just don?t fold over.



And....always tie your extension ladder off when you are working on the roof......on a windy day. It's really embarrassing to ask a passer by to help you get down.

details...dirt floor..ever been where you felt like in slow motion in action and you could nothing about it..what happened was the ladder was on the edge of a hard spot turned out to be a rock..my wieght caused the rock to roll and when the ladder slid off the edge it folded the leg up and ladder just collapsed..

I check it for solidness and everything but apparently I was mistaken..I can I should of any number of things but the point is I did not know about the rock and I paid for not being more diligent..

 

[LarryFine]

One funny thing that new guys do that ALWAYS cracks me up. They will go the minimum distance up the ladder and struggle with their task. I am ALWAYS laughing at them and telling them it would be a LOT easier if you go up one more step :grin:

Same here. It's hard to believe someone has to be told that. I've also seen it the other way; up a step too high, with the head leaned over to one side and the knees bent. Hurts me to just look at it.

I've seen some ridiculous acrobatics performed by guys too lazy to climb down the ladder and position it correctly. Even when there's room, they don't rotate the ladder so they can work facing forward.

 

[wawireguy]

Bottom line be safe out there. You'll get used to heights. Just take it slow and easy if your not comfortable. Remember there are a gadzillion contractors to work for but you only have one body.

 

[DanZ]

Try jumping off a cliff. Or the old dam wall at Eden Park in Cincinnati, OH. With a harness, rack and rope, of course! :roll: I have a hear of falling, and it took me 20 minutes of standing on the edge just to get comfortable enough to lower myself a step. :grin: It's something you really only get over by facing, so good luck, and stay safe!

 

[R Bob]

I've worked with numbnut electricians that thought you should trim stuff hot also.. Don't listen to anyone that tells you to not work safe. 2nd step down from the top of the ladder, meaning you aren't balancing, you are supporting yourself on the ladder. No higher. No two people on a 24' ladder unless it is designed for it. No doing stupid illegal stuff that will get you killed or hurt. You'll start to notice the dumb(fill in the blank) on jobs you goto. They'll be the guys that have been injured more than once and seem hell bent on doing it again. Stay away from those people if possible. I always stand back when you get a group of electricians together moving heavy loads. Invariably they will rush in like the monkey's they are and haul ass trying to get themselves and or you hurt in the process. I just let em go at it.

Best advice I've heard all day!

As for the OP, I would suggest seeking employment with a company and/or affiliate yourself with an organization that places a premium on your health and safety. Such a company would provide you with the appropriate safety equipment and provide training in its proper use. They should make sure that the environment that you are working in is as safe as possible. The cost of safety should be included in the price of the job.

I can't imagine anything worse than having to show up at your home and inform your wife, with your children playing in the background, that you died a heroes death while being a team player and saving the company money.

Sorry about the drama...I kind of got on a role! I, too, remember being told that if I can't learn to work things HOT that I needed to find another job.

 

[JacksonburgFarmer]

W

W

I dont like the high work either, but it is kinda part of the territory...unfortunatly. Spent most of this week wiring a turnhead on a 150 foot tall grain leg. 150 foot straight up, no cage, just a ladder. Was luckey to have a 3/8" steel cable running up for life line though. The "iron workers" or "millwrights" were working up there with no tie offs, saftey harnesses or anything. They would climb up the ladder not tied off, ride the crane hook up standing on the hook, holding onto the cable. I wouldnt do that, but that is their choice....

 

[iaov]

If you can not put get past the height issue you may want to try getting a job at a factory as an electrician, they usually stay close to the ground... usually..

But if you want to do electrical construction IMO you have to be able go up high.

High , hot, and irregular were part of my job discription in the factory, but we did have guys who managed to never get off the ground.

 

[Pennco Tech]

Problem with Heights

Problem with Heights

I myself am 6'3 and am not fond of heights when safety is an issue. If I have the proper safety equipment then I still feel wary of heights but can easily overcome it and get the job done. As far as standing on the top rung of any ladder I would have to say NO! A fall from as low as six feet is enough to kill you. Let alone from a 16 foot or taller ladder. If you are going to be an electrician and you are not comfortable with heights then you are going to have to get over it as I don't see how you are going to be able to do our job and not leave the ground from time to time. A good way to cure yourself of fear of heights is to go Sky-Diving like a friend of mine did. It cost around $150. This may seem a little extreme to you but it did work. For me I just use common sense and work safely.

 

[iaov]

I have never been comfortable with hieghts but it has never stopped me. I'm just very,very carefull when aloft. I did the sky diving thing years ago and it never did anything to make me more comfortable with hieghts. I heard somewhere that 50% of falls from greater than eleven feet are fatal. I believe this is an OSHA number. It is almost impossible to be an electrician and stay on the ground so if hieghts realy bother you , you might want to persue a different line of work.

 

[brian john]

I, too, remember being told that if I can't learn to work things HOT that I needed to find another job.

I have never worked for a company that insisted I work anything 'HOT". In fact every company I have worked for INSISTED the exact opposite.