Did you know that most falls happen off a ladder, not the roof?

It’s easy to think when you’re young and fit that getting up on a ladder to do any job around the home would be easy, BUT…

Ladders can be a dangerous thing.

Sure, the obvious is that you don’t have the ladder on an even surface, but maybe it’s not all that obvious that the surface is uneven.  As you climb the ladder, your weight alone could be enough to make your ladder lose balance, causing you to fall. 

Another safety precaution that is a little less obvious is how you secure your ladder at the top.  Imagine you have your ladder leaning up against the gutter, but you don’t have it secured in any way.  All it takes is a little lean to the left or lean to the right and the ladder will simply slide along the gutter.  Result again is you on the ground.

The last common “danger point” is when people are leaving the ladder to get onto the roof.  What most people do is they will get to one rung from the top and instead of stepping up to that last rung at roof level, they will step up AND over onto the roof.  Combine this with an unsecured ladder on an uneven surface and this is a disaster in the making.

We see people all the time trying to clean their gutters from a ladder.  When you are on a ladder you should always have 3 points of contact – meaning that you are well secured. The very act of cleaning your gutters – without having your ladder safely secured – reduces your point of contact from three down to two, maybe even one. 

It seems so simple doesn’t it? Just grab a ladder and a bucket and jump up and clean your own gutters. But as simple as it may seem, it is also potentially putting yourself at risk of a fall that can so easily be avoided.

Remember, this is not only limited to you climbing up a ladder.  What if you got the teenager down the street to climb the ladder, with a bucket to clean out your gutters?  What if that teenager falls?  Who is going to be liable for the medical expenses and potential damages if they fall?

At Gutter-Vac we pride ourselves on safety.  We are fully safety trained and insured.  So we know how to vacuum clean your gutters effectively and efficiently, with safety as our first priority. 

Don’t risk a fall, give us a call on 1300 654 253.

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