Ladder Safety Tips

Home improvement expert Danny Lipford show you how to stay safe when working on an extension ladder around your home.

Danny: So Joe what are you into today. Joe: hey, Danny I'm just setting up this extension ladder because I have to work on the side of this were attaching the TV cable. Danny: Now a ladder can be a big source of falls around the homes. You can even make sure when you're working on your ladder set it up right, right off the back. Joe: One problem home owners often have it that bottom of the ladder has a tendency to slide away from the house as they working on it. To prevent of drive 2, 2/4 steaks in to the ground this about 20 inches long and the I screwed a 2x4 brace to this steaks. When you cut his brace, it’s always a good idea to make it about 12 inches longer than the width of the ladder and in this case, it’s about 28 inches long. Danny: Now, what about setting up in terms of the angle, I've seen some home owners that will stand it straight up, others that will try to make it real maybe too lazy. So what's the kind of a general rule thumb? Joe: Well what you want is the distance off the house to be about one quarter of the height of the ladder. So in this case you need about 12 feet tall of ladder, so it set this about three feet off the house. Danny: Okay, now another thing I've seen a lot is home owners painting the eves of their house or whatever and they're reaching out a little too far and the ladder slides and boom they fall over. Joe: Right, well the tip there is when on a ladder always keep your hips within the vertical rails of the ladder that will prevent it from sliding to the left or right. Danny: Okay, also when you're positioning your ladder make sure its on good solid ground, good leveled ground and not only any snow, ice or mud that can cause it to slip. And now if you follow these tips your work on the ladder will be a lot safer.