Overheard a site safety guy say something that stuck with me

I was grabbing coffee near a job site last Tuesday and heard this safety guy tell a new hire "a ladder is just a tool, not a shelf." It made me think how many times I've balanced stuff on the top step or hung a bucket off the side. I realized I've been sloppy with little things like that for years. Has anyone else had a random comment from someone that made you change a habit on the spot?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_zara1mo ago

Wait, is climbing the top step really that dangerous?

gonzalez.reese1mo ago

Read a thing from some safety forum a while back where a guy slipped off the top step of a ladder and broke his ankle in two places... took months to heal. @the_zara, it's mostly about the ladder not being stable if you're standing on the highest rung or step, makes it way easier to tip over sideways. Plus you've got nothing to grab onto up there if you lose your balance.