What Goes Up Must Come Down

One of the greatest minds in history and an important figure in modern math and science, Isaac Newton, once said “what goes up, must come down.” Now, while this was a statement about what would eventually be known as gravity, its scope extends well beyond Sir Newton’s primary area of expertise of natural philosophy.

But sometimes this is not just based on gratify , it can be based on faulty items

I have been involved in renovations for about 4 years, but its not your typical D.I.Y type work. I have over the 4 years renovated 4 houses. I have also done some work for friends. neighbors and family.

Some of the work has been hazardous, some involved working at height and this article is more about working at height. I am well used to ladders but like everyone who has used ladders things can happen completely unexpectedly. My main ladder for many years has been a Mac Alister Aluminum Combination Ladder – primarily because the combination can really cut down the amount of ladders needed

Clever designs with the extension reaching 5.2m (17ft) position 2. The ladder was always stable in position1 but position 3 I had a few incidents with the stability. Up to recently I would admit that previous falls from this ladder I would consider self stupidity and never chanced what I had done with the ladder again. once bitten twice shy.

After completing the renovations inside the house my next project was to remove a Sycamore tree from our back garden. In Ireland you are prohibited from cutting trees between March and September, serious legal offense. This tree homes about 40  to 50 crows. They have multiple nest in the tree. The ground beneath the tree is destroyed and the noise from them can start at 5am and continue all day, it is seriously loud. And then you get territorial fights between flocks of crows which increases the screeching to an unbelievable level. We tried nearly everything to scare them off from colored ribbons’, flashing lights, shotgun discharge and even having Anita’s Mum stand in the back garden. But nothing deters these noisy shitbags. It means that during good weather (which this year in Ireland was rare) we can’t hang out clothing to dry. Even on the few good days sitting in the garden would result in headaches from the noise.

The tree is actually on a boundary with the local church. So I called the Parish Priest and discussed removing the tree. The Parish council agreed that the tree needed to be either completely removed or trimmed right back but they said the couldn’t afford to pay for this work.

We decided to get quotes to trim the tree, like every other trade it can be challenging trying to find suitably trained people, we made a number of calls to local tree surgeons and only managed to get one quote for €1200 to trim the tree. If I had €1200 to spare I could pick a large number of jobs to do and none would include this tree. So on the 1^st of September I decided to start trimming the tree using my ladder to reach the overhanging branches. And yes it worked. I would place the ladder in position and secure it to the tree using grab ropes.

This ladder has a maximum weight capacity of  150kgs I am just under 80kgs so its not about weight. Basically the ladder snapped. I had placed the ladder in a safe position and was on my way up to secure it to the tree when I felt the ladder shake. Is was too far up the ladder to safely return and faced very few options. My instincts told me to move up to secure the ladder but with my next step up I felt the ladder snapping. My mind suddenly started running through “best way to land” as I knew it was coming. Instinctively as the ladder gave way I kicked it away, falls alone can do damage to your body but the remaining aluminum landing on top of you can increase injuries. I hit the ground hard but managed to walk away with bruises and nothing broken, except for the ladder.

IF YOU LAUGH YOUR GOING TO HELL !!!

 

This was caught on video by one of our external CCTV cameras. It was pure luck that I landed the way I did and not have serious injuries. The previous week I had replaced our satellite LMB on our roof, I had used the ladder to get up to the roof, if it had collapsed then I would have hit a solid concrete surface and not the soft ground that I hit on Sunday.

Its strange the way our minds work, my brain was muddling through options, Do I attempt a rapid decline back down the ladder and risk falling backwards ? No my back could be seriously injuried, attempt the climb faster to grab the tree ? Yes but the sudden sound of a snap from the ladder changed that idea. Kick the ladder away as soon as it starts to crumble ? And yes I did. Then in seconds it was How do I break a fall like this ? Let your body respond to that. And of course it was also Oh Fuck ! 

I hit the ground in a semi sitting position, not the best way to land as the impact could damage the spine.. My arms shot behind to try cushion the fall and as I hit the ground they moved to cover my head.

Ended with a bad cut to my forehead a sore wrist and bruising to my back. I spoke to my doctor a few days later and after viewing the video he laughed. His first question “Was it a cheap ladder ?” No it wasn’t.

I did however decide that the ladder had to go, so about an hour after the fall I introduced the ladder to my angle grinder. I bought a really solid ladder the next day

I decided that the only safe way to trim the tree would be to hire a Cherry Picker. The tree itself stands a risk of snapping over the winter and it needs to be sorted.

I got hold of a cherry picker last week, It was basically a boom arm with a bucket. However the buckets turning control was faulty and I should get the replacement unit on Tuesday. Either way this tree is going to look different before the end of October.

Anita’s reaction to the fall was

But not this time dear !!!!!!!

These ladders are dangerous as they should not be able to snap like this. And before any comments the ladder was not beyond its safety height and was within the 3 step safety guide.

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