AN Hospital job, climbing off the last few rungs of a ladder into the loft space the ladder slips and slides away and I go dropping to the floor. The drop was about 12 feet. I'm laid on the floor in shock and a bit of pain. A patient waiting to see a Doctor [he's on a trolley and in a dressing gown] looks down at me laid on the floor moaning and says to me in a broad Yorkshire accent:
"Why lad, that's a q ****r job your on, tell me now how long can you keep that up". They took me into see the Doctor before him. What I remember was falling like this knocks the wind out of you, that dust from your overalls seems to shoot all over the place, that the ladder scrapes the wall and it needs to be touch up, and the weak spot is the second you rest your weight on the loft trap door and release the pressure on the ladder feet, this is when ladders slide. It happens, and can be prevented with a piece of rope-tie and a bit of common-sense. My fault entirely.
"Why lad, that's a q ****r job your on, tell me now how long can you keep that up". They took me into see the Doctor before him. What I remember was falling like this knocks the wind out of you, that dust from your overalls seems to shoot all over the place, that the ladder scrapes the wall and it needs to be touch up, and the weak spot is the second you rest your weight on the loft trap door and release the pressure on the ladder feet, this is when ladders slide. It happens, and can be prevented with a piece of rope-tie and a bit of common-sense. My fault entirely.