U.K. Ladder Association Identifies Biggest "Ladder Idiot"

The U.K. Ladder Association’s Idiots on Ladders campaign has a winner. Selected by the public via Facebook, the photo (right) shows a worker reaching up to the top of a chimney with a gaping fall directly below him. "Not only could the fall have killed him, but one commenter pointed out that his ladder still did not reach high enough to keep him from stretching upwards," the association explains. He also wedged a bucket between the ladder and the wall it is resting against.

According to Ladder Association Chair Cameron Clow, “Ladders are arguably the most common type of equipment used for work at height. This competition was all about raising awareness and ran alongside the Ladder Exchange, which offers people and businesses the chance to trade in unsafe ladders for new, compliant ones. We wanted to show together two of the biggest dangers in the workplace–people using their ladders in an unsafe way and people using equipment that is unfit for purpose."

View the complete Idiots on Ladders album here. Professional Safety's Safety Photo of the Month gallery also features many photos of dangerous ladder use. Check it out here.