08.10.2012

Scaffolds and ladders

Sent in from Coatepec, Mexico a man using a ladder and tower combination that warrants a spot the problems competition.
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On a busy corner in Coatepec, Mexico

Captured in the town square a man looks to be hanging onto the ladder with fear and trepidation, as well he might. Forgetting any traffic issues the thin tube steel tower is set up on a combination of casters and scraps of wood making for a distinctly dodgy base.

This is an old tower without proper ladder access, the platform consists of two ill-fitting planks- no toe-boards of course...
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The tower base leaves a lot to be desired

It then gets worse two large extendable ladders are balanced on one of the loose planks, one of them two work on the main façade while the other goes above the ledge on the nine or 10 metres high façade. Both ladders have been tied with rope to something on the roof and the shorter of the two ladders is clearly not in great shape and has therefore been lashed up to make it more rigid.
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Two ladders each own to reach a different place on the facade

The man on the ladder who looks less than keen to climb it, is wearing a skimpy looking harness, which shows there has been some consideration for safety, what he will attach it to though is anyone’s guess.
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The man looks as though he needs coaxing to carry on climbing

And all this on a busy street corner. No matter how you look at this it is one of the worst Death Wish examples we have seen for a long time. The chances of something going wrong are exceptionally high.

This is clearly a job for either a decent scaffold tower or an aerial lift, and not just for safety reasons, work speed and quality of work will both be dramatically improved with powered access.