23.08.2010

A telehandler foots a ladder

A reader in France recently came across an unusual application for a telehandler not quite a Death Wish but….

It looks as if someone using a ladder to gain access to the roof of a building has employed the services of a telehandler to retain or ‘foot’ it. However as well as parking the telehandler against the base of the ladder to stop it slipping back he has put the forks through a rung just over half way up. One assumes the forks are to prevent side slip?
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Footing and supporting the ladder

The user (or users) who was apparently on the roof also extended the ladder well beyond the roof to create a cantilever effect at the top which the telehandler would have held.
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A closer view of the mid point support

In the words of our reader: “I came across this little setup a few weeks back, here in central France. I'm not sure if the ladder is being stabilised by the telehandler, or if this was the security system to prevent it from falling. I actually looked for someone on the ground to talk to about this practice, but couldn’t find anyone. Either way it isn't going to work.”
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A view from the rear

While this ladder is probably going nowhere, the fork action at the midway point does create a hazard around which the user must climb, hardly sensible. We think that while this does not come very high up our chart of unsafe things we have seen, it definitely deserves to join our growing list of Death Wish photos. This is at least our 134th .