Accidents involving ladders are quite commonplace, more so in the domestic and DIY arena than the professional one, although it seems that no amount of training will stop some people misusing their height access equipment.       

A roofer in Kentucky fell nearly 10 feet from a ladder, landing on his head and neck in what would turn out to be a fatal accident.  The man had been on site for less than an hour when the accident, which involved a co-worker, occurred.  The pair had been setting up two ladders on either side of the front porch of the property to take measurements.  As the man descended the second ladder, having communicated the measurements to his colleagues on the ground, the angle of the porch roof on the ladder apparently caused the ladder to kick out at the base, injuring the worker footing it and causing him to drop it.  The man up the ladder fell to the ground and was pronounced dead at a local hospital within three hours of the accident. 

The local Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation investigated the case and recommended that a site evaluation be undertaken in future prior to anyone ascending a ladder, that the ladder should have been secured to the house or the porch to stop it slipping and that more training should be given to staff in the use of height access equipment and fall protection and prevention.  The aftermath of this ladder accident was one fatality and a recommendation of further training and risk assessments to stop it happening again.

A man from Liverpool suffered a complete personality change when he fell from a ladder.  Brain injuries can cause all sorts of changes to a person's cognitive and emotional state, as well as causing physical difficulties and these hidden aspects are often the most challenging to deal with.  The man is now dealing with a drop in energy and chronic fatigue and even after nine months of rehabilitation he struggles with several tasks that we would normally take for granted.  His personality has also changed, and he is often irritable, irrational and angry.  The man’s son has become his main carer because he is able to calm him and connect with him when he is in an emotional state.  The son still misses the things he and his father used to do together, which they can no longer enjoy.  Luckily this ladder fall was not fatal, but the aftermath has had a huge impact on him and his family.  All too often the victims of ladder accidents are not just the person using the ladder, but their family and friends too.  They are left to deal with the consequences of a death, or the life changing impact it has on everyone’s life.

Unfortunately for Dubliner John Cunnane he had lost touch with his family and did not answer his front door, a fact that could have drastically changed the outcome of his ladder accident.  It is unknown exactly when the fatal incident occurred, and how it happened, but Mr Cunnane had drawn his pension up until September – his body was found at the end of October the same year.  Mr Cunnane's house had fallen into disrepair and he had attempted to barricade the front door with some concrete blocks, on which he had placed a step ladder.  His decomposed body was found entangled in the ladder, one leg trapped between the bannister and the ladder.  Quite what Mr Cunnane was doing at the time of his death is unclear: had he enlisted the help of a relative or neighbour he could have avoided this accident, or they could have been able to get help. had he maintained contact with his family – who did attempt to stay in touch with him.

The aftermath of this ladder accident is a death and a lot of questions for the family and neighbours who were unaware of Mr Cunnane's demise.  It is a cautionary tale that no-one should use a ladder alone, and if this is unavoidable, someone should at least aware or be around to get help should it be needed.  It certainly is a sobering thought that you could be innocently be doing a five minute job that most of us do without a second thought, for example changing the landing light bulb and fall down the stairs and become entangled in the ladder and potentially causing severe injuries.

Whether you use ladders professionally or at home, please take these stories to heart.  The dangers of ladders are very real and an accident can happen to anyone, even when, in the case of the Kentucky roofers, proper protocol is followed.