Matt,
Even though you're working as a contractor... I think the cable company
should give you some guidelines.... types of ladders required, safety
equipment, and ladder use as far as safety. OSHA has strict guidelines
that
cover both industrial and construction trades and use of ladders. You can
check the osha site www.osha.gov and do a search on 'ladder' you'll
find
plenty
generally... Fiberglass only... Karl said it already... you can not use
aluminum ladders in the proximity of potential electrical shock (which is
where you will be)
when buying your ladder, consider (again as Karl said) the heavy duty (Type
1-A) or super heavy duty (type 1-AA) you also have to consider the weight
of you PLUS what you're carrying up the ladder.
Since you'll be working on cable strung on telephone poles and not always
in
city streets you might not have this option.... but usually the safest
distance to set up a ladder from what it's leaning on is a 1/4 ratio... the
base should be 1/4 the height away from the wall, tree, pole, cable.
i.e.... if you're extended 20'.. the base should be 5' away from the wall.
when you get your ladder up and stable at the bottom... plumb and square to
what you're climbing against... should mention here... if you're on flat
concrete... make sure the rubber feet are flat on the concrete and
secure...
if you're in hard dirt/gravel ??? I'd kick the feet up and there are
usually teeth on the edge of the rubber foot that will dig in to the
dirt/gravel... levelers are nice to have on uneven ground and a top
stabilizer is also sweet for giving the ladder a wider footprint up high...
these can be found at big box stores as well as ladder supply stores...
check out www.wernerladder.com for some more stuff
make the first trip up the ladder with nothing but a piece of rope or wire
and secure the ladder at the top... I'll bet most times you'll have it
leaning against the messenger cable that supports the TV cable... tie it
securely to that line...
Keep your hips inside the confines of the ladder legs... this will maintain
your balance and lower the chances of a fall and the ladder kicking out to
the side from under you.
Safety equipment is tough on a ladder... fall protection is difficult to
rig
when there is nothing above you to hook to (need to invent sky hook).
OSHA
says you need a full body harness with retractable lanyard ( around 200
bucks) when you're above 6 feet... but without something substantial to
hook
to, it's just extra weight... if you're leaning on messenger cable you
COULD
hook onto the messenger... the retractable would stop your fall in about
24"... will the messenger handle 5-6 times your body weight (estimated
shock
in a fall) ??? that's a hard call without a test... and the cable co.
probably doesn't want strain/fatigue test done on their live
cable/messenger
:-)...
there's probably 'bout a hundred other things to consider... but I'm tired
of typing
good luck...be safe
BTW can't really help on the ladder rack except to suggest a google on
"van
equipment" or 'truck racks" there are outfits that sell them. you got
12'
of ladder unextended.... that's a little more than I'd want to put on my
Tahoe cross rails...... maybe Yakima has something substantial.
John Niolon
Safety coordinator for
J.D. Morris Construction Co.
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