Mrs. Columbo!

[tex]

Hi Barbara,

If you think that this might help, would you mind showing this to Lou, or at least mentioning it to him?


Hi Lou,

Please don't take offense. I hope you can consider what I have to say with an open mind, and that you will accept this in the spirit in which it is offered - as advice from a friend who also sometimes uses ladders, and someone who understands their physical limitations, their design flaws, and the risks involved in using them. I have no doubt that you are well acquainted with those features of ladders also, and you probably have a lot more experience using ladders than I have. One of the differences between us, though, is that my training is in mechanical engineering, and mechanical engineers design ladders. They also design elevators, of course, but I recognize that you probably know more about the real world design and servicing of elevators, (and probably quite a few other things, for that matter) , than I ever will, but we're not talking about elevators here.

Trust me, if you do the math on most ladders, you would view them in an entirely different light. Don't get me wrong, ladders do have their place, and that's stored in the garage. Just kidding! I realize that they're hard to resist for some small projects, and as long as you're extremely careful when using them, you can usually get away with it. That doesn't mean that they're safe, however, even for small jobs. Statistically, if you spend enough time using ladders, sooner or later, your number will come up. It's that simple.

Look at what the professionals who work above ground level do - they use scaffolding, lift platforms, bucket trucks, etc., anything to avoid the use of ladders. Once you climb above 8 or 10 feet on a typical ladder, you're playing Russian Roulette with the stability of that ladder, and all sorts of things can go wrong, that will put your life and limbs in jeopardy, in the twinkling of an eye.

Just in my own circle of friends, I can count more than one death, due to the use of ladders. In addition, I can think of several who are now either physically, or mentally crippled, due to ladder "mishaps". All of these individuals were intelligent, educated, normally-prudent men, who had one fault. They trusted ladders for small projects.

One of them, for example, was a guy who owned his own business, had a wonderful family, and "had it made", by all rights. One weekend, he decided to put up a basketball hoop on the end of the carport, for his youngest daughter. I don't know if the ladder slipped, toppled, or whatever, but even though the fall wasn't all that far, the doctors barely saved his life, and he suffered enough brain damage that he was unable to function normally, and promptly lost his business, and virtually everything else.

Call me selfish, but I sure don't want to have to think about Barbara possibly having to look at her once strong and healthy, intelligent, and loving husband, and seeing a crippled shadow of his former self. Can you imagine how she would feel if she had to deal with that, to say nothing of the extra stress of having to take care of someone in that condition. Can you imagine how Doug would feel, if you fell while you were trying to do him a favor? Is it worth it?

We like you just the way you are, Lou - feisty, but healthy. And just in case you're wondering - No, Barbara didn't put me up to this. I just don't want to hear that a ladder in Arizona has claimed another victim.

Galahad