Never, Ever Use Your Ladder Like This

Photo: Courtesy of American Society of Home Inspectors

This window washer is making the most of a ladder that’s too short. But if his luck runs out, he’ll pay a hefty price for ignoring basic ladder safety rules. Two rules are being broken here. Can you guess what they are?

The Right Way

Family Handyman

First, work with three points of contact with the ladder at all times: two feet and a hand or two hands and a foot. And second, never work from the top three rungs of an extension ladder. The painter shown below is maintain-ing three points of contact and is standing on the fourth and fifth rungs down. The wide ladder standoff provides extra stability and the support to safely reach the top of the window. Do you believe these 10 common tool myths?