Vent: Old timer told me my ladder placement was all wrong

Guy with 30 years on the river said I was setting my ladder too steep, like 70 degrees instead of the safe 75. Made me redo it on a bank near Baton Rouge last Tuesday and now my knees don't ache after a 10 hour shift. Anyone else get called out on small stuff that actually saved your back?

2 comments

2 Comments

wesley8731mo ago

That "there's more than one right angle" idea sounds nice in theory @milarodriguez, but in practice OSHA and pretty much every ladder manual says 75 degrees is the standard for a reason. Why risk a bad fall over a few degrees of knee comfort?

milarodriguez1mo ago

70 degrees is actually better for your knees if you know what you're doing. I climbed on ladders set at 60 degrees for 15 years in the Port of South Louisiana and never had a problem because I used the right shoes and paid attention to my footing. The old timer was probably just used to his own way and didn't know there's more than one right angle for ladder work depending on the surface and what you're carrying.