jason123 wrote:A mate stumbled on the third step of some step ladders putting a bellbox on a bungalow, broke his back, thought he'd never walk again, 9 months later all ok, falling through a ceiling could be fatal children.
glad to hear he was ok. i do agree it can be fatal, having now read this post i'll add my own slip ups
it's like the old saying, hammer a nail once a month you might hit your finger, hammer a nail once a day you will hit your finger.
having walked across open joists for about 24 years now i will admit that to my knowledge i have come through 3 in all that time.
1) as a 17 year old i was doing a foreigner, the bloke had just had his ceilings skimmed when.......hello, what's that foot doing there?
2) just came out of my time as an apprentice and i was working with another sparks at the local youth centre. the ceiling were OLD and 30' high. i went in the loft to start wiring the lighting up and that's when i found out the joists didn't like my weight. as i stepped on one it bowed that much i lost my balance and fell straight in-between two of the beams. luckily and unluckily for me, i jammed upper body between the joists as i fell. it scrapped off the skin on both sides all the way to me sore arm pits but that was what stopped me falling 30'.
when i managed to get myself out i went down to see why Pete hadn't come up to help me, the poor bugger must have been directly under where i fell as he was lying unconscious on the floor with a load of plaster next to him. i had to ignore my own pain and get an ambulance for him.
3) on a rewire for an older couple. really nice people, those that give you drinks and biscuits every five mins and a piece of home made apple pie at lunch
the lady said to me "i am happy with what you are doing so far, it's very neat. could i ask you one favour though, if at all possible, can you try not to damage the hall ceiling or wall paper as i cannot get any more of that and it was expensive.
me being me, i went to great lengths to carefully peel back the paper with a steamer so that i could get it back on when i had chased out. i took the whole doay over doing the hall neatly. she was sooooo impressed
then one day, i was in the loft and the old chap came up, climbed up my steps and poked his head in the loft and commented" it must be your age lad, doesn't it bother you walking round the joists like that? what if you fell?"
i told him i had only ever once had an accident and he need not worry. now being very careful not to eat my won words i carried on until i had finished, making dam sure i didn't come through the ceiling.
i climbed out of the loft, stepped back onto my steps and climbed down.
as i put my foot firmly on the landing floor i stepped back...........................
crash, straight through the ONLY floor board i had up on the landing and right through the bloody hall ceiling!!!!