Scaffolding Horror
What Not To Put on Scaffolding
In my 15 years as a faux finisher, I have learned many valuable lessons...None, however, can compare with what I learned in the spring of 2006.
My assistant, Amy, and I have worked together on scaffolding many times. For years I rented scaffolding or, if the house was still being built, borrowed it from construction crews. Recently, one of my clients bought me my own scaffolding as a gift. We had been using it, without incident, over the last two years. It is so easy to set up that one person can even do it alone. Because the scaffolding, when fully erect, only gets us up to approximately 8 feet we have found it easy and until Spring…safe, to put our extension ladder on it to get us up to 18 feet. We've done this several times without incident. However, in March of 2006 we attempted to this with disastrous results.
We set up our scaffolding, just like every other time. Our target was the top of an 18-foot wall. Knowing that this worked before, we added my 13-foot extension ladder to the scaffolding. Normally, we take turns going up the ladder first. This has nothing to do with a fear of heights but rather just acknowledging the danger and sharing the risk. Amy volunteered to go up first and began the base coat that we needed for our next treatment. I stayed on the ground floor doing the same.
Shortly after she began painting, I heard an "Oh no!". I looked up and immediately saw the problem. The scaffolding was coming down, with the ladder on top of it and poor Amy on top of the ladder.
Time stopped for me and restarted in slow motion, burning every detail into my memory. My first instinct was to rush over and help her. Luckily, my instinct gave way to intelligence, and I realized I had to stay clear of the whole scene. The noise was deafening. She did not scream, but the scaffolding and ladder hit first the walls then the floor with a resounding THUD. I rushed over to her. She was lying on top of the ladder and pieces of scaffolding, curled up in a ball. Amy wanted to jump up and prove she was okay, but I insisted that she lay there as we inspected each of her appendices, making sure nothing was broken. For once that day luck was with us and nothing was.
Amy was a little sore the next day, but we both knew it could have been a lot worse.
If I had been the one to fall 18 feet, there would have been nothing left of me but a bag of bones. I, unfortunately, have osteoporosis, and I break very easily...(5 fractures within the last 10 years). She, being younger and more agile, fell to the ground like a feather, dusting the wall in her decline.
We both learned a valuable lesson that day. Always pay attention to the warning label on either your scaffolding or ladder. If it says, “this is not a step", or, "do not place ladders on scaffolding", heed their advice, it may have been written by one of us.
Guest Author, Bonita Gillespie, owner/operator of Bonita’s WallWorks is based in Wisconsin and can be reached at ilv2pt@new.rr.com
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