Ladder Safety Tips from Matthews’ Painting Company: Setting up an Extension Ladder

Ladder safety is one of the most critical skills we teach our professional painters at Matthews’ Painting Company, and it’s just as important for anyone working at home or on the job. In this blog, we will share the same safety lessons we use to train our team of professional painters, ensuring every painter understands how to properly and safely use an extension ladder.

Whether you are tackling a DIY project or just curious about best practices, these tips will help keep you safe. Ladder safety for homeowners is just as important as ladder safety for professional painters – or any profession that works with an extension ladder.  Improper setup or use of an extension ladder can lead to severe injuries, including falls, fractures, and head trauma. Taking the time to follow these safety protocols ensures not only your wellbeing but also the safety of those around you. With the right knowledge and preparation, you can avoid unnecessary risks and stay safe while working on ladders.

Learn from Jason! Watch Matthews’ Painting Owner Jason Matthews demonstrate ladder safety.

What is an Extension Ladder?

An extension ladder simply refers to a ladder that you lean up against a building, that extends to different lengths. There are some ladders that you can lean up against a building that do not extend, and those are called a straight ladder. At Matthews’ Painting Company, we do not use straight ladders – and so, today our focus is on extension ladder set up.

Setting Up the Extension Ladder

1. Start by positioning the ladder: Place the ladder feet against the base of the building for stability.  If there is not room to do this, you can place the feet of the ladder against another person’s feet.
2. Starting at the end of the ladder, walk the ladder up step by step: Lift it one rung at a time, keeping your arms straight out in front of you.
3. Look upward while lifting: This prevents losing control of the ladder as you extend it which is especially important on windy days or on uneven ground.

Proper Ladder Angle

• The ladder should be positioned so that for every 4 feet of height, it is 1 foot out from the wall.  You can also walk around the side of the ladder staying about 10’ away to see if the ladder rungs are even with the ground.
• Avoid having the ladder too upright, as this presents a higher risk of falling off the ladder backward.
• Avoid positioning it too far out, as it can kick out at the base and come slamming down.

Safety on Grass, Mulch or Stone

• Use the spikes on the ladder feet to secure it into the ground by flipping the feet upward.
• Then step on the bottom rung to sink the spikes further into the grass, mulch or stone for added stability.

Climbing the Ladder

• Always maintain three points of contact: two hands and one foot or two feet and one hand.
• Step far enough onto each rung so that the arch of your foot is on the ladder rung which helps prevent slipping.
• When reaching work height, ensure you can comfortably hold onto the rung directly in front of you without having to bend downward.

Coming Down Safely

• Keep hands on the rungs and step deep enough again onto each rung so that the arch of your foot is hitting the rung.  This is very important and will help you avoid missing the transition when the double rungs turn into a single rung.  This concept is easier to understand by watching Jason demonstrate in the video link above.

Taking the Ladder Down

Reverse the setup process.  Lift the ladder and walk the base of it over to the wall or to your helpers feet.  Start walking backwards lowering it rung by rung to the ground while at the same time keeping your arms straight out in front of you.

Stay Off the Ladder Program

At Matthews’ Painting Company, we are proud to offer our Matthew 5:16 Kosciusko Community Service Project called Stay Off the Ladder to keep seniors (65+) and disabled veterans safe and off ladders.

From May to October, our painters will:

• Remove large debris and tree limbs from your rooftop
• Clean out your gutters
• Change outdoor floodlights
• Trim back small diameter tree limbs that are hitting your house

From January to December, our painters will:

• Replace A/C filters, smoke alarm batteries, carbon monoxide batteries, or light bulbs
• Clean ceiling fans and vacuum out bathroom exhaust fans

This FREE service ensures your safety and peace of mind. To sign up for yourself or a loved one, fill out the form here. For more tips and tutorials, visit our Youtube Channel, follow us on Facebook.

Ready to refresh your space? Contact Matthews’ Painting Company today to schedule your free estimate for your next painting project.

Call us at 574-834-3575 or Book an Estimate to get started!

At Matthews’ Painting Company, we proudly provide top-quality residential and commercial painting services to the following cities and neighboring communities: Warsaw, Syracuse, Winona Lake, Columbia City, Goshen, Elkhart, Plymouth, North Webster, Leesburg, Milford, North Manchester, South Whitley, Silver Lake, Claypool, Burket, Mentone, Bourbon, Etna Green, Atwood, Pierceton, Larwill , Albion, Kimmel, Cromwell, Nappanee, New Paris, Millersburg, Ligonier, Wawaka, Bremen, Wakarusa and Churubusco.