14 thoughts on “I do not see how this could possibly go badly.”

  1. He should be perfectly fine. The base can’t slip backwards, and the contact point can’t slip down.
    As long as you keep weight on it, the base can’t slip forward. Move slowly, and you’re golden.

      1. You sure? Because mister redshirt* looks to have had one too many burgers/

        * he’s also wearing a redshirt.

  2. I see a reasonable level of risk taken to complete the job NOTHING I do to earn income (meager though that be under the current ‘adminstration’*)can be construed as completely safe, and greater risks than this are at least a weekly occurrence.
    .
    * to be read as dripping with completely disgusted contempt.

  3. Um, actually, if the ladder slips one way or the other, it comes off the banisters. Or the banisters break under the lateral force applied. Or the ladder rotates on its longitudinal axis. Um, I should probably explain that I’m a trauma surgeon…and this here it what we call a “Wile E. Coyote” trauma.

    1. Well you’re female. You’re brain is specifically wired to alert you and others around you when someone is about to do something stupid like this.

    2. The ladder can’t slip sideways or rotate. The legs straddle the banister supports, and the bottom rung abuts the banister support. It’s locked in pretty tight.
      That the banister is able to withstand the lateral force is an easy test. You lean on the banister. The leverage of pushing at the top will cause greater sheering force than the ladder and person pushing against the bottom.

  4. You do what you have to do to get the job done. In theory and practice, it works as long as you inspect the balusters to make sure they are securely fastened.

    In other words, been there, done that.

    Now, what is stupid is leaning a ladder up against a round post, going up two rungs, then leaning off balance…got the 3 inch screws in my hip to prove that theory.

  5. I came home to find my husband in a similar situation painting our living room yesterday. He was atop a 14 foot ladder with one foot on the ledge.

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