An old hand told me my ladder setup on the cutterhead was asking for trouble

I was working a sandbar job on the Mississippi near St. Louis, and had my inspection ladder tied off to the suction pipe like I always do. A retired operator visiting the site said, 'That's a quick way to get a bent ladder and a bad day if the pipe shifts.' I moved the anchor point to the main frame the next morning. How do you guys secure your gear for quick checks?

3 comments

3 Comments

harper_rodriguez972mo ago

That "bent ladder and a bad day" line hits home. I saw a guy on a dredge in Louisiana tie off to a discharge elbow that was just on blocks. Whole thing rolled about two feet when the pump kicked on. He didn't fall, but he dropped his tools in the drink and we lost half a day fishing them out. Solid call moving it to the main frame. I use a ratchet strap from the ladder's top rung to a solid gusset on the hull, never to anything that can move or swing.

lunaw722mo ago

Yeah, that's a good point about the strap. I read this safety bulletin from a marine contractor group that said like 80% of ladder slips happen because people tie off to pipes or rails that can shift. They had a photo of a ladder still tied perfect to a handrail that had just sheared right off at the weld.

joseph_hunt9d ago

Actually harper, there's one thing in your setup I'd watch out for - that ratchet strap on the top rung. I've seen those slip sideways if the ladder shifts even a little. You're better off wrapping the strap around a middle rung and both vertical side rails, not just the top one. Keeps it from twisting if someone steps on it wrong. Also, that gusset on the hull is usually solid, but check for rust or thin metal first. Had a buddy tie off to what looked like a strong bracket on a barge, and it was just surface rust holding it together. Snapped clean off when he put his weight on the ladder. A good rule is give the anchor point a solid yank before you step on. If it flexes or sounds hollow, find something else.