Working at height?

[HappyHippyDad]

I have a tripping RCD in a church. The faulty circuit supplies 5 x spotlights which are on the inside walls of the church. They are as high as trying to reach above a first story window in a house so perhaps 5m above ground. I will eliminate all other possible faulty parts (switches etc) before invesigating the lights but it's highly likely it will be the lights which look subject to damp and also perhaps birds nests.

I can foresee the church pews making it difficult to get a ladder in between them, although it might fit as it does not have a supporting bar at the bottom.

On rare occasions I get my big ladder out if I have to work at height (see pic below of my ladder) but it will only be for a short, simple jobs and I feel uncomfortable doing this in the church by myself.



What would others do in this situation?
Would you have someone with you? How would that actually help?
Would you put up internal scaffolding? That would be a much larger cost.
Would you somehow secure the ladder?


Thanks all.

 

[Moley]

Would any of this lot be any use to you?
LINK!!

 

[dave274]

MiTower - One Person Quick Build Tower - HSS Hire

Hire quick build MiTower direct from online equipment hire specialists HSS.

www.hss.com

I've used one of these before, simple to erect and move around and it fits in a medium sized van

 

[littlespark]

I do a bit of work at our local church. Had the same problem with spotlights that I could luckily teach from the balcony.
The biggest problem was “old joe” the caretaker of the past would change the lamps, and put the faulty ones back in the store room beside the new ones.
7 boxes of lamps and only 1 good one found.
ive suggested the get LED ones into stock.

Another balcony had lights that were tripping their mcb. Due to the balcony not being used for safety reasons, I disconnected the part of the circuit going up there.

a big problem with churches I find is the location of the db is in the most awkward corner they can find.... and of course, you can’t swear in a church.

 

[davesparks]

How do they change the lamps in the lights if you can't get at them with a ladder?

 

[littlespark]

How do they change the lamps in the lights if you can't get at them with a ladder?

I would reckon the time the lights were fitted, they didn’t have H+S telling you not to use a ladder

 

[DPG]

I've used one of these before, simple to erect and move around and it fits in a medium sized van

That's what she said.

 

[Pete999]

pews aren't generally fixed to the floor. just shove 'em around a bit.

That's what she said.

I thought that as well.

 

[davesparks]

I would reckon the time the lights were fitted, they didn’t have H+S telling you not to use a ladder

Do they tell us not to use ladders now?

 

[Sintra]

What about a painter's mate ladder

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9mWj5Tw2o8

 

[DPG]

What about a painter's mate ladder

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9mWj5Tw2o8

Liking the 3rd leg (she said) for stability. Not sure about being enclosed in the cage though - bit restrictive?

 

[Baddegg]

I don’t like the look of that!.....let’s leave it to the painters ?

 

[littlespark]

Do they tell us not to use ladders now?

Now, @davesparks we all know what I meant. and as mentioned on a previous post..... 3 points of contact on the ladder..... only to be used for access and not working from.
Its all down to the heights involved and common sense.

 

[davesparks]

Now, @davesparks we all know what I meant. and as mentioned on a previous post..... 3 points of contact on the ladder..... only to be used for access and not working from.
Its all down to the heights involved and common sense.

Yes, 3 points of contact, but as taught on the last working at height I did your knees can be points of contact.

They shouldn't be used for long periods of working, but for short duration tasks such as changing lamps and fault finding I see no reason not to work from a ladder of it's the only access equipment which sensibly fits the task.

The suggestions in this thread about having scaffold built or using powered access inside a church seem ridiculous to my mind.
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Liking the 3rd leg (she said) for stability. Not sure about being enclosed in the cage though - bit restrictive?

That's not much different to the basket on a tallescope.

 

[haptism]

What you need H is a Mi tower from hss hire

 

[ipf]

I use ladders quite regularly. As long as they're footed and common sense is used, no problem.
I did use scaffold in a church last year for changing some lamps to led corns. They were central (no walls) and we just shifted the pews to suit.

In one old church I installed a winch in the attic for a multi lamp fitting.
EDIT. The pews were old, fixed and couldn't be seperated.

 

[DPG]

Yes, 3 points of contact, but as taught on the last working at height I did your knees can be points of contact.

They shouldn't be used for long periods of working, but for short duration tasks such as changing lamps and fault finding I see no reason not to work from a ladder of it's the only access equipment which sensibly fits the task.

The suggestions in this thread about having scaffold built or using powered access inside a church seem ridiculous to my mind.
[automerge]1583956989[/automerge]


That's not much different to the basket on a tallescope.

Had to Google that Dave. Useful bit of kit, bet they're not cheap.

 

[davesparks]

I use ladders quite regularly. As long as they're footed and common sense is used, no problem.
I did use scaffold in a church last year for changing some lamps to led corns. They were central (no walls) and we just shifted the pews to suit.

In one old church I installed a winch in the attic for a multi lamp fitting.

That's OK if the pews aren't fixed
[automerge]1583957680[/automerge]

Had to Google that Dave. Useful bit of kit, bet they're not cheap.

A tallescope? You'll find one in pretty much every theatre, they're pretty much a standard piece of access equipment.

They're a bit unnerving until you get used to them, they can be a bit wobbly at full extension!

 

[James]

in a church, surely god will protect you?

on a more serious note, never attempt to do a job without the right equipment.
chance it with a ladder, you can get away with it for years but one day it WILL get you.

the church will not provide for you whilst you lie crippled.

 

[littlespark]

Church floors don't tend to be very accommodating if you land on one at speed from a great height.

 

[ipf]

Church floors don't tend to be very accommodating if you land on one at speed from a great height.

Invariably better than factories, I'll tell ya.