I must have almost fallen off stepladders more than a dozen times, just managing to reassert equilibrium at the last minute and thus avoiding serious injury. Actually, I think that the fear reaction on each occasion has heightened my sense of vulnerability and caused me to take extra care subsequently -even when when at limited altitudes.
Anyway, today’s invention is a simple way to reduce the chances of falling off such a ladder sideways: my most common near-miss mechanism.
Each step ladder would have holes in the (extruded, box-section aluminimum) legs within a cm or so of the ground. The ladder would come supplied with two additional lengths of the same material which can be easily passed through these holes, as shown. These beams would be rotated to lock in position.
Even aggressive rocking or overreaching by someone at the top of the ladder would not therefore be able to lift any of the feet more than a tiny distance off the ground.
