Working at height

[Welsh_red 4,645]

I've been up and down roof ladders countless times and been on high scaffolding . Never worried to much or thought much about , never really been a fan but just got on and got up there . Today I was on a especially high roof and got up the roof ladder , ripped the broken slate out and passed it to my boss who went and cut one on the floor . While he was faffing around finding the cutter etc I was sitting on the roof ladder when all of a sudden my arse dropped . I started sweating , tingling and shitting myself. I told my boss im coming down but obviously he said "f***ing hell put the skate in first" . I waited for him to bring slate up and chucked it in . When I was waiting for him I was clutching on to the ladder for dear life , never been so freaked out . Calmed a bit when he brought slate up and I put it back in but I was like a sloth coming down . When I got to the bottom all I wanted to do was lie down.  Carried on thru the day but only went up the ladder and not the roof ladder . Even that was making me twitch . It completely ruined my day and f****d with my head.  Got another day patching slates tomorrow but on a lower roof so I'll see how I go . Anyone else had this before? Normally I just do it but some reason today I freaked big time , no excess wind / rain nothing to make it worse just bottled it for some reason 

[lurcherman 887 13,161]

I done roofing. For 1 day , not for me remember boss saying dont worry mate if you fall you wont feel a thing 

[gnipper 6,484]

That's how I get every time I work at height. 

The weirdest part is I know I'm safe and not bothered etc but something inside me just freaks out.

[Caravan Monster 323]

I suffered with it for years and know exactly what you are talking about. It would come and go for no apparent reason but being self employed I just had to get on with it. The scaffolders found it particularly hilarious to see me hanging on for dear life on half dismantled scaffold replacing the roof tiles they had just broken. It is to do with how the brain processes information from eyes and ears. I was lucky in going to a new chiropractor who found that one of the vertebrae just below my skull was on the p1ss which he reckoned was constricting blood flow and pinching nerves in the spine. I reckon this was the result of a car crash some years ago. I get it checked every few months and the amount of correction needed is getting less and less. I occasionally get a touch of disorientation at heights but nothing like I used to. Tinnitus and some other health issues have also been substantially reduced. Did some masonry repairs off roof ladders on a church recently that must have been a good 15m up and would have had me in pieces a few years back but was fine.

[delswal 3,819]

8 hours ago, Welsh_red said:

I've been up and down roof ladders countless times and been on high scaffolding . Never worried to much or thought much about , never really been a fan but just got on and got up there . Today I was on a especially high roof and got up the roof ladder , ripped the broken slate out and passed it to my boss who went and cut one on the floor . While he was faffing around finding the cutter etc I was sitting on the roof ladder when all of a sudden my arse dropped . I started sweating , tingling and shitting myself. I told my boss im coming down but obviously he said "f***ing hell put the skate in first" . I waited for him to bring slate up and chucked it in . When I was waiting for him I was clutching on to the ladder for dear life , never been so freaked out . Calmed a bit when he brought slate up and I put it back in but I was like a sloth coming down . When I got to the bottom all I wanted to do was lie down.  Carried on thru the day but only went up the ladder and not the roof ladder . Even that was making me twitch . It completely ruined my day and f****d with my head.  Got another day patching slates tomorrow but on a lower roof so I'll see how I go . Anyone else had this before? Normally I just do it but some reason today I freaked big time , no excess wind / rain nothing to make it worse just bottled it for some reason 

Happened to me 30 years ago it would be now, same as you doing the same job I had been doing for years. I was on a set of trebles half way up the third, when the ladders slipped slightly just as they had done many times before. Instead of grabbing the ladders and jerking them back to where they slipped from, which would of only been an inch or two at the most I gripped them ladders like my life depended on it, my knuckles were whiter than white it took my pal almost 30 minutes to guide me down. Why it happened I've no idea, but it's something I will never forget, that was my roofing days over for good.

[ollieollie 766]

Not a problem I’ve had(yet), but my mate did when we were rebuilding an extremely high and exposed chimney, I’d not seen him faulter before.. I’m more aware and less risky on roofs now but I still enjoy the buzz of being up there, done some stupid repairs from ladders when I was young, I remember one church spire being particularly moody and plain dangerous now I look back through older eyes

[scothunter 12,609]

Worked height's for years I have an unhealthy interest in being up high lol 

Also been high up high haha

[kanny 20,611]

I use to Labour for a roofer when I was a lad and never had a problem with roofs then I tried steel erecting ...fek that! I swear I left nail marks in those RSJ's   open heights definitely not for me a total different ball game I lasted a day and swept up for most of that  

[MickC 1,825]

When your scared you work safe, I treat it as a good thing . 

[kanny 20,611]

11 minutes ago, MickC said:

When your scared you work safe, I treat it as a good thing . 

There's having a healthy respect and then there's terrified frozen ....I work woodworking machinery now you have to be confident if you fanny about they will bite your arm off 

[MickC 1,825]

I do as well Kanny, Joiner by trade. ?

[blackmaggie 3,376]

Feck heights if I was suppose to be that high up I would have feathers 

[Qbgrey 4,092]

I work at normal hieghts,houses etc,but my arse falls out when i go higher,or even seeing a pic of someone 30 storeys up makes my stomach go wierd.

[kanny 20,611]

6 minutes ago, MickC said:

I do as well Kanny, Joiner by trade. ?

I'm a cabinet maker I  use to do a fair bit of ring fence work on the spindle moulders  that makes your ring twitch  lol.. thankfully don't do  so much in my current employment  ...at least my feet are on the ground now  

[walshie 2,804]