Ladder fall earns politician the nickname 'Mr Bump'!

One thing that has become clear this summer is that politicians are not best suited to working at height. If stories about their above-ground exploits continue to pile up, they might start to feel the need for Ladder Association training.

First, Boris Johnson failed to quite make it all the way to the ground during an Olympic zip line stunt, being left dangling in the air shouting “get me a rope, get me a ladder”. Now, Barrow and Furness MP John Woodcock has upped the ante to more dangerous levels.

The Labour MP and Shadow Transport Minister fell from a ladder at his home on Sunday while moving things into his attic. He described himself as “lucky” on Twitter after spending the night in hospital, not to mention “bashful”.

Rightly so, according to the Ladder Association’s Head of Communications, Neil Tomlinson. He said: “Ladders are great to have around the house as well as at work if used safely and correctly but with falls from height among the most common ways people seriously injure themselves at work, people at home also have to be aware of the dangers and make sure they minimise them.

“Fellow MPs now affectionately refer to him as Mr Bump, and Mr Woodcock has called himself an “eejit”. While the Ladder Association wouldn’t want to disagree with him, we are pleased to see that he considers this accident a “valuable lesson”. Not everyone is lucky enough to have the chance to learn lessons after a fall from height, it is great news that nothing is broken and he is going home.”

The Ladder Association advocates the usefulness of ladders, stating that if it’s right to use a ladder, use the right ladder and get trained to use it safely. This incident comes less than a month before the start of the Association’s Ladder Exchange 2012 campaign, an ideal way to maximise ladder safety by trading in older ladders for discounted new ones.

Aside from considering such a trade-in, Mr Woodcock is also welcome to a complementary Ladder Association training course if he feels his skills at height could do with some work. Perhaps he will spread the word, and soon all politicians will be working safely at height.

20.08.2012