Ladder safety for hanging Christmas lights

Short version: set the ladder at the right angle on firm level ground, keep your belt buckle between the rails, move the ladder instead of reaching, and do not go up at all in wind, ice or fading light. If any part of the roof needs a reach you are not comfortable with, that section does not get lights this year.

The three mistakes that cause most falls

1. Reaching sideways instead of moving the ladder. The ladder is three feet too far left, the next clip is just within reach, and moving it means climbing down and back up. This is the single most common cause, it happens because repositioning is tedious, and it is entirely avoidable.
2. Setting up on soft, uneven or frozen ground. A ladder foot that sinks into a flower bed, or skids on frost, moves the whole ladder while you are at the top of it.
3. Carrying things up. Hands should be free for the ladder. Lights, clips and tools go up in a bucket on a rope or in a tool belt, not in your hands.

Setting the ladder up

1. 1

   Check the ground first

   Firm and level. Not a flower bed, not frozen grass that will thaw and soften, not a slope. Use a ladder leveling accessory on uneven ground rather than improvising with a brick or a plank.

2. 2

   Set the angle: one out for four up

   The base should sit one foot away from the wall for every four feet of height. Too steep and it can tip backwards; too shallow and the feet slide out.

3. 3

   Extend three feet past the contact point

   If you are working at a roof edge, the ladder should extend about three feet above it so there is something to hold while you transition or reach.

4. 4

   Secure the top

   Use a ladder stabilizer or standoff so the top rests against fascia rather than on the gutter. Resting a ladder on a gutter can deform it and gives an unstable contact.

5. 5

   Have someone foot it where you can

   A second person at the base is worth more than any accessory, and they can hand things up rather than you carrying them.

Conditions to not go up in

Electrical safety while you are up there

• Never work on a live run. Unplug at the outlet before handling lights, and unplug again before any repair.
• Every outdoor circuit must be GFCI protected. This is what protects you when water gets into a connection — see GFCI and outdoor lights.
• Keep a metal ladder away from service drops. The overhead cable entering the house is live and uninsulated at the connection. If a run takes you near it, that section is a job for a professional.
• Do not use a metal ladder near any overhead line. A fiberglass ladder is the right tool if you have lines anywhere on the property.

The honest stopping point

There is a version of this job that is a pleasant Saturday, and a version that involves a ladder at full extension on a slope reaching over a conservatory. The second one is not worth doing.

If you look at a section and feel uneasy, that instinct is information. Options that are all better than proceeding:

1. Light a shorter, reachable section completely, rather than a long one partially
2. Shift the display to the ground layer — nets, stakes, a lit wreath
3. Get a quote for that elevation only, rather than the whole house
4. Consider permanent lighting, which is one professional install and then no ladder ever again

The cost comparison for handing it over is in DIY vs professional install cost. Nothing about a Christmas display is worth a fall.