fishing, and to everyone else who has and may buy a platform ladder like that in Setec`s link:
I just want to stress the need to apply some type of anti-slip/anti-skid tape or appliques to the steps and platform surface. It is similar to the sandpaper-like tape you see on skateboards. Since washing a vehicle involves soap-and-water and usually a garden hose for those of you who do two-bucket washes, soap-and-water are a slippery component on aluminum platform steps and standing surface, even though they are "ridged" or serrated to provide some grip when stepped on. Even wearing deck shoes or slippers, as good as they are on wet surfaces, can be slippery when dealing with soap-and-water on such surfaces.
You also need to be cognitive (big word for "mentally aware") where your feet are before you step or move to the side on the platform because you may be so focused on getting to the next area on a roof to wash that you may not realize where on the platform you are and inadvertently step off the ends or side facing away from the vehicle. I have gotten into the practice of looking down at my feet on the platform BEFORE I step just to make sure I know where I am.
Also, try not to overreach your body instead of getting down and moving the platform to the next area of the roof or front windshield you want to wash , clean, and/or polish. While you may think you have good balance, it is easy to misjudge how "good" that balance is with a wet wash media or polisher in your hand(s) with an extended arm(s), standing on one foot at the end of the platform trying to reach that LAST little area.
AND USE THE LEG LOCKING LATCH ON BOTH LEGS! It is easy to forget to do that if you intend to use the platform briefly to reach just one area ,say, the middle of the windshield on an SUV to clean the bugs off of. Collapsed legs can easily happen when you stand on the platform to one end if they are not locked.
Also, if you are on uneven ground, be careful what you place under the leg foots to level out the platform. If you need something taller/thicker to do so, just make sure it is bigger than the foot itself or try not to use multiple pieces, like three rocks that may slip off of each other. If the area or ground is THAT uneven, maybe you should consider moving the vehicle to somewhere it is little less uneven or inclined.
Falls off a platform ladder can easily land you in the Emergency Room (no pun intended) and put a real damper in your detailing endeavors, not to mention your personal life and pocket book. Safety is no accident.
(This Public Service Announcement on Platform Safety brought to you by Captain Obvious, who wishes no harm befalls (pun intended!) fellow Autopians and guest viewers)
