Did you know that the top of a ladder is higher than the bottom? That's assuming the ladder is vertical, of course, rather than horizontal – because, if it's horizontal, the top and the bottom might very well be the same height, if the ladder's on a level surface.
That's also assuming that the ladder is placed upside-up. If the ladder is vertical but upside-down, then the bottom is higher.
Nevertheless, whichever way the ladder is placed – upside-up or upside-down – the higher end will be higher than the lower end, and falling off one of the top rungs will almost always result in more pain and injury than falling off one of the bottom rungs.
Did you know that, if you step out from the top of a ladder or try to climb higher in the air, you're certain to fall? No, it's true. You see cartoon characters getting away with this all the time, but in real life the laws of gravity are applied unfailingly.
Did you know that, if you lean too far to one side or the other on a ladder, the ladder's going to fall to that side? Or that, if you lean too far back and away from the ladder, the ladder's going to fall in that direction?
Ladders can be dangerous, but they're also incredibly helpful for getting to things you couldn't get to otherwise (without doing something even more dangerous), and that's why people assume the risk of climbing them. Plus, most of the hazards are fairly obvious and can be avoided if you're cautious.
Dennis Mercurio of Canadensis wasn't cautious enough and fell with his 8-foot fiberglass stepladder down a flight of steps. The accident, of course, was the ladder's fault, which is why, two years later, he filed suit in Scranton against Louisville Ladder Inc. for his injuries.
A self-proclaimed ladder liability expert testified on behalf of Mercurio, affirming, among other observations, that the ladder in question – like all ladders – is potentially dangerous.
Well, duh!