Collapsible ladder

As in all life activities there are right ways and wrong ways to to do things. Don't for example use a $150 angle grinder without also using a $5 pair of safety glasses to protect your eyes. Duh.

Height of the fall is only one risk factor, and not the most significant one. I fell off the second step of a flimsy ladder while cleaning the upper sides and top of a horse trailer, an activity very similar to clearing debris from an rpod slide.

But I ended up falling on my left side onto concrete. My left hip and elbow suffered hairline fractures so I was not a surgical candidate but also could not put weight on my left side for 6 weeks. Couldn't use crutches either because of the elbow. Couldnt operate a wheelchair either except on perfectly flat smooth surfaces for the same reason. I just went around in counterclockwise circles.

Essentially I was completely helpless and yet not badly injured at all. Gave me lots of time to think. It was a wake up call for me I was just being dumb using that crappy ladder. First thing I did when I could work again was dumpster it.

Ask me if I would have gladly spent $300-400 for a proper ladder. I climb ladders still now but invested in proper ones, no more stupid shortcuts.

Im not at all risk averse. Heck, I own and fly an experimental aircraft. But I dont take stupid risks, I maintain it carefully, spend what I need to (aviation costs make RVs look like a bargain) and obtain professional advice in areas where I'm not an expert.

We don't know what certifications the telescoping ladder the OP bought meets, which is exactly why some of us have made suggestions as to what specs are appropriate and shared our personal experiences as to why that's important.

As always, do what you want, and I might have misinterpreted the last post, but I strongly disagree with the suggestion that $300 is too much to spend to assure ladder safety.

Tars, I think you got the impression that my experience has stopped me from working at heights.  That's not the case.  I am currently working in home construction as a volunteer carpenter and work off ladders and scaffolds often.  In another month or so, we'll start framing a 2 story house and I'll be involved in stacking the roof and sheathing it.  

+1 to OG.

No one ever said that using a ladder to clean the slide top of an rpod was a bad idea. In fact, I said that is exactly what I do.

What LA and I are concerned about is using the proper ladder. Many, probably most, telescoping ladders are unsafe. That is not just our opinion, it is the evaluation of the professional testers at Consumer Reports.   So, we shared our personal experiences and pointed out that there is an objective standard that can be applied to ladder selection here (as opposed to leaving it to the buyer's subjective opinion). You seemed to object to that based on cost. If so that is an area of disagreement. If not then no issues.

Yes, it is silly to try to separate whether an accident is due to use of the wrong equipment or user error, because selecting the wrong equipment for a job is user error. Studies have shown that accidents are nearly always the result of several factors lining up wrong. That's why they are perceived to be accidents rather than inevitable outcomes. But statistically if you choose to take shortcuts to save time or dollars it will eventually catch up with you.

So, safety requires a change in the operator's underlying work culture. Safety must not be an afterthought with cost or time savings coming first. That is how you break the chain of events that leads to injury or death.

The camera extension is a good idea. A small broom with a flexible handle or joint at the base just above the broom head would probably work to clear debris. The bristles would have to be a little stiffer than the rubber seal, because things do get pushed under there.