Not good practice to use a ladder on a scaffold platform the weight of the workman would be transferred to the outer part of the tower encouraging a tip and even more dangerous as no outriggers appear to be in place, and if had been that lane of the road would need to be closed. The guys don't understand mechanics.

ISTR many A level mechanics questions were about forces on ladders, the sideways force pushing the feet out away from the wall is equal/opposite to the force of the top of the ladder pushing against the wall, one-quarter the weight of the numpty standing on the top rung.

Medieval cathedral builders solved this problem by placing a heavy statue of an angel on the top of the tower. When added to the sideways toppling force (from the sloping roof), its weight diverts the overall load path downwards so it stays within the middle third of the tower, and the rest is 700 years of reliable history.

Maybe hire firms should bundle in an angel or two, when you hire out a tower. An IBC of water works the same but doesn't look as good.

https://www.structuremag.org/?p=8043 - figure 3 applies

I feel sorry for the guy in the car. Bet there will be a real problem getting an insurance payout.

Whilst totally off-the-thread, but since medieval builders have been raised, saw a very interesting 2006 iPlayer documentary recently entitled How To Build A Cathedral. Looking at the engineering aspect of the Master Builders who basically designed the structure using very basic principals as they went. Amazing!

I thought when I watched the clip that the man up the ladder was going to be catapulted over the car as the bottem of the ladder pivoted over the collapsed scaffolding. In a Buster Keaton movie he'd have done the stunt himself. probably still holding the paint pot, unspilt.