That is standard practice for ladders. Always have a spot.
Yes but why do so many people NOT follow that protocol?
My dear friend’s husband decided to trim back the palm trees on their property - didn’t want to pay the $2,000 the tree trimmers were asking so decided to do it himself.
Put the ladder against the tree and climbed up - predictably, the ladder fell backwards and he hit the ground hard injuring his back, fortunately he wasn’t killed.
Here’s the kicker: He’s an emergency room doctor! - and has certainly seen in his own ER what happens when people climb up unsecured ladders.