What Is a Ladder Stay and How Do They Work?

Ladders are commonly used to access roofs and other elevated surfaces. While convenient, though, ladders can cause injury. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that a half-million people are treated for ladder-related injuries each year in the United States. Most of these injuries involve falling. Fortunately, you can lower your risk of falling by using a ladder stay.

What Is a Ladder Stay?

Also known as a ladder standoff, a ladder stay is a brace that's designed to help secure the top of an extension ladder to the side of a house or building. it consists of metal poles that are typically padded on the ends. You can install a ladder stay at the top of an extension ladder. You can then use the extension ladder to access the roof of a house or building. The ladder stay will grip the side of the house or building while subsequently lowering your risk of injury.

How Ladder Stays Work

There are different types of ladder stays, but most of them work in the same way. They consist of a U-shaped metal brace with padding on the ends. Before climbing an extension ladder, you can connect a ladder stay to it. You can then raise the ladder stay to the top of the extension ladder so that it's able to grip the top of the house or building.

Ladder stays are designed to grip the side of a house or building. Extension ladders, of course, can fall if they aren't secured beforehand. With a ladder stay, you can secure an extension ladder so that it doesn't fall while you are climbing or standing on it. The ladder stay will simply grp the side of the house or building. Thanks to its U-shaped metal brace, the ladder stay will press against the house or building while providing you with a higher level of security.

Tips on Choosing a Ladder Stay

You should consider the material when choosing a ladder stay. Most ladder stays are made of a strong metal. With that said, the specific type of metal from which they are made may vary. Some ladder stays are made of stainless steel, whereas others are made of aluminum. For maximum protection against injury, you should choose a ladder stay made of a strong metal.

Don't forget to consider the style when choosing a ladder stay. In addition to U-shaped ladder stays, there are V-shape ladder stays. V-shaped ladder stays are designed for use on the corner of a house or building. You can use them to secure an extension ladder to the corner of a house or building.