55-year-old Robert Loucks has been in construction all his working life, and ladders have featured heavily in his work; he has first-hand experience of falling off a ladder and has spent several years pondering a solution to the problem of unstable ladders.  Although he has been formulating the idea for 15 years, his impending retirement has seen him spring into action with designing and patenting his ladder stabiliser, which he hopes will give him a comfortable retirement income.

His ladder stabiliser comprises of a bracket which mounts to the side of a house and clips on to the rungs of any straight ladder, keeping it firmly in place at the base.  When the ladder is affixed it cannot move at the base, meaning it cannot move at the top either.  The bracket can be angled from side to side, allowing safe access to unusually shaped roofs and dormer windows. 

Production is due to start in early 2018, and the aluminium device is expected to retail at between $50 and $70.  It is aimed at homeowners and people who regularly conduct maintenance at the same point on a building.  Although drilling the wall mount into the building means it must be used in the same location each time, the wall mount can be moved and re-drilled elsewhere, but for people with satellite dishes that need frequent realignment, or those with a chimney pot to maintain it will be a lifesaver.  It is also great for gutter clearing jobs, as the ladder mount can be fixed to the place where most blockages occur.

Ladder stabilising devices are being re-invented all the time as new challenges are recognised; an Australian paramedic saw the need for a different type of stabiliser having been first on the scene at several ladder related accidents, where the ladder had slipped sideways.  Loucks' invention stops the ladder slipping backwards or sideways from the base, effectively performing the same function at a different location.  We wish him all the best with his invention and hope it makes his retirement enjoyable, and most of all safe!