For me, the amazing Andy Willis and his crew lost all credibility when he wrote in that article that people using waterfed pole, even in a private street, should courdon off the area below the pole in case it falls and hurts someone, and this was the law.
It clearly is NOT the law, and is just them scare mongering. I think he said that he thought that because of this that 90% of waterfed polers were breaking the law.
If this is the level of regulation they are pushing for then they should disappear back to whatever it was they were doing before they realised they could claim a fat cheque from the government for every window cleaner they get to go on their course.
Nick Wareham
Thank you for your post
Please up load a copy of your training certificate for the use of water fed pole
Within the next week
I guess you are amongst many that don't have one
If thats the case then you don't comply with PUWER 1998
If you have one accept my apologies
If not stop posting on these items
Andrew that bit in red; would you point me to where PUWER 98 says I need a training certificate for using a wfp please?
I understand that I and any employee should know how to use it properly and safely but I do not see the requirement for a certificate.
(Sigh)
So I'll ask again - where does PUWER 98 say you must have a certificate Andrew?
Gold
I could go to university and spend 5 years studying engineering, but if I don't sit the exam and get a certificate, those 5 years are worthless. Without it I can't prove to anyone that I'm qualified.
If you or anyone else causes an accident, how do you prove to anyone that your are able to clean windows safely with a pole. Its your word against theirs. You can drive a car/van because you were taught and you past your drivers licence. Your driver's licence is your proof of your competency to drive that vehicle, or that you were competent at that time. Its the same as your car's MOT. It can be totally roadworthy, but your can't drive anywhere until it has past an MOT inspection and issued with a certiciate.
The only way for you to prove that you are competent to use WFP is to have a recognised, competent person teach you and access your on the job skills and then issue you a certificate to acknowledge your competency. So sometimes its not whats written, its what isn't written.
You now have an employee. You have taught him how to clean windows, and from what I know of your from on here, you will have done a good job. The regulations now make it important for an operator to be trained on the equipment he will be using, and many large companies have inhouse training facilities.
Andrew doesn't train people himself on how to use a WFP pole for example. He employees another competent business to do this, who will have been certificated to perform this task. Can you prove that you have trained your able assistant to clean windows safely - a competent equipment user.
When we were on the training course, a large portion of one morning was devoted to cordoning off a town centre pavement area to safe guard the pedestrians (including school children on their way to school) who were walking around the area. In this particular actual job, they eventually opted to use a mechanical lift/platform as the building owners were unhappy with the potential risk of a falling pole. I would have had no issue using a pole, but they wouldn't take on the risk, seeing as they already had had an issue with H&S previously over another issue (not window cleaning related) and didn't want a repeat of it.
As far as I am concerned, I would recommend you and your able right hand man attend that training course. Its hard work but well worth it.
