Hi All
Lets get one thing straight:
For the single residential small property window cleaner it is NOT NECASSARY to use a Water Fed Pole.
Yes you can use a WFP if you want and obviousley do an excelent job but you do not NEED one.
Health and Safety and the new Working at Height Regulations DO NOT, repeat, DO NOT require you to use other methods of access than our trusted ladder because of:
The Low risk and short duration of work involved in smaller properties.
Health and safety have brought out new regulations not to hinder professionals because any Professional Window Cleaner will ALREADY be using the new guidlines. HSE have introduced a lot of usefull information and advise that any professional would welcome.
If you are a Large Commercial property cleaner then that is a different matter!!
You would be an idiot to put a ladder up 40 - 60ft on sheet glass sided buildings!!!
David
Sorry Dave, but you are not right on that. The short duration does NOT refer to the time we spend up the ladder doing any individual window, but the time we spend up a ladder any given day.
The short duration was intended to apply to the occasional user. IE, shop keeper putting up a sign.
In any case, if you re-read the legislation, the section on how to use them would show the lenghts we should go to to secure the ladders.
I'm like you doing the risk assessment first, but I know what the results will be. So do most WCers, sadly many have their heads in the sand.
THE BEAR
Evening Mr BEAR
Hope youve had a good day. In reply to your point. Please refer to
www.hse.gov.uk/falls/downloads/6.pdf
Page 41,
Even a good old Bear can clean a window in less than 30 mins!!
Your forgetting your risk assessment that you do prior to doing any job.
List the alternatives to working at height, WFP is in it.
Plus the quote speaks of a painter, who has no alternative.
I work on the basis taht you always obey the last command.
Hi All
Lets get one thing straight:
For the single residential small property window cleaner it is NOT NECASSARY to use a Water Fed Pole.
Yes you can use a WFP if you want and obviousley do an excelent job but you do not NEED one.
Health and Safety and the new Working at Height Regulations DO NOT, repeat, DO NOT require you to use other methods of access than our trusted ladder because of:
The Low risk and short duration of work involved in smaller properties.
Health and safety have brought out new regulations not to hinder professionals because any Professional Window Cleaner will ALREADY be using the new guidlines. HSE have introduced a lot of usefull information and advise that any professional would welcome.
If you are a Large Commercial property cleaner then that is a different matter!!
You would be an idiot to put a ladder up 40 - 60ft on sheet glass sided buildings!!!
David
Have you not read the press release from HSE 12/9/05?
"these regs do not ban ladders but they say they should be used ONLY when all other safer alternatives for work at height have been ruled out"
quite clear................................THe praticticality of wfp has been proved without any doubt even for residential work, Bury your head in the sand all you like but there's no escaping the facts. We changed once (chamois to squegee) we will have to do it again if we have not already done so. Whats the big deal it doesn't have to cost the earth. You get it back in no time anyway the speed you can work with a pole. I got so much more work in the 6 weeks since I changed I dont know what to do with it all, even the most picky customers have said they are happy with the results. If you use wfp properly it does a far better job than trad.
Stephen right, the last word was that press release.
Let me make my position clear.
I dont have WFP yet, I really dont want the expense, I dont want to embrace new methods. But I will, because the regs are getting clearer.
The Bear, (who can just about clean a window in 30 mins
)
