Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Richard Shepherd on April 25, 2014, 07:25:38 pm

Title: Roof pressure washer fined
Post by: Richard Shepherd on April 25, 2014, 07:25:38 pm
Seen a few lads doing this, need to be careful

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/roofing-firm-md-fined-after-7034185
Title: Re: Roof pressure washer fined
Post by: ben M on April 25, 2014, 07:33:37 pm
i've seen a guy today doing the same thing!
Title: Re: Roof pressure washer fined
Post by: jim mca on April 25, 2014, 09:48:25 pm
Even worse if the roof tiles contain asbestos
Title: Re: Roof pressure washer fined
Post by: PoleKing on April 25, 2014, 10:17:03 pm
What if you're doing your own house?
Title: Re: Roof pressure washer fined
Post by: Window Lickers on April 25, 2014, 10:50:12 pm
What if you're doing your own house?

Depends.
Title: Re: Roof pressure washer fined
Post by: PoleKing on April 25, 2014, 11:11:38 pm
What if you're doing your own house?

Depends.

I wish you wouldn't waffle
Title: Re: Roof pressure washer fined
Post by: Rob_Mac on April 25, 2014, 11:41:46 pm
Jim

Quite a strange thing to say - asbestos in the tiles.

Those tiles do not contain asbestos. They are widely used on housing stock & commercial properties.

I have cleaned dozens of store roofs with them on.

Our most recent project in the 'What have you cleaned today' post, on the general cleaning forum was a store roof completed today. On this one we had to check the asbestos register because I had my suspicion that the tiles were indeed asbestos and or with a fibre through them.

They were not, thankfully and we got on with the clean ;)

Rob ;D
Title: Re: Roof pressure washer fined
Post by: capn sparkle on April 26, 2014, 12:17:48 am
What happens if someone has 'fudged' the register??

Plenty of cowboys out there - I'm curious - who makes the register??
Title: Re: Roof pressure washer fined
Post by: Rob_Mac on April 26, 2014, 10:40:13 am
The simple answer is that if the register in this set of circumstances has been 'fudged' then the water will have damped it down but we have caused a major problem. Asda and the like tend to be s*it hot on this sort of thing and because they are liable if there is a problem they don't make mistakes or rather shouldn't make mistakes.

I can only work from the register, which by law every commercial property has to have. Never seen one so I don't know what's in one but I guess a surveyor puts his name and signature against it being true.

I think if it is suspected then it has to be sampled. I suspected and asked the question - they looked on the register.

We know that asbestos is in every school and a great deal of other buildings, both residential & commercial and it shouldn't be disturbed without the correct encapsulation & processes put in place.

Just done an asbestos awareness course and one of the lads that worked with us last year had his tickets for it so I got to know quite a bit.

No expert though and there may be fault in the above.

'Fudge' great word ;D

Rob
Title: Re: Roof pressure washer fined
Post by: richard groves on April 26, 2014, 11:01:01 am
looks like he's doing a good job of it to me.
Title: Re: Roof pressure washer fined
Post by: Perfect Windows on April 26, 2014, 11:31:28 am
Saw a company doing this not too long ago.  Their van had a huge fold-out display unit (to entice neighbours to sign up, I guess).  Very, very professional looking setup.  Then I heard the pump kick in, turned and there was a bloke standing on a roof jetwashing.

He had a hi-vis jacket on, so at least they'd have been able to find his corpse if he'd fallen.

Vin
Title: Re: Roof pressure washer fined
Post by: johnny bravo on April 26, 2014, 02:37:40 pm
would he have been fined if he had a harness fitted,     wrapped around the chimney breast.
it would cost a lot to secure scaffolding,  not too bad i suppose for bungallows.

what is the way to do it without scaffolding
Title: Re: Roof pressure washer fined
Post by: jim mca on April 26, 2014, 02:52:26 pm
Rob

I remember a company a few years ago were fined big time for pressure washing roof tiles that
contained asbestos and blowing the dust for miles around just trying to make people aware that there can be danger to people in the area outside of the work place who could be affected by this type of work

Jim
Title: Re: Roof pressure washer fined
Post by: wfp master on April 26, 2014, 03:00:51 pm
never seen it done with scaffolding up. just see them standing on the roof.
lots of pikeys do it in the summer have had them at my door asking if i want my roof done a couple of times. probably break a good few tiles walking all over the roof.
Title: Re: Roof pressure washer fined
Post by: Rob_Mac on April 26, 2014, 05:09:01 pm
Jim

Absolutely spot on - nothing wrong with highlighting the point.

Various ways of cleaning a roof -

Off the roof
Off a roof ladder
Mike on the general cleaning section uses a rope safety set up
Off MEWP
Off staging

Scaffolding doesn't really work unless it is staged so that it splits the distance between the ridge and the gutterline. (modified) You would only gain height with a standard scaffold so would get no closer to the tiles.

Off the roof - unsafe for all the obvious reasons
Off a roof ladder - Unsafe but slightly safer as you only have two points of contact
Rope system - don't know enough about it but it is walking on the roof
MEWP - The way I would go. The right size spiderlift would get you to every point on a domestic roof.
Staging would create a platform between two roof ladders. I am looking into this as an option at the moment. Weight of the platform may be an issue but it is a recognised way of working on a roof.

Rob ;D
Title: Re: Roof pressure washer fined
Post by: Mitchellmoxo on April 26, 2014, 08:10:42 pm
Seems to be the safest, most practical way of working on roofs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5eICjQhVn8

I would also slide a roof tile up, and drill this into the beams, and ratchet the roof ladders to the anchor.

(http://i.ebayimg.com/t/KRATOS-Reusable-Hinged-Steel-Roof-Anchor-EN795-Class-A-Roofing-Scaffolding-/00/s/NjAwWDYwMA==/z/F1QAAMXQlgtS6Nka/$_12.JPG)


Interesting read about asbestos on roofs which i was completely not aware of - will have to do some reading
Title: Re: Roof pressure washer fined
Post by: Richard Shepherd on April 26, 2014, 08:37:54 pm
Just as an added extra.

One of my customers runs a roofing company and he said the worse thing you can do to a roof with the concrete tiles is to pressure wash it, it shortens the life span of the tiles apparently.

He said if it's a clean roof you are after then try softwashing????????
Title: Re: Roof pressure washer fined
Post by: Mitchellmoxo on April 26, 2014, 09:01:36 pm
the debate of how roofs should be cleaned reminds me of the trad vs wfp situation
Title: Re: Roof pressure washer fined
Post by: Perfect Windows on April 26, 2014, 10:52:20 pm
the debate of how roofs should be cleaned reminds me of the trad vs wfp situation

Really?  You think the question "should someone stand on a wet roof with nothing to stop him hitting the floor?" is similar to "what's the best way to clean a window?"

Vin
Title: Re: Roof pressure washer fined
Post by: G Griffin on April 26, 2014, 11:05:40 pm
the debate of how roofs should be cleaned reminds me of the trad vs wfp situation
I'd definitely go with a Harris pole up the chimbley with a waffle cloth attached. Do it from inside and that way you can do it in bad weather as well.
Title: Re: Roof pressure washer fined
Post by: Mitchellmoxo on April 27, 2014, 11:02:12 am
No, health and safety measures should always be in place no matter what.

However the method of cleaning, ie pressure washing or chemicals is what is always debated.

A roof CAN be cleaned SAFELY if correct equipment is used, weather it be using chemicals or a pressure washer.