I was just over on the Window Cleaning Warehouse site and noticed this article. Is that right about a written risk assessment being required by law before using a WFP?
"Risk assessment
Excellent, effective and reliable as they undoubtedly are, water-fed poles are not without risk, and
the law requires that a window cleaner utilising one must produce a written risk assessment before undertaking a contract to clean a given property’s windows on a regular basis. In consultation with the customer, the window cleaner or his manager should answer the following questions:
Are any windows to be cleaned above first floor level?
Can windows greater than 2 meters from the ground be cleaned from the inside?
Is the customer agreeable to a water-fed pole being used to reduce risk to the window cleaner, and are there any factors that preclude a water-fed pole from being used?
Has whoever is to clean the window been given adequate training and guidance on pure water window cleaning technique?
Is there any risk of falling through glazed panels (even from inside the building)?
If so, have suitable safety measures and controls been put in place (e.g. safety glazing, guards etc)?
Is there any risk, if the pole were to be dropped by the operator, of it striking anybody else and causing injury, or of it striking a passing vehicle?
Are there any un-insulated overhead electricity supply cables that the water-fed pole could possible touch or on to which it could accidentally spray water?
Are there any other possible risks not covered by these questions?"
Full article
http://www.windowcleaningwarehouse.co.uk/shop/news/government-versus-gravity.htmlInteresting
