We have 2 reported deaths and one serious injury according to the report.
Unfortunately, sad as they are, we aren't told what the circumstances are around the two window cleaners who died. If it's one I remember reading about, he was using an aluminium pole around electric cables.
There was a thread on one of the forums recently regarding electric cables and window cleaners. There where many posters who didn't know the difference between telephone cables and electricity supply cables. There's part of the problem; a lack of knowledge.
However, while we need to prevent all injuries and deaths, I'm sure that many can be avoided with a properly self imposed risk and method statement as Malc has stated. Who does that?
Obviously the injured window cleaner can't work again as a window cleaner, but I remember both him and his dad were going to focus on awareness and safety regarding pole manufacture.
Pushing stuff through parliament at that level is just going to make it more difficult for manufacturers and it's window cleaners who will be affected in the end.
Gardiner's insulate the base pole section against electrical shock. If they, and others, are legislated to give the shock protection to the second pole that fits into the base pole, what happens when that fibreglass layer wears off/or wears thin and the carbon shows through? We experienced that wear pattern with the clx range.
I know this sounds harsh, but people who wave a pole around bare supply lines only have themselves to blame when accidents happen imho.
We have a few old houses with bare supply cables. I clean the fronts of those houses (not my lad) and go through a mental action plan before I start cleaning the upstairs bedroom windows every time we clean them.
Unfortunately there's seems to be this two fold attitude among window cleaners in our area of how much money do I earn cleaning this house and how quickly can I do it. 'Time is money' can mean that basic safety procedures are overlooked.
