thats my point. whilst the kit may or may not weigh less than the 20kg limit, the directive stipulates that it must be lifted with the technique laid down in the manual lifting acop (approved code of practice). so it seems to me that by my employees using a gutter vac, they would be more at risk therefore a satisfactory risk assessment could not be satisfied, i.e., the risk would not be reduced or eliminated, therefore other methods should be sought to 'reduce the risk as far as is reasonably practicable'. the only way to reduce the risk is to use 2 operators therefore any savings by using a gutter vac comparable to say ladders or an alloy tower would be negligible, but ladders are allowed to be used as long used correctly and not for more than each climb lasting more than 20 mins, therefore ladders are a cost effective and safer alternative as long as correct safety accessories are used (microlite for example), but the gutter vac's are being sold as safe alternatives to ladders.....AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH. i'm confused to the point of gutter vac's. please help