[martinsadie]

stopped by an old chap today while cleaning trad,he said his w/c uses a brush on a stick and said that using ladders was against the law,why was i using them,gets my goat what some people say,dont normally take other peoples work but his is fair game now

[scud]

  I always tell them they are banned

[tacky]

i tell my custies .the wfp guys ar afraid to climb ladders .                    ( only joking ) lets not start this arguement again

[tacky]

forgot to add .i use both ,

[jeff1]

I tell them the truth, there not banned but restricted.

[Russell Macdonald]

Ladders arn't band but the things you have to do to meet HS regs is a mission to use the things.

What happened to common sense.  :

[peter holley]

IM gutted i switched ti wfp 3 yrs ago... i have to work the same hours sometimes less... but i only get an extra £400a week >:(if i had known that in the beginning i would never have spent the £1000 outlay to get started .... IM GUTTED

[Londoner]

What always suprises me is why are trad window cleaners so angry about WFP all the time?
We have had numerous rants, digs and comments etc but why should it be their concern?

Round here ladders are illegal. I know of two painters who were nicked for painting some flats in Gayton Road Harrow off  ladders. They were warned one day and when the H and S come back the next day they were back up them so they were nicked.

Also some blokes doing UPVC facias were nicked in Carpenters Park near here for using ladders.

My next door neighbour is the manager of Zellers Windows, a local double glazing firm and they have had a visit a while back from H and S wanting to check up on them to make sure they weren't using ladders.

Its happening very slowly but it it is happening, believe me.

[Oakley Windows]

Its like the electrical regulations that came in a couple of years or so ago.

You cannot alter your houses wiring without using a qualified electrician unless you wish to do a few very simple things, such as add a spur to an existing ring-main.

Homebase still sell wiring because it isnt illegal to carry out modifications; just a little more stringent. An alteration to a regulation isnt actually a ban; which is why ladders are still sold.

[peter holley]

Learn from your mistakes and sell it, think how much money you will save by paying less income tax.

 

yes your right , it was a silly idea..... why would any one want to improve their buisness ? i think ill take a big pay cut, and risk an injury by going back to ladders only..... i bant believe its taken me sooo long to work it out,   .....and then i can help the window cleaner in my town who broke his leg when he fell off

[matt]

Its like the electrical regulations that came in a couple of years or so ago.

You cannot alter your houses wiring without using a qualified electrician unless you wish to do a few very simple things, such as add a spur to an existing ring-main.

Homebase still sell wiring because it isnt illegal to carry out modifications; just a little more stringent. An alteration to a regulation isnt actually a ban; which is why ladders are still sold.

from what i understand

you can do the work yourself, it just needs to be "signed off" by a sparks

[Oakley Windows]

EXACTLY in fact. My point being just because theres an alteration in a regulation doesnt mean what could previously be done is actually banned.

[gerard mcmanus]

There are tuns of window cleaners where I stay and I know most of them. There is only one will a WFP system, and I seen him yesterday doing residents off a ladder, with the Thermopure logo on the van right next to him. I take it he only uses it for large comericial jobs or something...

Anyway the rest all use ladders, and I am insured to use them upto 15 feet. I would concider using a WFP system, and I know you can get them cheap but there is still a few things I need to concider.

But where I stay, there is no problem using a ladder, maybe in the future it will be, but for now I am still using mine, day in and day out.

Even though I am a little sceptical, I would say however, to anyone who doesn't have a WFP it looks like the best option is to try it and see for yourself, as everyone's circumstances and round are different and the safety issue will also be a big factor for any window cleaner.

gerard 

[William Tyndale]

You could explain in full about the WAHR and after 2 mins the customers eyes glaze over, all they take from it is that you cant use ladders, Its of no use that you have given them chapter and verse, they dont always get it. So when they repeat what was told them, it's easier for them to say they are banned.

Get off your high horse as regards WFP users, calling them LIARS is a tad strong!

[dave273]

Remember the luddites

[peter holley]

i will never go bacjk to ladders.... SLOOOW...UNSAFE, AND UNNECESSARY

[baldeagle]

I find that rather than explain about WAHR blah, blah, blah,  it's usually enough to say that "We are supposed to use the pole wherever possible, rather than ladders"
That's usually enough for most people, but, if they want to discuss it further, then that's usually because they know about the WAHR, anyway.
I did a new job about 5 cleans ago; the lady is 98 years old, about four foot six, and bright as a button, with piercing blue eyes, like a little doll.
I'd not met her before the first clean, the job was arranged by her daughter, who lives in the next street, [same size house etc].
I did the front, went round the back, and the old lady came out and said "Ah! I'm pleased to see you clean with a pole - how much better that must be for you than climbing those ladders - so much safer too"
If only they were all like that!
Baldeagle