Medical Fitness
Window cleaners scale and descend buildings that are more than 50m high. Cleaners should be medically cleared of ailments that could affect their performance. Medical examination at the time of induction and thereafter periodically is a must. As per the British Standards, a cleaner working at heights must be medically checked for:
• Heart disease
• High or low blood pressure
• Epilepsy / fits / vertigo
• Giddiness / difficulty with balance
• Impaired limb function
• Alcohol or drug dependence
• Psychiatric Illness
• Obesity
• Diabetes
Tender Process
Usually, a tender invitation should be divided into the general and the special conditions of contract, the additional technical conditions of contract and the specifications. The tender invitation contains legal, financial, organisational and, where applicable, also staff-related specifications. The technical part comprises the type of cleaning and the cleaning result, the description of the building and the site measuring.
It is then recommended to have the interested tendering companies perform a cleaning at intervals of two to three hours in order to evaluate the results according to the criteria time required, cleaning agents, hydrophobizing and care products used, professionalism of the cleaning, protection of other elements, and, of course, the cleaning result.
In the case of façade cleaning, though the tenders mention ‘safety standards’ as part of the operations, there are no safety standards prescribed. A quick glance at any of the tenders floated by the Government or public limited companies revealed that safety was not a clause or criteria for selection but a requirement. Hence it would mean that any requirement not adhered to only calls for a penalty and not cancellation of the contract itself. Could this be termed as negligence towards safety?
In fact, a self-rescue system should be included as a clause, so that in case of any untoward situation, operatives can safely retrieve themselves without any external aid. For suspension, a multiple rope system is adopted, so that in case of failure of main suspension, secondary suspension is always in place. In case of power failure (for motorised systems) the arrangement is provided in such a way that the system can be lowered or raised to the safety position without any power.
Cleaning Agents
Similarly, many of the tenders do not specify the cleaning products for façade cleaning. The use of non-neutral cleaning agents (with acidic or alkaline components) very often leads to irreparable damages of the surfaces which then require an extremely costly restoration. The tendency to use acidic or alkaline acting cleaning agents is intensified, if suppliers offer low prices due to lack of practical experience which exclude a gentle, environment friendly optimal cleaning and possibly preservation.
If then the company performing the work establishes funding gaps taking the quotation price and the scheduled performance into consideration, it will generally to compensate this with “chemicals”.
It is often the case that damages caused will show up only several months after the cleaning so that the outsourcing client can only establish with great expenditure that the visual changes of the window and facade coverings have resulted from the cleaning or preservation.
Hence, it is all the more important to ensure the appropriate performance of the cleaning procedure in order to achieve an optimal cleaning on one hand, and to be cleaned without damaging the surfaces or other elements on the other hand.
The present façade cleaning sector is highly unorganised and unregulated. In a country, where façade cleaning itself is not mandatory, there is no compulsion for maintaining facades. In many industries, façade is taken up for cleaning once a year! But with many fancy facades having come up, cleaning is now becoming a necessity. However, at many places, there is no budgetary allocation for cleaning itself, leave alone façade cleaning. “There is no proactive approach toward cleaning. It is only reactive or fire-fighting attitude. Unless something drastically goes wrong with the façade, nobody thinks about regular maintenance. Rather there is no preventive maintenance it is breakdown maintenance in many cases,” says a service provider.
Safety first, then Speed
Last month, the UK announced Deborah Morris as the fastest window cleaner in the World having cleaned the requisite number and sizes of windows in just 15.32 seconds. “We are never concerned how long the job takes as long as it is safe,” says David Morris, Director of David Morris Window Cleaning, UK
What is the safety precaution prescribed to ensure window cleaner’s safety during training?
Our window cleaners have working at heights certificates, as well as manual handling and roof safety training. They have also got an NVQ in window cleaning. We write risk assessment and method statement before any work takes place, which highlights any dangers in the working area. Firstly, we ensure that there is no risk of falling from height and also ensure that we don’t injure the public in any way. We put warning cones in place to warn the public and use safety barriers where necessary.
What is it that makes Deborah Morris special in her task, being fast at the same time ensuring safety?
Deborah is a much focused person and strives to be the best. She is naturally fast and efficient, and so did not have to practice too much to be the world’s fastest. She ensures her safety by not taking any risks and works with her feet firmly on the ground. She does not work at height and all her work is undertaken with reach-and-wash water-fed poles.
While, working at heights, speed is never an issue. The most important part is to clean the windows safely. We are never concerned how long the job takes as long as it is safe.
Finally, the outsourcing client must thus conclude a façade cleaning contractor for a safe and secure cleaning only if the contractor is a professional service provider.
