Window Cleaning News + Another Ladder Fall

Window cleaner airlifted after fall: A window cleaner had to be airlifted to hospital after he fell off his ladder in a Powys village. The man, who has been named locally as Tim Owen, was cleaning windows on the Llys Rhufain estate, in Caersws, near Newtown, when the incident happened yesterday. Derek Newall, who lives in the village, said Mr Owen had been cleaning windows on the estate when the accident happened at about 4pm. He said he saw the air ambulance arrive. “He was cleaning windows and fell off his ladder,” he said. “I went to the medical centre in Caersws with his father and his wife. An ambulance attended and a decision was made to airlift him to hospital.” A spokesman from the Welsh Ambulance Service said it was called to the scene just before 4pm.

Robo-window cleaners in Dubai: Last month, a great number of press outlets picked up on the fact that clearly the windows of the world's tallest building would be a feat unto itself. Figures were thrown around saying that a team of 36 cleaners would take three months to wash the 2,717-foot tower using 12 state-of-the-art machines that travel along tracks fixed to the building's exterior. However, all that hard work put into designing a window-washing system for the super-skyscraper could be in vain, as Swiss company Serbot AG unveils their new robotic cleaning system specifically designed for windows and façades on high-rise buildings. And where better to show it off, than in Dubai?
The Great Gekko and CleanAnt: The robots, Gekko and CleanAnt, already have the advantage over their human counter parts as they are able to work at wind speeds that would prohibit manual cleaning for safety reasons. Not just that, but Bas Schmit Phiferons, Serbot business development manager, firmly believes in their excellent cleaning performance, constant availability and minimal operating costs which makes them an ideal window-cleaning system. More importantly, they're faster than human cleaners.
Gekko, for example, has a cleaning capacity of up to 400 square metres an hour, which is 15 times faster than manual cleaning. It's rapid cleaning ability gives it, not only potential in the high-rise cleaning industry, but in the maintenance of solar panels and photovoltaic modules.
Removing leaves, pollen, sand and dust from entire fields of solar panels could see solar efficiency improve and eliminate the need for employees to carry out the dangerous task on the steep panels at night. Gekko instead uses vacuum power to attach itself to the surface to be cleaned, whether vertical, horizontal or slanted, and then uses a windshield-wiper type of brush to blast away any kind of dirt on the glass.
Speaking to Construction Week Online, Phiferons was positive about how his product would do in the UAE. "We are bringing this new technology to the UAE, where we have seen a lot of potential, especially with all the skyscrapers and the various architectural designs, which are very hard to clean using conventional methods," he said. He also talked up the 'green credentials' of the robo-cleaners - "No detergent is needed for cleaning, which is an added environmental advantage. The robots can use dry ice, demineralised water or water with enzymes to eat away the oils. They also can filter and recycle the used material to minimise waste." On paper, they sound fantastic... here's hoping they just don't try and take over the world. It's always the way with robots...

Imdaad, the leading integrated Facilities Management solutions providers in the UAE, today announced the launch of its latest major initiative, Imdaad HomePro Maintenance Services, an exclusive service division offering clients comprehensive maintenance programme to help protect and preserve homes. Imdaad HomePro Maintenance Services cover all key areas of protecting and preserving the safety and beauty of the home. The package of services include the maintenance of Façade and Window Cleaning.

Handbags stolen from Thame homes: Police are appealing for information after two houses were burgled in Thame. Between 12.30am on Thursday and 4.30pm on Friday, thieves gained access to a property in Nelson Street and stole a handbag. A handbag was also stolen from a property in Essex Road when it was burgled between 9.15pm on Wednesday and 8.15am on Thursday. Det Con Emma McGrath said: “There are no signs of forced entry to either premise, but we have had reports that there has been a man in the area acting suspiciously and offering window cleaning. “I am appealing to anyone who may have seen this man or any suspicious activity in the area to contact the police.” Anyone with any information about this incident is asked to contact Det Con McGrath at Didcot police station via 0845 8 505 505, or if you don’t want to talk to the police or give your name, call the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

Janitors’ union sets date for strike vote: After two full weeks of working without a contract, a union representing more than 4,000 Twin Cities janitors decided last week to set a strike authorization vote over unfair labor practices. The vote was scheduled to take place on Saturday, Jan. 30, at the union’s weekly member meeting. At press time, the outcome was not yet known, but the Downtown Journal has been posting web updates regarding this story at downtownjournal.com. SEIU Local 26 — Minnesota’s Property Services Union, which represents security officers and window cleaners in addition to janitors — had arranged for two additional weeks of negotiations at the end of last year, pushing the final deadline for a new contract to Jan. 8. That deadline came and went, with both sides no closer to an agreement. At a member meeting the following day, the union voted to set another two-week deadline “for companies to get serious,” according to SEIU Local 26 President Javier Morillo-Alicea. That deadline expired Jan. 22, and the decision to set a strike authorization vote came at the following day’s member meeting.

More States Requiring 'Green' Cleaning Products in Schools: In an era where the "3 Rs" have now come to stand for "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle," an increasing number of states are requiring schools and government buildings to use environmentally friendly cleaning products. By the end of 2009, 10 states, including Connecticut, Illinois and New York, had already enacted Green Clean Schools Acts requiring or encouraging the use of environmentally sensitive cleaning and maintenance products in schools, according to Green Seal Inc., a nonprofit whose eco-certification is internationally recognized and well-respected. Similar legislation is expected to be considered in 2010 in at least five states, including California and Wisconsin.

Critics say that while the measures are laudable, states should not mandate which products schools and agencies must buy, especially if they increase costs for governments that are struggling financially. In New York, schools that responded to a state survey said their costs went up 10 percent, on average, in the first year they complied with a 2005 cleaning law. But New York's Office of General Services said successful programs reduce levels of cleaning chemicals, mold and dust that cause asthma attacks, a top reason students miss school. Linda Chipperfield, a vice president for Green Seal, said its certified products use less packaging and cannot contain chemicals that cause cancer, kill aquatic life or deplete the ozone layer, among other things.

Quincy Public School Maintenance Director Dennis Peters said while the district wasn't mandated to use green cleaning products until a year ago, it started a year early. "We'll do anything we can to help out the environment," he said. The cost is about the same, Peters said, although the district hasn't switched all its paper products to recyclables yet. "I don't know that they do the same job that products used to, but maybe those were a little harsh," Peters said. "We may have to use a little more elbow grease, but the end result is the same."

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's 'Cemetery Juction': Definitely not 'The Office': “The film itself centers around three young guys growing up in a small town. One of them is dreaming big, he wants to escape the blue-collar life which his dad, played by Ricky, has, working in a factory and window-cleaning on the side.