Window Cleaning News

Window washers still 'critical' after Orinda electrical accident: Two window washers severely injured in a weekend electrical accident in Orinda remained in critical condition Monday. Jose Herrera, 51, and Eduardo Guerra, 30, were working for Santa Clara-based Delta Window Cleaning when the accident occurred Saturday afternoon, a company spokesman said. A man who answered the phone at Delta said Herrera has worked there for 25 years. Guerra has worked for Delta for about a year, he said. The pair were cleaning windows outside an Orinda office building Saturday morning when their cherry picker ran into high-voltage transmission lines. The men suffered second- and third-degree burns over 75 percent of their bodies and were taken by helicopter to the burn unit at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, according to the Moraga-Orinda Fire Department. Both were reported in critical condition. No additional information was available.
A representative for state Division of Occupational Safety and Health said Monday that investigators are conducting interviews and gathering facts about the case. Orinda Assistant City Manager Monica Pacheco, Orinda police Chief Jeff Jennings and Moraga-Orinda fire Chief Randy Bradley met Monday morning to discuss the accident. Responding to criticism that emergency personnel did not arrive quickly enough, Jennings said personnel from both departments were on scene within minutes and that he and Bradley were very satisfied with the response to what Jennings called a chaotic situation. That situation was compounded by the fact that some bystanders ignored directions to stay away from the accident site, Jennings said. "That added quite a bit to the chaos, people basically getting into arguments with fire and police regarding their own safety," he said. Police and fire officials tentatively plan to meet Wednesday with witnesses to explain the departments' response and answer questions, Jennings said. Previous story.

Oil Odors: If You Smell It, Is It Toxic? Everywhere you go these days on the Gulf Coast, people are complaining about the smell of oil. Fishermen and other clean-up workers are noticing strong smells, and coastal residents from Venice, LA, to Pensacola, FL are complaining that when the wind is fairly still or when it blows from the South, they're suffering from the stench of oil. In some cases, people are telling us that when they smell the oil, they're feeling sick. The so-called volatile organic compounds (VOCs), tend to have a sweet-sour 'solvent' odor (think paint-thinner). The semivolatile compounds like naphthalene have an odor that's more like tar or creosote. Hydrogen sulfide gas has a characteristic 'rotten egg' odor. 2-butoxyethanol (a chemical in some of the dispersants) smells exactly like a household window cleaning product.

Window Washing: The four upper windows in my office extend about 12 feet up from the floor; so I’m not surprised when the window cleaner hauls a ladder in and climbs up to wash them. I leave for a few minutes, come back, and there’s a different cleaner washing the lower four windows. I ask one cleaner why they divide the labor, and he has no answer. Does having two workers raise the average product? It could if they take turns and share the tedium and danger, but I don’t see why, since the first worker told me that he always does the ladder work/high windows. Does just having a colleague reduce boredom and perhaps raise productivity? Perhaps they take turns driving the truck from place to place? Overall, a strange way of organizing production.

London Midland’s trains sparkle thanks to pioneering liquid glass technology: London Midland is using pioneering liquid glass technology to help its trains sparkle, while protecting the environment. A thin coating of liquid glass – 500 times thinner than a human hair – is being applied to trains at London Midland’s Tyseley depot in Birmingham to produce surfaces that are easier to clean and highly durable. The rail operator is the first train company in the UK to use the new technology, produced by Nanopool, which can be applied to most surfaces and lasts around one year per application. Engineering director, Mac Mackintosh, said: “It’s made a real impact and we’re impressed. The trains are noticeably brighter and easier to clean.”
The Nanopool coating has also lead to a dramatic reduction in the amount of water and cleaning chemicals used in train cleaning, benefitting the wider environment and making the trains both cleaner and greener. Nanopool’s UK Project Manager, Neil McClelland, said: “London Midland have managed the project in a highly professional and focussed manner. Their goal was to create a cleaning and maintenance system which was eco friendly, enhanced the appearance of the trains and was low cost. They should be applauded for being innovators in the field of train maintenance.” Previous link.


A window cleaner works on the facade of the headquarters of the savings bank Caja Guadalajara as they take a walk in Guadalajara, 60 kilometres north east of Madrid. The ultra modern 12th-floor board room of savings bank Caja Guadalajara offers a bird's eye view of the empty industrial estate around it, a constant reminder of Spain's worst economic crisis for 50 years. "We moved our headquarters in December from the town centre to these offices, thinking there would be faster expansion on the estate," said Ana Maria Liron, branch manager of the bank which manages 365 million euros ($443.4 million) of loans and deposits. "But there is a big slowdown here ... No one expected such a long, hard crisis."

FCTA Threatens to Revoke Non-Performing Cleaning Contracts: Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration will not hesitate to revoke the concession of any cleaning contractor engaged if found not to be performing. FCT Minister, Bala Mohammed, who gave this threat on Tuesday during an interactive session with the Abuja Cleaning Contractors in his office, warned that it was not going to be business as usual. The minister warned that his administration will not condone laxity from any cleaning contractor anymore, however highly placed the sponsors of such companies are. Mohammed reiterated that the era when FCT administration had to intervene where there were large volumes of uncollected refuse was over, insisting that everybody must effectively do his or her part by being responsible. According to him, the FCT administration has been paying the contractors promptly and, therefore, expects that they reciprocate the same gesture by improving their services. The minister decried the pockets of overfilled bins noticed in the city and charged the contractors to discharge their duties with dispatch.

Q. How can I remove the adhesive left by old window film?
A. Gila Films, a leading manufacturer of window films, recommends a solution of eight ounces water, four ounces ammonia, and one teaspoon of liquid dishwashing soap. Put the solution in a spray bottle. Gila also makes a ready-made solution. Protect the window sill and floor so no solution or adhesive can drip on it. Spray the adhesive thoroughly with the solution, and rub it in with an old towel until the adhesive turns milky white, then scrape off the adhesive with a razor-blade scraper (sold at paint stores) or single-edge razor blades. Keep the blade clean by wiping it frequently and replace it if it becomes dull. When all the old adhesive is soaked and scraped off, spray the window again and clean with a squeegee. Dispose of any towels used in the cleaning process. You can find detailed instructions for removing both old window film and adhesive at Gilafilms.

Court hears how attack left man paralysed: A man yesterday told a court he was left paralysed after he was attacked while walking home from a friend’s house. At the High Court in Glasgow Peter McInnes, 33, who gave his evidence from his wheelchair, said he was attacked by two men on May 22, 2009. John Freeman, 30, of Stanford Street, Glasgow, denies attempting to murder Mr McInnes by stabbing him. Mr McInnes denied shouting a sectarian remark prior to the incident and maintained that the attack was unprovoked. The 33-year-old, of Tollcross, said he was trying to get home when he heard shouting from a nearby house. He ignored the shouts and kept walking until he heard footsteps behind him and turned to see a man trying to hit him with a Buckfast bottle. He said: "There was a boy with a Buckfast bottle trying to hit me with it, I was ducking and weaving. He tried to kick me too." He claimed he was stabbed by a second man. "Then I got a sharp feeling in my back and I was out the game." The former window cleaner added that when he came round he saw a knife being pulled from his chest and two men and a girl running way. He was unable to identify his attackers. The court heard he sustained seven stab wounds to his shoulders, back and chest and was left paralysed from the waist down. He spent three months in rehabilitation in the Southern General. Mr McInnes said: "My spine was damaged by the first wound. I am not going to walk again." The trial before temporary judge Norman Ritchie QC continues.

Magpies superfan meets Fairs Cup heroes: It was Toontastic for lifelong Magpie fan Frank Patterson when he had fish and chips with his Fairs Cup heroes. The plucky pensioner said it was one of the best moments in his life when he went to North Shields Fish Quay to eat the Geordie delicacy with two of the star footballers who helped Newcastle United win the Fairs Cup in 1969. the 82-year-old has renewed his season ticket every year for more than half a century and listed Newcastle’s 1969 Fairs Cup triumph over Hungarian side Ujpest Dozsa among his fondest memories. Today Frank, a retired window cleaner, originally from Byker but now living in Forest Hall, said: “It was a lifetime ambition to meet the men I have watched so many times before at St James’ Park and I have finally done it. “And not only that, I have had fish and chips with them as well.

Dutch Muslims fear impact of far-right vote: Netherlands : Muslims reeling from an apparent surge of anti-Islam sentiment fear next week's Dutch election will fuel mutual suspicion and pit neighbour against neighbour. It was in here in Almere, where a third of the population is of immigrant origin, that Geert Wilders (pictured) led his far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) to its first local election victory in March. PVV supporters, in turn, say the government has let them down. "I will vote for Wilders because he stands for freedom," Brian van Rooyen, a 25-year-old window cleaner, told AFP. "The current government is allowing so many foreigners into our country who get everything for nothing. They get housing while we have to work for it."

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Installation of the first of 11,000 glass panels that will form the facade of London Bridge's Shard of Glass skyscraper started this week. The panels, which in total will cover an area of more than 56,000 sq m, are made of a low iron glass with internal blinds. Already 2,500 of the panels have been manufactured and are awaiting delivery to site. On arrival the panels will be erected from the internal floors thereby eliminating any hazards that could come from an external erection method. The target is to install a floor a week.

Dragon-backed business cleans up with contracts: A NE industrial cleaning business, which secured the backing of TV Dragon Duncan Bannatyne, has secured £2.1m worth of contracts in the past month. The contracts for UK Commercial Cleaning Services (UKCC) are based around the country in the private healthcare, retail and business sectors. It is the latest success for the firm, which last August won £100,000 backing on BBC TV’s Dragon’s Den. Tony Earnshaw, 26, from Washington, Wearside, established the business with £300 when he was 19, boosting the earnings from a local window cleaning round to £6,000 a-month. He then expanded to become a full commercial cleaning company with about 30 staff based in Washington and Leeds depots. He had already grown it into a £1.5m-turnover business prior to yesterday’s announcement of the new contracts, individual details of which cannot be released for commercial reasons. There are now plans to expand the business further with the opening of a London depot.
Mr Earnshaw said: “My aim is to position the business as a nationally-regarded contender on the commercial cleaning stage and these contract wins are helping us to do that. “Our motivated and energetic workforce has worked hard to ensure that we can fulfil these contracts and continue to win more throughout this year. “The North-East needs more private business successes and my team have proved we can do it. We now want UKCC to be a flagship business for the area and the beyond.” Television viewers last year saw Darlington-based businessman Duncan Bannatyne buy a 35 per cent stake in the firm for £100,000. Since then, the company has gone from strength to strength. Last October, it won a contract to provide its services to care homes run by Four Seasons Healthcare, from Birmingham to the Scottish borders. It has also secured a number of other contracts, including Michelin- starred The White Room at Seaham Hall, County Durham. Earlier this year, Mr Earnshaw announced plans to franchise the business, with ambitions to deliver services to Scotland, Wales, the South of England, and Ireland.