The Illustrated Window Cleaner

An illustrated water colour look at high rise window cleaning in Australia.

What's it like to be a high-rise window washer? Head to the top of the concrete jungle with high-flying cleaner Caleb Wilkinson. By Lucy Fahey & Paul Donoughue.

My heart was pounding the first time I went off a 21-storey building. White knuckling is what they call it — going over the edge and just holding on for dear life.

If you leap over the edge, that will put a shock load onto your system and that can pop the anchor point from the roof. A 'controlled descent' is what people like to call it.

When I first started I was doing a building and I [was] facing the actual wall, and cleaning the window, I was 100 per cent fine. And then a big gust of wind turned me around so I was actually facing the Brisbane River. That was when I first pooed my pants. Not literally, but it scared the bejesus out of me.

When we go up to a roof to do a job, there should be certified anchor points installed. I normally do a figure-of-eight knot, and I put a carabiner onto the anchor point and hook my rope into that. The ropes that we use are rated to at least a minimum of two tonnes.

We'll have a spotter on the ground so that when we are lowering our rope we'll make sure that, yes, it is definitely touching the ground.

I have heard in the industry of people who just do their business into a bucket if they are doing window cleaning. Or they will just do it in their pants and then they will pour their water from their window cleaning onto themselves just to wash themselves off.

I am not that type of person. I will just hold it, and just try to get the job done.

There have been times where I was abseiling down and the people had their back to me but I could see their computer screens, and they were on Facebook when they should have been working. I have known of people who have abseiled down buildings and there have been people, you know, having relations inside or in the middle of getting dressed or something.

Once I was doing a taller window drop, and everyone knew we were there but I caught someone on the toilet. And I just swung around the other way until they had finished their business. Not the nicest thing, I can tell you that.

I've had a lady cry because she was scared for me. In order to stop her from crying, it was pretty much clean the window as quick as possible and move down out of her line of sight.

I was at the retirement home and one of the ladies was deaf, and she saw just my legs hanging from the window — she couldn't see the rest of me — so she ran to her next door neighbour. 'Oh my God, there's a boy on the side of the building, I think he's stuck, I don't know what to do'.

By the time they came out onto the balcony I was down [below them]. I was like, 'Hi, how's it going?' We do confuse some people and scare some people but all in all a lot of people just let us do our job and leave us alone.

It is always good to have a bit of interaction. We've had coffees offered to us. 'Thank you very much, but I can't secure the cup.'

A lot of the boys do wear sunscreen — it's just their personal choice whether they want skin cancer or not.

We were doing a building and it was about 35, 37 degrees outside and the windows that we were doing were black tinted windows, so the reflection that comes off that adds another couple of degrees. And you can get sunburnt just by the reflection of the windows.

A lot of people just say, 'I'm glad it's you and not me' and 'I would never do that — I hope you get paid a F-load of money'.

Window Cleaning Safety Concerns In Australia

A window cleaner is seen washing windows without a safety harness.

Safety concerns reach new heights: Concerns for highrise safety protocols have been sparked after a horrified passerby snapped a picture of a window cleaner perched high on a ledge without safety gear. The unidentified cleaner was seen many stories up on the Surfers Paradise RSL building at 9 Beach Rd on Tuesday. A cleaning bucket is visible and the cleaner is wearing a sun-protection hat but no other safety equipment can be seen as he reaches up to clean the large windows.

Photographer Byron Bailey said it was an all-to-common sight on the Glitter Strip. "I can't believe just how many times I see this all over the Coast," he said. "I watched (this cleaner) jump from ledge to ledge as he cleaned the windows." The building manager told the Bulletin he was unaware of the alleged incident and could not comment.

Under Queensland's Workplace Health and Safety Act, staff and employers must maintain safe work conditions or face stiff fines. Individuals can cop maximum fines up to $50,000, businesses $300,000 and body corporates can be up for $1.5 million. A WHS Code of Practice published last year regarding fall risks recommended suspended platforms or ropes and harnesses be used for window cleaning. Alternatively, it recommends building designers install windows that pivot to allow for indoor cleaning and prevent outdoor accidents.

A holiday maker "jumped out" the window of a Gold Coast high rise to rescue a window cleaner who fell five storeys to the 17th floor after his ropes failed.

A government spokesman said anyone concerned about their workplace safety practices to view legislation and codes of practice details online. It comes after a 35-year-old window cleaner was left dangling on a rope after he plunged four storeys from the 21st level of a Main Beach hotel yesterday before smashing through an apartment window. Lee Heights was pulled to safety by Brisbane holidaymakers after his safety rope slackened, sending him down the side of the building at high speed. He was taken to hospital with suspected broken ribs after the fall yesterday morning.

Mr. Heights Takes A Drop In Australia

Lee Heights, a window cleaner has fallen from the top of a Gold Coast high-rise, dangling 17 storeys above the ground after his harness gave way.

Queensland cleaner rescued after high-rise fall: A hotel guest has helped rescue a window cleaner left dangling on a rope after falling four storeys at a Gold Coast high-rise. The man had been cleaning windows on the 21st floor of the Sunbird Beach Resort at Main Beach, when a rope went slack. The 35-year-old, who was wearing a safety harness, fell four floors and hit a 17th floor window. A woman staying at the hotel reportedly pulled the dangling man onto a balcony. He has been taken to the Gold Coast Hospital in a stable condition, with suspected rib injuries.

The cleaner, reported to have the ironic name of Lee Heights, was left dangling next to the balcony of the room where the Nicol family, from Brisbane, were holidaying. Mum Jenny Nicol helped pulled the man to safety before she and husband Richard raised the alarm with the building managers. "He was yelling out in pain and groaning and looked a bit dazed," Ms Nicol told The Courier-Mail. "He must have knocked himself out for a bit. I'm just glad he's okay." Police as well as the Department of Workplace Health and Safety are investigating the incident.

Sunbird Beach Resort at Main Beach

Gold Coast high-rise window cleaner who plunged five floors is plucked to safety by tourist on 17th floor: Brisbane holiday makers have rescued a high-rise window cleaner - with the ironic name of Lee Heights - who plunged five floors from a Gold Coast apartment tower. Mr Heights, 35, was tethered to an abseiling rope while cleaning windows on the 21st floor of the Sunbird Beach Resort at Main Beach when he fell about 9.30am on Wednesday. He is believed to have struck his head as he plummetted to the 17th storey, where he was left dazed and dangling.

The Nicol family, of Indooroopilly, were holidaying in the building when they saw Mr Heights fall and pulled him to safety through a bedroom window. "He sort of swung down and hit his head and his elbow smashed into the glass,'' said 14-year-old Jess Nicol, who was in the kitchen of the 17th floor apartment when she saw the fall. "He was just hanging there next to our unit.''

Mum Jenny Nicol helped pull Mr Heights to safety and she and husband Richard alerted the building managers, who rang an ambulance. "He was yelling out in pain and groaning and looked a bit dazed,'' Mrs Nicol said. "He must have knocked himself out for a bit. I'm just glad he's OK.'' Mr Heights, who has been cleaning highrise windows for about 15 years, was taken to Gold Coast Hospital with minor injuries. Police and the Department of Workplace Health and Safety are investigating.

Australian Window Cleaners Buzzed By Giant

Window cleaners Lawrence Jones and Carl Nothling got the fright of their lives yesterday when they turned around to see one of the world's largest planes heading directly for them.

Window cleaners sitting pretty as Globemasters buzz Brisbane: When your job means you dangle hundreds of metres above the ground every day there is little rattles you. But window cleaners Lawrence Jones and Carl Nothling got the fright of their lives yesterday when they turned around to see one of the world's largest planes heading directly for them. Unaware that four of the Air Force's new C-17A Globemasters were due to fly low over the city on a public relations exercise, the duo from Pacific Rope Maneuvers were hard at work cleaning windows at the top of the Brisbane Square building when they noticed hundreds of people lining the nearby Victoria Bridge.

Mr Jones, 27, said he rang his colleague on the roof of the building to find out what was going on when suddenly the four 53m-long and 52m-wide Globemasters came roaring past  and one appeared to heading right for them. "There was one moment I was scared,'' Mr Jones said. The skies over southeast Queensland were home to four giant aircraft when the RAAF's new Globemasters took to the air. "The second or third one that flew over the building looked really close, like it was coming right at us. As it was coming we were just saying `please turn, please turn' and it did just in time.''

Photographer Alex Aspinall was on hand for the Globemaster flyover, but window cleaners Laurence Jones and Carl Nothling had an even better view high above the city.

Twenty-eight floors below the duo, passerby Alex Aspinall had his camera pointed skyward  and captured the exact moment that left Mr Jones and Mr Nothling shaking in their harnesses. Like the window cleaners, Mr Aspinall had also managed to miss the news of the flypast. He was walking to work just in time to see it all unwind. "It was a coincidence really,'' he said. "As I got off the train I saw hordes of people queued up on the bridge. I noticed the window cleaners as I was coming over the bridge and wondered if that's what people were looking at. "It was a pleasing shot in the end. All the other aircraft had come over the river but that one took a much wider pass around ... it looked like it came quite close to the top of that building. "I can imagine it was pretty scary up there.''

C-17A Globemasters are one of the largest planes in the World, standing 322 metres (1056 feet) tall.

But despite the fright, the window cleaner Mr Jones said it had been ``the highlight of my day''. "Being there on the ropes and seeing it so close, it was pretty nice,'' he said. The huge planes took off from Amberley Air Force base west of Brisbane, thundered across the central business district a few minutes later about 300m above the ground before flying over the beaches of the Gold Coast at below the height of the city's loftiest building, the Q1, which stands 322 metres tall.

The formation, which thrilled tens of thousands of onlookers,  included the newest Globemaster, which was delivered on November 6 and is the Royal Australian Air Force's sixth. Wing Commander Paul Long says the Globemasters have made a tremendous contribution since they first arrived in December 2006. "Our C-17As have supported operations in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan and last year were instrumental in providing support for disaster relief tasking in Queensland, Japan and New Zealand,'' he said in a statement.

April Fools Day For Window Cleaners

London Window Cleaning Company Beats Traffic Congestion In London With New Fleet Of Helicopters: London's notorious traffic jams and the relatively new controversial introduction of the Central London congestion charge along with steadily rising parking expenses has lead one of London's most well known window cleaning companies to introduce a new range of vehicles to complement its current fleet of vans.

The purchase of five Bell Jet long range helicopters that can carry up to six passengers will soon be dropping the company's window cleaning staff directly on to each job in an amazing attempt to stem any potential problems of missed or late appointments due to worsening road conditions in London. Fully equipped to clean both residential and commercial windows with the use of water fed pole they plan to beat the competition once again.

Speaking to the company spokesperson Nathan Colwell the Director of Ncpm247.com stated:
"With our new fleet of helicopters we can drop our window cleaning staff on site on time without any of the problems of London's notorious road conditions." The helicopters that have all been converted to carry up to 700 litres of purified water are able to deliver the water required via hose directly to the cleaners below. Time will tell how effective window cleaning by helicopter will be but one might assume that the London Mayor may well find a taxation system to tackle this brave new concept very shortly.

Toll plan for Kurilpa Bridge: The river city's elected officials will never consider introducing tolls for Brisbane's pedestrian bridges, if our April Fools' Day story is any guide. Unsurprisingly, many readers reacted with outrage to the 'proposal', with more then 90 per cent of poll respondents rejecting the idea. The joke was also lost on one Queensland government media adviser, who demanded the story be removed from the site.

......Pedestrians and cyclists could be forced to pay $1.50 to walk or cycle across the Kurilpa Bridge as part of a controversial plan being considered by the state government. A maintenance report obtained by brisbanetimes.com.au suggests "tolling" as a way of recouping larger-than-expected upkeep costs. The report shows each spire costs $1 million a year to clean due to the need for a specially modified window washing-type rig. An additional $4 million is required to remove marks left by youths dragging their skateboards. "The unforeseen escalation in maintenance outlays makes it necessary to consider the implementation of a user-pays approach," the report says. "The department acknowledges this matter is politically sensitive, however alternative strategies must be considered to deal with this recurrent budget pressure."
Pedestrian and Rider Action Network Queensland (PRANQ) chief executive officer Verity Abson said the plan was "a complete joke". "I can't believe they would consider such an extraordinarily foolish idea," she said. The proposed toll, if approved, would come into effect on April 1 next year.



Want a chance to work for PlayStation? Do you have the skills and determination to work as a Sony Janitor? Well , the wait is finally OVER! Today SCEE is announcing a new original program that will be created for the PlayStation Network called “The Janitor.”

From the beginning , Playstation was the pioneer of video gaming, and has pushed their consoles into all-around entertainment machines. Their recent success in launching "The Tester" on the US PSN Store has inspired Europe to bring us the next great leap in quality entertainment: The Janitor.

The Janitor looks to be a great show. It has all the intense and dramatic moments you expect from a reality show: intense competition, toilet cleaning, window washing and much more! All this is to be hosted by a posh, hot British woman nobody has ever heard of.

The Cast will be selected among people who send us their video cleaning their own toilet while serving tea and dusting off a desk, the judges then will select the best shiniest toilet and the best pair of coveralls, so don't hesitate guys! Send your videos for a chance to win! Of course we're saving the best for last, the grand prize for the best janitor!

The winner will win a job as a janitor at SCEE to the tune of £6.00 per hour and a pair of Louis Vuitton coveralls with the Sony Playstation logo embroidered on by homeless Chinese children. Check the UK PSN Store for tonight's premiere episode!

Australia Cleans Up + More Scaffolding Woes

As reported yesterday on the blog - seems like window cleaners in Australia could become very busy! Picture shows Sydney Harbour Bridge during the day.

Sydney Braces for More Dust Clouds as Authorities Clean Up City: Sydney may be hit by more dust clouds at the weekend when strong winds blow in from the Australian Outback, forecasters said, as city authorities cleaned up from yesterday’s choking storm. The Bureau of Meteorology said winds as fast as 65 kilometers (40 miles) an hour may whip up more dust and top-soil in Australia’s dry interior tomorrow and cause a haze in Sydney on Sept. 26. “There is another strong front moving across,” said meteorologist Rob Webb, adding the dust cloud expected in Sydney at the weekend is “unlikely to be as bad” as yesterday.
About 75,000 metric tons of dust an hour was blown over the city during the peak of the storm yesterday morning, according to the New South Wales state government. More than 100 sweepers took to the streets of central Sydney early today to brush away the dust residue, the City of Sydney council said, adding it has put more cleaners on duty over the next few days to help with the effort. The dust storm, more than 500 kilometers wide and 1,000 kilometers long, was the largest to hit Sydney since the 1940s and was driven from the drought-stricken Outback by gale-force winds, according to the weather bureau. Air pollution readings for the region were the highest ever recorded and the state Health Department reported a spike in the number of people needing medical attention for breathing problems. Paramedics treated 218 people in Sydney yesterday for respiratory complaints, it said. Phil Costa, the state minister for water, eased restrictions on hosepipe usage and said people wouldn’t be fined for washing down their driveways and homes in the aftermath of the storm. With office tower windows smeared with orange powder and cars coated with a film of dust, cleaning firms are reaping the benefits of the storm. Sydney-based Clear Choice Window Cleaning, whose clients include the Westpac building on Kent Street, is expecting a surge in demand, director Ben Hay said. “People are still a bit wary about the weather,” he said by telephone today. “We are expecting when it does calm down it is going to be crazy.”

Hold your breath, more dust coming: Don't get out the hose and bucket just yet to clean the car and the windows because more orange dust is coming our way this weekend. Martin Tanner of MJ’s Window Cleaning however, was blessing the fine orange powder. Martin had his mobile phone buzzing all morning. “I have had seven calls this morning from people wanting to get their windows cleaned others wanted quotes,” he said.“It is not just the glass but the window frames that are covered in thick dust. I have found that when I come to the bottom of the window it is like mud, so I have been brushing it of first before I wash. On the framework you have to wipe it up – it is a sticky sort of dust,” he said. Mr Tanner said some of the worst hit businesses were cafes and restaurants on Mooloolaba Esplanade and shops on Brisbane Road. The Sunshine Coast council on the other hand has decided not to clean up the dust in public spaces but instead wait for nature to wash it away. Communications manager for Sunshine Coast Water Helen Mohr said the council would not have additional cleaning services because of the dust.

North Carolina Window Washer Workers Stuck: Two window washers were stuck on scaffolding equipment on the side of a Charlotte, North Carolina high-rise building Wednesday afternoon. The incident happened at a residential and commercial building located at the corner of West Trade Street and North Poplar Avenue around 6 p.m. ET. The scaffolding appeared to be about 6-8 stories off the ground of the Trademark Condo building as it became stuck. The men could be seen trying to operate and lower the equipment manually as firefighters were below.