WANTED: Window Cleaner For The Shard

Been looking to take your career to the next level?

Fancy getting paid to abseil down The Shard? It needs a window cleaner - A social enterprise is looking for people with a head for heights who want to be The Shard’s window cleaners. The unique opportunity was posted on jobs site Good People Connect, and pays up to £20,000 a year, depending on experience. You need to have abseiled before for the role, working 6am to 2pm six days a week, and need to be unemployed and living in Southwark. Here’s a video showing what the window cleaners at The Shard do:

WANTED: Window Cleaner for The Shard - Consider yourself a frustrated high-flyer? Been looking to take your career to the next level? Fancy peering through the glass ceiling from the other side for a change? Well this could be the role you’ve been looking for!

Social enterprise Good People Connect is looking for talented people with around five years of window cleaning experience to help maintain London’s foremost monument to wealth – The Shard. The deal is six days a week, around £20k a year, with a bucket and squeegee provided. Oh, and you have to live in Southwark. Talk about a high bar to entry. See the full job description below or here.

Hideously risky poorly paid job puts banking compensation into perspective: How much should you get paid for dangling on a rope and cleaning windows up to 360m above ground level? More pertinently, how much should you get paid for dangling on a rope and cleaning windows 360m above ground level when you also have -

a. Five years’ experience in this art.

b. Willingness to work six days a week.

c. A qualification in working at heights?

Try….£320 – £390 ($535 – $662) per week. This is how much is currently being offered to ‘experienced vertical window cleaners at the Shard,’ the new iconic landmark on London’s South Bank. Needless to say, this is less than half the amount typically paid to front office summer interns at investment banks, who have yet to leave university.

Knowing how little the Shard’s cleaners are paid may not do much to directly further your finance career. However, it may make you feel more appreciative of what you’ve got – our survey earlier this year suggested that 40% of bankers in the City of London were unhappy with their bonuses for 2013.

Richard Miranda, a spokesperson for GoodPeopleConnect, the social recruitment agency which is advertising the Shard-cleaning positions, says they’ve had ten applications so far. The level of pay is fairly typical for window cleaning, even at heights, says Miranda. “We don’t set the prices – we just make sure that we don’t deal with zero hours contracts and that it will lead to long term sustainable employment,” he says.

In 2012, a window cleaner at the Shard had to be rescued after his ‘cradle’ swung wildly in a gust of high wind. And yet it could be worse – the jobs could be at Pret a Manger. 

More Shard news here.

Sydney Window Cleaners Rescued

A window cleaner hangs precariously from a gurney outside the AON building on George St, Parramatta.

Window cleaners rescued from gurney on George Street, Parramatta: Two window cleaners were rescued from a 12-storey building in George St Parramatta this morning after their gurney became stuck seven storeys up. Fire and Rescue teams were called at about 8.30am when the gurney became stuck outside the Aon building at 130 George St under a ledge at the seventh level as the window cleaners were doing their job. But, as the men were in good spirits and uninjured, the gurney manufacturer BMU was called in to pull the men up to safety at the top of the building.

Chopper-cam: The men were reached by 10am and the rescue is going smoothly. The men are uninjured.

The men were finally pulled to safety at about 11.30am but shied away from the media. Parramatta Fire and Rescue station commander Bob Callow told the media that BMU had the equipment to pull the gurney away from the building and back up to the top. Fire and Rescue crews from Parramatta, Eastwood and Merrylands were there to assist and had taken a ladder up to monitor the rescue operation and check on the men's welfare. "They were in good spirits but wanted to stay together until they could be hauled to safety," Mr Callow said. "At one stage, the wind picked up which was a bit of a worry. We would have stepped in if the wind had reached higher levels." The men were reached by 10am and the rescue is going smoothly. The men are uninjured.

Parramatta window cleaners safe after broken platform left them seven storeys above ground: Two men left dangling from a stricken cleaning platform seven storeys above the ground have manually pulled themselves to safety in Sydney's west. The pair in blue cleaning jump suits were stranded on the platform 25 metres above George Street in Parramatta. The two-metre-long structure lost power shortly after 9am (AEST) and the right side dropped against the office building. Rescue crews were called to the scene about 10am but the cleaners declined a quick rescue. A large crane pulled up alongside to assist the men if needed. But they worked for over two hours to manually winch themselves upright and to the top of the building. Dozens of office workers gathered to watch the operation as they took their lunch breaks. The two men have no injuries but are shaken by the incident.

A rescue crane pulls alongside the platform to help if needed.

Watchman pulls building cleaners to safety (Abu Dhabi) - Two Bangladeshi workers cleaning a high-rise building had a miraculous escape on Tuesday when the building watchman pulled them to safety through an apartment window after ropes connecting to their scaffolding came loose. The accident occurred on Tuesday at around 10am at the Salam Bombay restaurant building behind Electra Street. Cleaners Sabikur Rahman and Jaman Mandal, both 25, told XPRESS they lost balance when the rope came loose on one side, tilting their platform to the right. “We held on to the rope. Otherwise we would have fallen down,” said Mandal who is married with a one year old baby in Bangladesh. Rahman said they called out for the watchman who came to their rescue within minutes.

Mohammed Jaffer, the building watchman said, “As soon as I heard them screaming for help, I rushed to the fifth floor where the scaffolding was stuck. They were outside the bathroom of a vacant apartment. I forced open the glass window with the help of two other people and pulled them in,”
Another watchman called the police rescue team that arrived at the spot with three fire trucks. The rescue team brought down the scaffolding with a crane. A managerial staff from cleaning company Super Bright General Contracting, said the cleaning apparatus was recently checked by a safety management company. “We have got a six-month approval from the company that checked our apparatus at the beginning of this month,” said the staff. There was no immediate comment from the safety management company.

A "Cuppa" Sorts Out Worker In Window Cleaning Cradle

Click to go to story as it broke.

Shard worker caught in high winds terror went straight back to work after a cuppa: A Shard worker who survived a terrifying tangle at 1,000ft returned to work soon afterwards - after a soothing cup of coffee. Eyewitnesses watched in horror as the cradle dangling outside the 72nd floor of the 1,017ft building twirled wildly in high winds. Thousands more have since watched a YouTube video (below) clip of the drama as the spinning platform was wrestled back under control.

Ten fire fighters and an ambulance were on standby at the foot of the 78-storey building for 45 minutes after being called at 2.15pm yesterday. But today, Milton Keynes-based contractors More Control UK - which was carrying out external safety checks on the skyscraper days before its official opening - said the horrifying incident "looked worse than it was." A spokesman said: "Unfortunately while we were testing software at the top of the Shard a gust of wind caught the cradle. We simply lifted it up to stop it from spinning. "The engineer in the cradle was fine after a nice cup of coffee."

In a later statement the company added: "It is built to withstand wind speeds of up to 32mph and readings, taken throughout, showed that it did not exceed 20mph. "The operative responded with the appropriate conduct during these disturbed wind patterns. On any Mace project, the Health and Safety of all employees is paramount and we are proud of our current record on The Shard where we have recently passed two million man hours without a reportable accident.” Witnesses who watched the drama unfold on the capital's newest landmark were amazed anyone could survive such an ordeal.

A Shard worker told the Standard: "They've got abseilers on ropes cleaning all the windows and at first we though it was one of them, but they weren't out there because it was too windy. It was a company doing something with the metalwork. "One of the cables went and the maintenance unit started whipping round and round. The guy was hanging on up there for at least a minute. "The cables got all twisted up so they couldn’t lift it up or down as normal and had to spin it back to unwind it. It was incredible to watch."

He added: "I've been up to the 71st floor and it's pretty scary looking down from the inside, although the building tapers so it's not a sheer drop. I can't imagine what it would have been like to be out there but the guys who work up there every day are used to it. "I've already had my wife on the phone saying 'it wasn't you was it?'"

A spokeswoman for Mace, the main contractor building architect Renzo Piano's design to life, today said the incident was swiftly and safely brought under control. She said:"We can confirm that the wind speeds were well within safe limits and that the building maintenance unit was operating in the right way. "Nobody was injured and the operatives were able to resume work." A spokesman for London Fire Brigade said the cradle had been made safe within an hour, adding "we can all now breathe a sigh of relief". The Shard, which has 31.4 acres of office, commercial and residential space, will be officially opened by Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabor Al Thani, Qatar's prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, and the Duke of York on Thursday.

Shard Window Cleaner Safe After Incident

The cleaning cradle hanging from the Shard on Monday: the individuals were since rescued.

Shard window cleaner safe after incident: Emergency services were sent to the Shard today - days before its official opening - after a window cleaner got stuck in a precarious position on the 72nd floor. Ten firefighters attended the scene in central London this afternoon after reports of the cleaner's cradle on the outside of the building becoming unsafe. A video posted on YouTube (below) appeared to show the cradle swinging in the wind at the top of the tower, which has 78 occupiable levels. On-site engineers fixed the problem. An ambulance was on standby at the bottom of the 309.6 metre (1,015ft) high building but the window cleaner was not thought to be injured. London Fire Brigade, which sent a fire engine and fire rescue unit to the Shard, said in a message on Twitter: "On site engineers at the £Shard have made the window cleaner's cradle safe & we can all now breathe a sigh of relief."

The Shard, which is the tallest building in Western Europe and has 31.4 acres of space, will be officially opened by Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabor Al Thani, Qatar's prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, and the Duke of York on Thursday. A spokesman for the Shard said: "The wind got up a bit more than we were anticipating and the window cleaner was brought down to ground level. He wasn't hurt.  "I think it was seen from a helicopter and people panicked unnecessarily." Three workmen were still working on the London Bridge Station side of the Shard this afternoon, having come down as far as around the 25th floor. The trio could be seen slowly descending down the side of the glass-sided building, washing the windows as they went. There were no signs of them being in any difficulty despite blustery conditions around the skyscraper.

A view of the Shard from across the Thames.

Spokesman for the Shard: 'People panicked unnecessarily' - A spokesman for the Shard said: "The wind got up a bit more than we were anticipating and the window cleaner was brought down to ground level. He wasn't hurt. I think it was seen from a helicopter and people panicked unnecessarily. Three workmen were still working on the London Bridge Station side of the Shard this afternoon, having come down as far as around the 25th floor. The trio could be seen slowly descending down the side of the glass-sided building, washing the windows as they went. There were no signs of them being in any difficulty despite blustery conditions around the skyscraper."

Miracle rescue of man trapped on window cleaners' cradle on 72nd floor of the Shard: Firefighters were called to the Shard today after a window cleaners' platform started to shake violently in high winds. London fire brigade said the platform was "in a precarious position" this afternoon and ten firefighters were called to the 72nd floor of the 1,017 foot tall skyscraper. Engineers later managed to make the platform safe. One person was safely rescued from the platform. No one was hurt in the incident. The video below, filmed from the ground, shows the cradle shaking violently in high winds.

Witness to Shard accident: 'Window cleaning box was swinging wildly' - Witness Neil Walsh was waiting for a train at nearby London Bridge station when he saw the drama unfold. The 30-year-old marketing executive from Dartford, Kent, who filmed the incident on his phone, said: “I go through there every day and always have a gawp up at the Shard to see what's happening. I happened to notice that the window cleaning box was swinging wildly. It was quite erratic... It was dangling from quite a thin arm and was a few feet away from the building itself, rocking left, right, up and down. It was swinging all over the place. The last few days have been windy and it must have been worse up there. I filmed it thinking the box was empty. That was a worry in itself, without me realising there was someone inside, probably cowering in a corner and hanging on for dear life.

Window cleaner gets stuck on the 72nd floor of The Shard: Emergency services were sent to the Shard - days before its official opening - after a window cleaner got stuck in a precarious position on the 72nd floor. Ten firefighters attended the scene in central London after reports of the cleaner's cradle on the outside of the building becoming unsafe. On-site engineers fixed the problem. An ambulance was on standby at the bottom of the 309.6 metre (1,015ft) high building but the window cleaner was not thought to be injured. London Fire Brigade, which sent a fire engine and fire rescue unit to the Shard, said on Twitter: "On site engineers at the #Shard have made the window cleaner's cradle safe". The Shard, the tallest building in Western Europe will be opened by Qatar's prime minister and the Duke of York on Thursday.

Drama at Shard as window cleaning basket sways wildly in wind: A window cleaner at the Shard building could thank his lucky stars today, following an emergency 330 metres above the ground in central London. The video (above) captures the moment when high winds buffeted a basket for window cleaners like a straw in the wind, near the top of Europe’s highest building, this lunchtime. Emergency services rushed to the scene at London Bridge at 2.15pm. Fortunately for the person involved, the incident appears to have passed relatively safely – considering events unfolded 72 floors up. Ambulances crews at the scene

said there were no injuries.

Window cleaner trapped in Shard terror: A window cleaner was trapped above the 72nd floor of the 1,017ft Shard today — sparking a frantic rescue mission. Emergency services rushed to the skyscraper after the cleaner's cradle started swinging violently in high winds. The incident at the central London landmark happened just days before the building is due to have its official opening. London fire brigade said the platform was "in a precarious position" as the cleaner became stuck. An ambulance was on standby at the bottom while on-site engineers fixed the problem. One person was safely rescued from the platform. No one was hurt in the incident. London Fire Brigade posted a message on Twitter saying: “On site engineers at the Shard have made the window cleaner’s cradle safe & we can all now breathe a sigh of relief.”

San Jose Firefighters Rescue Window Washers

San Jose, California: Two window washers who were stuck about 100 feet in the air on a downtown San Jose office building were rescued this morning by members of the Fire Department's Urban Search and Rescue Team. The scaffolding the two men were working from on the 9th floor of the One Almaden Blvd. building on West Santa Clara Street apparently malfunctioned. About 8:10 a.m., the two window washers called their employer and said the scaffolding would not move. After evaluating their options, firefighters decided to rappel about 70 feet from the roof and one-by-one pull the men up to safety. Firefighters had also considered using helicopter to rescue the men, but concluded that that tactic was just as dangerous as rappelling down the building. A fire-truck ladder was 30 feet too short to reach the men and the scaffolding was too far away from the windows to break them and pull the men inside the building, according to fire officials.
"These firefighters did a tremendous job," fire Capt. Alberto Olmos said. "Their training really shined today." Firefighter Paulo Brito, wearing a safety harness, scaled down the building and reached the stranded window washers sometime around 9:45 a.m. He attached safety harnesses and ropes to one of the men who was then pulled to the roof. Brito then did the same with the second window washer.
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 2.0 shook the South Bay this morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The epicenter of the 4:40 a.m. quake was about eight miles north of Morgan Hill and about 16 miles east-southeast of San Jose City Hall, the USGS reported.

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