Cleaner killed after gondola falls from 23rd floor

A window cleaning gondola fell from the 23rd floor of the Intiland Tower in Indonesia

In a recent article by The Jakarta Post, a cleaner was killed after a window cleaning gondola fell from the 23rd floor of the Intiland Tower located in Indonesia. The incident occurred on Wednesday at 11:15 AM.

According to key persons, the gondola was purchased a year ago and had never been used before the accident. “Last week, the gondola was repaired. It was the first time the thing was used after the repair. It was in a good condition,” he was reported as saying. A corporate public relations officer said the building’s management was still seeking an explanation for the cause of the accident from the contractor that repaired the gondola.

“Yes, there was an accident and one man was killed,” said the detective head of the Police office in Central Jakarta, on Wednesday. There has been no talk as of yet at who his responsible for the accident. 

Indonesian Spiderman

'Spider-Man' window cleaner, 37-year-old Teguh is seen without a mask. Click to supersize.

Indonesian Window Cleaner At Work In Spider-Man Uniform (Surabaya, Indonesia): Indonesian 'Spider-Man' window cleaner, 37-year-old Teguh is seen without a mask as he takes a break from cleaning the glass windows of the 18-storey Alana Hotel on July 12, 2013 in Surabaya, Indonesia. Teguh is a specialist glass window cleaner working on high-rise buildings wearing a Spider-Man uniform and working at an altitude of over 500 meters above ground level. He earns between Rp. 5 million ($500) and 15 million ($1500) depending on the height of the building and the level of difficulty.

Spotlight On Window Cleaners In The Far East

Daredevils: Workers clean the windows of a skyscraper on Jl. M.H. Thamrin in Central Jakarta. The salaries paid to window cleaners do not match their courage: Some claim they are paid as little as Rp 1 million (US$113) a month and are covered only by the state’s Jamsostek insurance program.

Salary not as big as their guts: Being trapped in a gondola cleaning high-rise windows is scary for those working as window cleaners. Projecting fear onto other activities is the only way they are able to face the moment. “[When being trapped] I just chatted with my colleague so that we did not panic,” said window cleaner, Kosim, recalling an incident in 2009 when he was trapped in a gondola at about the 10th floor while cleaning a skyscraper in Kuningan business district, South Jakarta. The gondola was stuck up there for about an hour because a technical problem halted the lift system, triggering an automatic shutdown of the entire system. “I was very nervous, even after I contacted the building technical engineer through my walkie-talkie. Anything could happen in that situation,” he said.

The man, who had been working as a window cleaner for four years, said he was aware of the risks when he took the job. “As a teenager, I loved to climb, so I was excited to take the job. Of course the risks are there, but I still wanted to do it,” he said, adding that the scariest moments were when the wind was strong. With excessive pollution, many tall buildings in Jakarta count on brave people such as Kosim to maintain its luster. A window cleaner’s salary, however, is apparently not as great as his courage. Ahmad Yani, another window cleaner, said that he was paid Rp 1 million (US$113) a month and was protected by state workers’ insurance Jamsostek. “It is small compared to the risks. Many of my relatives pushed me to find a safer job with a better salary. Sometimes I think about finding another job just to find a new environment, but not because I worry about my safety,” he said.

“I enjoy the scenery from up above, plus the breeze sometimes makes me sleepy,” Ahmad added. Darwoto, a supervisor at a building maintenance company, PT Virya Surya Jana, said that a gondola worker should obtain an operational license, called an SIO (Surat Ijin Operasi). “It is like a drivers license. [Window cleaners] have to join a three-day training program before they receive their license,” he said. The license, issued by the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry and valid for five years, is given after the three-day training program, which includes instruction on knowledge of safety procedures and operating the gondola.

Safety procedures include wearing a helmet, full body harness and belt. This, however, does not guarantee one’s safety. A gondola with three workers inside broke away last Wednesday and fell upon the 29th floor of the Batavia Tower building in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, killing one worker. Maman Hermansyah, chairman of the association of experts on safety working at high-rise buildings (Asosiasi Ahli Keselamatan Kerja di Bangunan Tinggi ), said that Indonesia was the second after China with the highest rate of work accidents at tall buildings. “In 2006, five people fell and died while working at heights every day in Indonesia. In 2007, the figure rose to seven people every day,” he told the The Jakarta Post recently.

Maman, who is also the president of the Southeast Asia Climbing Federation, stressed the importance of regulating safety standards for working at height. “Currently, the safety law only mentions one method in working at height, using rope that is, while there are many other methods, including using gondola,” he said. Maman said that all workers working at heights, which include electricity engineers and window cleaners, should be trained and obtain a license. According to Maman the association had issued certificates for about 600 workers working after they had been trained by institutions affiliated with the association, mostly those who work in the telecommunications industry. 

Professionals out to clean your spaces: Armed with the right equipment and expertise, housekeeping professionals are in demand this Diwali. From providing specific services such as floor cleaning, window cleaning, glass cleaning, carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, rug cleaning, appliances cleaning, chandelier cleaning and so on, the experts also offer deep cleaning that includes overall cleaning of the house.
Gambhir Mundinkeri, who has been running Clean Fix Housekeeping for the past nine years, said in the past two-three years, people have opened up to the concept of hiring professionals for housekeeping. “Earlier, we used to serve only corporate and individual offices during festivals but now 70 per cent of our clientele are households,” said Mundinkeri, who serves over 150 clients during the festive season. He added that more than bungalows, they get maximum number of orders from flat owners.
Mundinkeri has got a team of around 15 persons. They are further divided into three groups. Each team that works on one site includes four workers and one supervisor. To work on a house of 1,500 sq ft, it takes the team around 10 hours. The firm starts getting orders a month prior to Diwali. Executive vice president and company secretary of HDFC Bank, Sanjay Dongre finds the concept of hiring professional cleaners convenient and economical. “They are well-equipped and we don't have to worry about supplying cleaning material to them,” said Dongre.
For Samarth Services, the period of Dussehra and Diwali is the busiest of the year. On an average, the firm’s team finishes working on four-five houses in one day, which sometimes differs depending on the availability of manpower. “In the past three years, I have observed a lot of changes in this field. The outlook of people has changed tremendously and they are looking for professional services for each and every requirement. Thus I see a lot of growth potential for this market in the coming years,” said Santosh Vishwakarma, Samarth Services.
Spic N Span Services is a two-and-a-half year-old firm that specialises in residential cleaning. “On an average, we finish cleaning three apartments in a day. We work in three teams; each team comprises four persons, including a team leader. The concept of Diwali cleaning has undergone a change and people prefer getting it done through professionals than their maids,” said Mayur Shah, proprietor, Spic N Span.
Agreeing with Shah is Vishwakarma, who says that earlier the whole idea about cleaning was limited to using phenyl and acid. “Now they know there is a different chemical for different purposes and one cannot replace the other. We train our team members thoroughly on the mechanism, equipment and products to be used while cleaning glasses, carpets, toilets, sofas, floors and so on,” he added. The charges for professional Diwali cleaning depend on various factors such as area, type of cleaning, condition of the flat and so on. On an average, for deep cleaning of a 2BHK furnished flat spread over an area of around 1,000 sq ft, the cost will be between Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000 (around $50).

After yesterdays blog: Shanghai Window Washers Killed In Accidental Fall, here are a couple of news stories that have appeared arising from the fatal falls..

'For work they risk their lives' - Oblivious to the heavy rain, a man in a leather jacket stood just beyond the police cordon, gazing intently. Before him lay the bodies of two window cleaners who fell to their deaths yesterday in Changning District. Occasionally, he spoke quietly to onlookers who were speculating about what had happened. "For their work they risked their lives," sighed the man, surnamed Zhao, who should know as he has worked in the same dangerous trade. Zhao, a passer-by, said he had been a high-rise window cleaner for six years but quit. "There are two things you need for that job; one is a license and the other is guts."

More than 1,000 window cleaners - a trade known as a SpiderMan - work on high-rises across the city, risking their lives on a daily basis, separated from death only by their securing ropes. And increasingly, they are threatened by a lack of supervision on equipment checks and poor safety awareness, warned a local exterior wall cleaning industry committee. An official, surnamed Wu, said many cleaning service companies don't check equipment regularly, meaning a SpiderMan may have to rely on aged or damaged ropes and tools.

For though the industry committee requires companies to check equipment, the absence of a supervising facility means regulations are often ignored, said Wu. "The life of a cleaner depends on the rope that holds him," said Wu, "But there are no laws forcing companies to ensure equipment is safe." Moreover, some workers do not even hold operation licenses, which need to be renewed annually after exams. Zhao said the job is usually taken by migrant workers who shift jobs frequently, some working for several companies at one time. "To save money, some companies only get one or two licenses but hire many workers," he explained.

To make matters worse, fierce competition among small cleaning companies is driving them to cut costs as much as possible, impacting on equipment checks and training, said Wu. And when accidents happen, some cleaners are not covered by insurance, as their employers haven't bought any, he added. Zhao, from Jiangsu Province, said in his time as a window cleaner he saw several injuries among colleagues who fell but were saved by safety locks.

And despite the dangers they face, high-rise window cleaners are poorly rewarded.  "Often, I didn't know where my next meal was coming from," said Zhao, who said workers receive about 150 yuan to 200 yuan for a day's work. "However, sometimes we waited for one month between jobs." Zhao said many men from his hometown come to Shanghai to work in the trade. Taking a final look at the bodies, covered by white sheets, Zhao walked away from the crowd as the rain got heavier. "Too bad for them," he said as he left.

Two window cleaners in fatal fall linked to each other by safety harness? The two window cleaners who plunged to their deaths from the 22nd storey of the the Pacific Business Center on Yan'an Road yesterday could have been linked to each other by a safety harness.  Zha Minjie of Shanghai Daily reports:

According to witnesses, one worker began to fall after his support rope snapped, taking with him a colleague he was linked to by a safety rope. "If it's true, then it was against all the rules, as workers should not be linked together," said a former window cleaner, surnamed Zhao, who worked in the business for six years.

Zhao said each two-man team should be equipped with three ropes, with both workers hooking onto the middle one by a device called a latching lock, in addition to having their own safety ropes. "The lock will hold the workers even if one rope breaks," said Zhao. "They would just hang in the air instead of crashing to the ground."

Swing Stage Incident In Indonesia With Fatality

Gondola Victim Evacuated Wednesday (10/26): Fachrudin (33), a dead casualty of a crashed gondola at Batavia Tower in Tanah Abang has been evacuated to Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM) for autopsy treatment.

Johanson Ronald Simamora as Head of Tanah Abang Sector Police explained that before the incident, Fahrudin was at the balcony of 29th floor. He crashed into a gondola which was shared by two other workers while cleaning the windows on 33th floor. “It is alleged that the victim was about to move one gondola security rope to another one." "Then, he fell down to the 29th floor." When falling down, his head hit the building divider and spotlight." "Finally, he was dead at the scene in a face down position."

Kardiman as a witness and the victim’s co-worker expressed that when moving the rope, he did not use sling cable which was used as a safety function to stop a fall. “If you want to park the gondola, you must use sling rope - but, he didn’t use it,” he added. One of the victims was wearing a helmet. As a result, his right hand fractured and the left side of his head was bleeding.

A gondola/window cleaning staging at Batavia Tower in Tanahabang, Central Jakarta, Indonesia failed. At the present time the reason of the cause of the collapse is unknown. However, due to the incident, one of the workers was killed. Ronald Simamora of the Malaysian police, said the incident occurred around 10:00 a.m. "The cause of the accident is not known but will certainly be investigated," he said on Wednesday (26/10).

The information collected by the newspaper, is that two workers fell from the gondola on the 33rd floor of the building and were stuck on the 29th floor. At that time, the workers were in the gondola to clean the glass roof. The victim who died was known by the surname Fachrudin, of Ciputat, South Tangerang. Meanwhile, other workers suffered cuts and the identities of the workers are unknown.

Rica, one of the staff at the Batavia Tower, said people are slow at coming forward on the incident & do not want to give evidence. He said "the party's management is still collecting information and will give evidence after lunch." "Just after the hour lunch break we will pass it all on to the authorities." "At the moment the authorities are still on site going through the evidence."

Window Cleaners: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

The Good...

Norwich man's diabetes cured by weight loss: A Lakenham window cleaner has managed to transform his health after losing more than five stone. John Batterbee used to take eight tablets and two insulin injections a day for his type 2 diabetes, but no longer needs any treatment. His high blood pressure has improved and so has his sleep apnoea. The 38-year-old, who has his own window cleaning business, was due to have drastic weight loss surgery when one of his customers, Hayley Hooper, suggested he join her Slimming World Group. In the past 28 weeks he has lost 5st 3lb and gone from 20st 5lb to 15st 2lb.
He said: “I had a bad experience a few years ago at a different club when I got put down in front of everyone, and I decided that sort of thing was not for me. I have had a problem with people who tell you to lose weight when they haven't been there themselves. But I found out that Hayley had lost weight on that diet as well and that changed my attitude a bit. I went along and it has been brilliant ever since.” Now he has swapped deep-fried chips for oven chips and thrown out the deep fat frier. He uses a low-fat cooking spray for frying and snacks on fruit and vegetables instead of crisps and pasties.
He said: “The health benefits are amazing. I feel quite annoyed I let myself that way to start with. I don't like looking fat and I hate looking at pictures of how I used to be. “My ideal weight is still three stone off, and that still seems like a long way. But my target when I joined Slimming World was 15st and I am only 2lb off that.” When he went to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital for his annual diabetes check last year, the doctor warned him that he had to improve his health. Mr Batterbee said: “I told him 'I am really struggling with my weight, I have almost given up.' When he suggested weight loss surgery I just jumped at it, it was what I wanted to hear.”
Mr Batterbee, who is married to Sharon and has a 10-year-old son and two adult stepsons, had been referred to the Luton and Dunstable Hospital for weight loss surgery, and was due to have a gastric bypass. But by the time he had an appointment there he had joined Slimming World and had already lost two stone, though he was still eligible for surgery. When he returned for a pre-operation check-up two weeks ago he had lost more weight and was told he no longer needed surgery. He is currently waiting for the results of tests to show whether his diabetes has gone completely. He said: “If I had had the surgery there would have been major side-effects. It is brilliant not to want or need that now.”
About 31,000 people in Norfolk (excluding Great Yarmouth and Waveney) have diabetes, and around 2,300 people are diagnosed with diabetes each year. It is estimated that at least half of all diabetes cases could be prevented if adults kept their weight to a healthy level. Khin Swe Myint, consultant physician in diabetes at the N&N, said: “I am very pleased with John's progress. He has lost a substantial amount of weight through his own efforts and this has led to a reduction in the medication he needs, including insulin.
“There are many benefits to weight loss for patients with diabetes who will feel much better and have more energy. Patients commonly require less medication for blood pressure, diabetes and indeed sometimes may also cure their sleep apnoea which could be associated with being overweight.” Hayley Hooper, who runs the Slimming World Poringland Group, said: “I am really proud of John and the support the members of the group have given him each week.”

The Bad....

Jailed Liverpudlian heroin courier & window cleaner claimed he was forced at gunpoint to make trip to Shetland: The latest Liverpudlian heroin courier to be jailed at Lerwick Sheriff Court said he was forced at gunpoint to make the trip to Shetland in punishment for having beaten up a man with drug gangster connections. To avoid having his legs broken in revenge David Garnett, 39, of Lawrence Road, Liverpool, concealed bags of heroin inside his body and caught the bus to Aberdeen before boarding the NorthLink ferry on 26th May. Procurator fiscal Duncan MacKenzie told the court on Wednesday the police had intelligence about his activities and were waiting at the Holmsgarth terminal the next day for “yet another Liverpudlian to come off the boat with diamorphine concealed in their rectum”.
Garnett initially refused to co-operate despite an X-ray at the hospital showing he had four packages in his abdomen. A warrant had to be obtained to allow a laxative to be administered against his will. Mr MacKenzie said the four packages of heroin had contained 780 individual wraps of £20 bags worth a total of about £15,600. He told Sheriff Graeme Napier that, as he had heard umpteen times before, the drugs mule had been coerced into smuggling heroin into Shetland. One day in Liverpool he had been walking his dog along a canal when he got into an altercation with another dog-walker. Garnett administered “a severe beating” to the man, Mr MacKenzie said.
Unfortunately the man used his family connections high up in the organised crime world to exact retribution, causing Garnett to be before the court facing years in jail. His defence lawyer Tommy Allan pointed out that Garnett’s string of previous convictions had not involved drugs but he had been ordered to go to Shetland or have his legs broken. “He was quite clear that they were serious about this,” Mr Allan said. Since his first court appearance in Lerwick in May Mr Garnett, a window-cleaner and car-washer, had co-operated and always intended pleading guilty, Mr Allan told the court. The Sheriff was amazed Garnett could get work as a window-cleaner with such an “appalling” criminal record, which included stretches inside. He jailed him for 40 months, backdated to 31st May since when he has been on remand.

And the Ugly....

Q & A With An Indonesian Window Cleaner

My Jakarta - Joko, High-Rise Window Cleaner: It is amazing what people can overcome when they put their minds to it. Take Joko, for example. This window cleaner at Menara BCA in Thamrin, the tallest office building in Indonesia, has learned to put aside fear as he sways in the breeze high above Jakarta. The 25-year-old has been cleaning the same office windows for three years now and shares with us what it feels like to hang 56 floors above the earth.

Don’t your knees get weak when you’re outside looking down from the 56th floor of Menara BCA?
I was committed to doing it from the very first time, so I’m not scared. And now that I’ve been cleaning office windows for three years, I’m used to it.

Don’t you ever worry that the rope might break and the gondola fall to the ground?
Luckily that has not happened to me. And it’s very unlikely to happen because we were all trained and tested at the start. We also use all the necessary safety equipment: harness, helmet, goggles, safety shoes, gloves, carabiner and so on. Just like rock climbing.

We? How many people go on the gondola with you?
There are three of us; an operator, myself and another cleaner. There’s also a supervisor watching us from the top floor.

Can you take visitors on the gondola with you? You could charge money, like skydiving or bungee jumping.
We only take guests who have obtained permission from the office management. But we haven’t taken any guests since I’ve worked here.

That’s too bad. It could be the next big thing. So how often and how long are you out there?
We clean six days a week, unless it rains. We clean about 20 floors a day, starting at 6 a.m. through till 2 p.m.

Wow, you hardly touch the ground for eight hours straight. Don’t you ever want to take a break and go for a walk?
Well, after 2 p.m. I go back to my parents’ house in Jatinegara and rest.

So no coffee break or time to relax while you are on the gondola?
[Laughs] No, but I find it enjoyable to view Jakarta from above, places like Ancol. But I especially like Mount Putri, which is visible in the morning.

That’s so cool. I didn’t know you could see a mountain from Thamrin. What about animals?
I saw a bird once. It was a short-faced tumbler. It came flying into the glass. I think it got dizzy because it paused for a little while before flying away.

What do you do when you go home to Jatinegara?
I own a home-based business renting out three PlayStations. We could have anywhere between three and 15 people playing at our house until 9 p.m. Sometimes I play too. Other times, when I’m tired, I just go to sleep.

Don’t your parents ever complain about the noise?
Their room is upstairs so they don’t really hear it.

What is your favorite food in Jakarta?
The baso [meatballs] in front of the East Mall of Grand Indonesia, just next to Menara BCA and close to a Korean restaurant. The place is called Mie Bloon [Idiotic Noodles].

Is that what do when you finally touch the ground? Eat and hang out at Mie Bloon?
When we are back on the ground, we continue to clean windows at the ground level, like those in the lobby. We also have a briefing with our supervisor after work.

What else do you like about Jakarta apart from the baso?
I like the fact that there are many people from different ethnic groups living in Jakarta.

Haven’t you ever been scared while up there? What about the first time you did it?
The first time, I just prayed that I’d be safe up there. But I don’t get scared. One time it got really windy, but I wasn’t scared, just shocked. I know it’s safe. The gondola is attached to the building so it won’t sway much.

Can you see what people are doing inside the building from out there?
Yes, I can. But people are usually just working.

Do you aspire to be like Alain Robert, the French Spiderman who came here last year and climbed the City Tower with only his hands and feet, no rope, no nothing?
Who? I’ve never heard of him. No, I don’t want to do that.

What do you have planned for the future?
I have a girlfriend and we are getting married this year [blushes].

Clean Your House For a £1 Missus! + Other Window Cleaning News

Found on the internet recently - any size house cleaned for 1 pound (£1)! Maybe a publicity campaign or just an illegal trying to make money rapidly, never the less, captured here for prosperity. What next? Free window cleaning? Found at "Gumtree" a UK service finder.

Indonesia's non-governmental organization for advocating migrant workers Migrant Care responds positively on the Malaysian government's decision issued on Wednesday, Sept. 2, which approves the weekly one day-off for Indonesian domestic workers working in Malaysia through the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Malaysian government also allows the domestic workers to keep their passports during their working period. "We appreciate [the decisions], however we expect these policies will be issued in a regulation to be legally abiding," said Migrant Care's executive director Anis Hidayah through a short message to VIVAnews on Thursday, Sept. 3.

Sandra calls for attitude change in Spalding's grotspot fight: Sandra White (pictured) enlists Matthew Kirk and John Hall into her clean-up campaign. A dedicated clean-up campaigner is calling for Spalding people to change their attitudes and "get off their backsides" to rid the town of its litter menace. Passionate pensioner Sandra White (67) spends several hours a day patrolling Pinchbeck Road and the rest of the town in a bid to battle grot spots. She also paid £70 of her own money to hire window cleaner David "Paddy" Dunham to clean the shelters at Spalding Bus Station but she feels other people in the town need to change their outlook and do their bit, too.
She said: "I do think people should get off their behinds – it's common sense but there is an attitude problem. People think that it is not their problem. "I think we have got it all wrong – shops and pubs should be responsible for what they put out. If it's a mess outside a shop then the council should charge them." Sandra shot to media stardom after appearing in the Spalding Guardian, making the national newspapers as a result, but has been disappointed that others have not taken up the clean-up crusade. She said: "Not one person has written in since to support me or even comment, so what's wrong with the public? "We are not getting anywhere and it's darn silly. We should all make an effort to get it right."
Sandra sympathises with South Holland District Council's street cleaning team and thinks it does a good job with limited resources, but says Spalding will struggle in its bid to win gold in the East Midlands in Bloom competition while there are weeds and litter around. She highlighted Winsover Road and Victoria Street car park as particular problems and often challenges people who she spots dropping litter because she feels so strongly about it. She added: "It is a daily battle but I am one step ahead and I do stand my ground with people."

Michael Shields freed after Jack Straw intervenes: Michael Shields left prison after more than four years today with a shy thumbs-up and a wide grin when he heard how his father had learned the longed-for news. The Liverpool window-cleaner was up a ladder when his mobile beeped and local councillor Jo Anderson told him: "We've won. Your son's been pardoned – he can come home this morning." Sitting next to the slight, crewcut Shields, who was jailed for the attempted murder of a barman in Bulgaria, Anderson told a celebration press conference on the city's waterfront: "It was a fantastic moment, but I wasn't really happy 'til I knew he'd got safely to the bottom of the ladder again." Other family members were up ladders of their own within minutes, fixing two huge banners – made four years ago and carefully stored – alongside the Michael Shields is Innocent slogan which has been slung on their terrace house in Wavertree since Shields was jailed in July 2005.

How does one become a 48-year-old rookie lifeguard? Steve Ayers is finishing the summer job he's always dreamed about, San Clemente lifeguard. It was March 28, when the ocean was about 58 degrees and Steve Ayers was one of 60 people standing near Tower 1 on San Clemente State Beach, wearing tiny bathing suits and waiting for the start of a 1,000-yard ocean swim. Ayers' fate in the race would go a long way to determining if he would or wouldn't get a cool job as a San Clemente lifeguard. Ayers, the would-be lifeguard, stood out for several reasons. The other racers were competitive high school or college swimmers. Ayers is, among other things, a commercial window washer. The other racers had time to burn – and train. Ayers had, and has, two kids and a wife and a business. The other racers had… youth. Most were in their late teens or early 20s. Ayers had… more youth; decades more. But, at 48, Ayers had something else going for him too – obsessive drive when it comes to physical fitness.
Ayers isn't in it for the $14.91 an hour. He says, in fact, that these last two weeks of working as a lifeguard are costing him money, keeping him away from his window-washing business. But Ayers says he wouldn't miss it. "Oh, I hope to do this for the rest of my life," he says, adding: "I don't know how long they'll let me."

"ABM`s is a remarkable story," said Slipsager. "From its founding in 1909 when Morris Rosenberg launched a one-man window washing business serving merchants on San Francisco`s Fillmore Street, recording a first-day profit of $3.50; today, 100 years later, ABM employs more than 100,000 people and has annual revenues exceeding $3.6 billion and operations serving thousands of customers across the United States. We are proud of our century-long heritage of service. The men and women of this company strive every day to achieve those same ideals of service to our customers and stakeholders in new ways. With Ted and Maryellen, and on behalf of ABM`s employees and shareholders, let us ring in the next 100 years of ABM`s remarkable story."

Climbing ladder of success: Rising singer and window cleaner – Jana Carine already knows a thing or two about climbing the ladder to success. During the day, the vocalist with Wanaka-based rockers "LATE eightyeight" runs her own window cleaning business. But she’s leaving her bucket and cloth behind when the band hits Dux de Lux on Saturday night. And with a dedicated manager now on board and debut single My Limit to promote, Carine says she hopes to one day give washing windows the flick and become a full-time muso instead. “That’s the dream, but the other side is we’d have to start making money fast,” she says. “It’s a nice idea to play music but to actually go somewhere with it is another story. “But our new manager has been great and has been getting us disciplined. She’s kicking us into gear and hooking us up with some really good gigs.”

FTSE-250 support services business Interserve has been awarded a £1.35m cleaning contract at Colworth Science Park by Goodman Property Services. Under the three-year deal, Interserve will deliver daily cleaning services, including waste management, washroom services and window cleaning. Over 700 scientists, technologists and legal professionals work at Colworth Science Park. Tony Sanders, managing director – commercial at Interserve, said: “We are delighted to be working with Goodman to deliver high quality support services to such impressive buildings. This contract serves testament to the skills and hard work of our staff.”

Whether you are new to facilities management, considering it as a possible career or widening your role from related areas such as cleaning, catering or security, BIFM is the place to start. Get the membership benefits of professional recognition, networking opportunities and access to knowledge resources in addition to many other advantages. Facilities management is one of the fastest growing professions in the UK. Facilities managers are responsible for many of the buildings and services which support businesses and other types of organisation.

Male-Female Occupational Death Gap Is 13 to 1: One other explanation for wage differentials could also be that men tend to work in higher-risk, less safe occupations, with a greater chance of injury or death (e.g. coal mining), at a higher rate than women, and are therefore compensated with higher wages for the greater exposure to risk (e.g. a window washer hanging off the top of the Sears tower washing windows outside 1,000 feet from the ground will make more than a window washer working inside the building.) For certain types of occupational deaths like "Contact with objects and equipment," the male-female gender death gap is even greater (41 to 1), and for "Fires and explosions" the gap is 24 to 1. Occupational deaths are probably concentrated in male-dominated industries like construction (90% male) and manufacturing (70% male), and are probably almost non-existent in female-dominated professions like education and health care (75% female) and government (57% female). Notice also in the chart below that the male-dominated industries have suffered from much higher unemployment rates (19.2% for construction and 12.6% for manufacturing, in May) compared to significantly below-average jobless rates for female-dominated industries (4.9% for education and health services and 3.1% for government).