Motorist Pleads Guilty To Backing Into Window Cleaners Ladder

Window cleaner, Richard Walker was working by illegally parked cars in Market St, Ulverston, when one reversed & knocked him off his ladder. The result left Richard Walker with significant injuries & wheelchair bound.

Motorist pleads guilty to backing into window cleaner up a ladder: Richard Walker was cleaning windows in Market Street, Ulverston, when a car parked on double yellow lines suddenly crashed into his ladder. The driver, Ian Rankin Ross, 75, from the Wirral appeared in Furness Magistrates’ Court yesterday charged with driving without due care and attention. The court heard how Ross had been in Betfred on Wednesday July 8 and when he came out of the shop and got into his car he didn’t notice the ladder behind him.

Prosecutor Mr John Appleby said: “Mr Walker is a retired gentlemen working as a window cleaner and at around 11.15am on this day he was cleaning windows on Market Street, in Ulverston. “The bottom of his ladder was on the pavement and he was about three quarters of the way up the ladder.

“He had noticed the car parked on the double yellow lines outside the betting shop and he heard the engine start. “The next thing he knew was the ladder was sliding – he shouted out to the driver but he didn’t stop. “He fell from the ladder and landed on the pavement on his feet. He then fell over.”

The court heard how Mr Walker didn’t realise the extent of his injuries until he tried to stand back up and realised he couldn’t. Mr Appleby said: “The driver got out of his car and approached Mr Walker. He was very apologetic.” Mr Walker sustained a fracture to his left tibia and a fracture to his right foot.

A few weeks after the accident he had an operation on his left leg and will be having physiotherapy for the next four months. Mr Appleby said: “As a result of this accident he is in a wheelchair and finds it difficult to leave the house. “The accident has impacted him greatly and has made him feel quite low.”

Ross, who represented himself in court pleaded guilty to the charge. He said: “It was my fault for not noticing him. “I am very sorry for the gentlemen and wish him a speedy recovery.” Ross was ordered to pay £85 court costs, a £200 fine, £20 victim surcharge and £150 criminal court charge. He was also disqualified from driving for 12 months and will be forced to retake his driving test after the ban. Presiding magistrate, Alison Spurgeon-Dickson, said: “You have been disqualified because this was a very serious accident which caused significant injuries leaving the person involved wheel chair bound.”

Austin Window Washer Injured After Three Story Fall

AUSTIN, Texas -- Travis County emergency crews say a window washer was taken to the hospital in serious condition after falling 40 feet in Northwest Austin. The accident occurred just before 10 a.m. outside of a building on the 8300 block of North Capital of Texas Highway. The man was said to be in his 20s and is being treated at University Medical Center Brackenridge. Authorities say he is expected to survive.

Window washer injured after three-story fall in Northwest Austin: A window washer fell about three stories from a building in Northwest Austin but his injuries are not considered life-threatening, police said. He was conscious at the scene. Federal officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the scene with a witness Monday morning, police said. Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services said it took the man, described as in his 20s, to University Medical Center Brackenridge.

The investigation is not affecting traffic on Capital of Texas Highway (Loop 360) because the window washer’s fall took place well inside the parking lot of Prominent Pointe not far from Spicewood Springs Road. The window washer had potentially serious injuries Monday morning after falling about 40 feet, first responders said. Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services took a man in his 20s to University Medical Center Brackenridge after he fell from a building in the 8300 block of North Capital of Texas Highway (Loop 360) near Spicewood Springs Road.

Window Cleaning Style Becomes Fashion

Window cleaning style on the cat walk.

This Windex-shaped iPhone case is $95 and already sold out: Keep your phone calls squeaky clean. Now you can own a Windex bottle for an iPhone case — that is, if Moschino restocks the sold out item.

Ever since its creation in the 1980s, Italian brand Moschino has been known for eccentric themes and flamboyant designs. When designer Jeremy Scott took the helm in 2013, he breathed new life into the label, and continued to push the boundaries of fun-loving chaos, which attracted even more attention.

But when some blouses retail for $1,295 and pants for $750, not every fan of the brand can afford the steep prices. That doesn't mean you have to miss out completely. Every season Moschino produces phone cases that reflect the runway's theme. Ranging from $25 to $135, these tech accessories are a more affordable way to own the label.

An entire Windex-themed Moschino outfit can be yours right now (with the exception of the iPhone case shaped like a spray bottle, which is already sold out).

Shortly after the show Moschino.com offered an iPhone case version of the knock-off glass cleaner for $95, in addition to other Windex-themed merchandise. While it's not their most expensive case, the price is up there. That didn't stop Moschino lovers from snatching it up. The squeaky clean case is already sold out. There's no word yet if the units will be restocked.

AU JOUR LE JOUR - In the U.S., you can Shout it out; In Italy, they use Dash, a popular clothing detergent. To mark its 50th birthday, the Procter & Gamble-owned soap brand partnered with Au Jour Le Jour, which duplicated the Dash logo and packaging on tall boots, boxy tote bags and oodles of go-go dresses. Even worse, the print motifs were stains: stylized splatters and drips on rainbow-colored, croc-stamped leather pinafores; broken eggs on sweatshirts, and drops of blood on white tops and bleached jeans.

With this collection, Mirko Fontana and Diego Marquez joined the campy, cartoonish fashion territory mapped out by Jeremy Scott at Moschino, whose giveaway iPhone cover this season resembled a window-cleaner spray bottle. Call it a stain-off.

New Power-Up Electric Window Cleaning Reels

PowerUP and PowerUPHD have a unique high speed low torque design meaning that while 100M of hose can be retracted in 30 seconds.

Power-Up electric window cleaning reels have exploded onto the UK industry and testimonials are pouring in! If you have not yet seen the "world first" range of electric window cleaning reels by Waterworks I'd highly recommend you take a look.  Industry insiders speculate that this new method of hose deployment and stowing could make your business up to 20% more efficient which translates into either an extra days pay or a days holiday (every week)!

In the UK, window cleaners typically make 20 to 40 stops per day, cleaning outside glass and frames only which is why its important to improve equipment efficiency wherever possible.  However, no matter how many stops you're making in one day, everyone can do without winding in 100 meters and the injuries & RSI associated with it.

Electric reels are nothing new... what makes PowerUP different?

Its true, electric reels are not a new invention but existing models have always been focused on industries using hydraulic hoses therefore, they have extremely high torque and low speed and are not suitable for 100 meter lengths of window cleaning micro-bore hose. In addition, all previously existing 12v models are power hungry and upwards of £900.00GBP

Both models, PowerUP and PowerUPHD have a unique high speed low torque design meaning that while 100M of hose can be retracted in 30 seconds, you wont have to worry about hose snagging or power consumption.  In the event of a snag, the reel will just keep trying without stretching your hose or damaging property. Click on links below..

Power Up (Complete)

Power Up (Add On) Gen 2

Power Up (Complete with Hose) Gen 2

OKGO

Add-ons & catalogue

There are a number of pricing options starting from as little as £199+ VAT delivered. The top end reel by Waterworks (PowerUPHD) retails at £399+VAT... meaning its half the price and twice as good as all other electric reels.  Satisfaction guaranteed (or your money back)

"A truly unique product with industry altering potential''  Window Cleaning Warehouse

As featured in both the 'Window Cleaning Magazine' and at the 'WCP Trade Show'

"I'll never go back to winding in... ever again" Oakley Window Cleaning

Also see: OKGO - A New Waterfed Delivery System

To find out more about PowerUP or simply to discuss the potential benefits for your particular business please contact us at info@waterworkswindowcleaning.co.uk or telephone UK (+44) 01536 384 434

Facebook  Twitter  Web  YouTube  Mailing list
Email: info@waterworkswindowcleaning.co.uk

 Its a tough business, motivation and wellbeing are key in overall job satisfation. Buy a PowerUP today and transform your window cleaning life forever along with 100s of others.

London Firefighters Rescue Window Cleaners

Two window cleaners were trapped outside the 10th floor of a 35-storey London City skyscraper.

Firefighters save window cleaners after being trapped up City skyscraper for hours: Two window cleaners were trapped outside the 10th floor of a 35-storey City skyscraper for hours yesterday afternoon, before being rescued by London Fire Brigade. The men had been cleaning windows at the Undershaft, or St Helen's -  formerly known as the Aviva Tower of the Commercial Union building - next to Leadenhall Market.

Three crews worked alongside building management to lower the cradle to the first floor, with the men then being brought down to ground level using an aerial ladder platform. The men were stuck outside the building for "a number of hours prior to the brigade being called,", LFB said, but were not injured. The brigade was called at 4.17pm and the incident was over at 6.16pm. A fire engine from Dowgate fire station, an aerial ladder platform from Greenwich fire station and a fire rescue unit from Islington fire station attended the incident.

Window cleaners left dangling 10 floors up Aviva Tower for hours after 'pulley malfunction' - City workers downed tools to watch a nail-biting rescue operation after two window cleaners were left dangling 10 storeys up the Aviva Tower for hours. The drama unfolded yesterday afternoon in the 35-storey building, official name St Helen's, in St Mary Axe opposite the Gherkin.

The two men, who are familiar faces in the area, got into trouble at about lunchtime when their cradle is believed to have developed a fault. One witness, who works at Costa Coffee in the ground floor of the building, said the men were only able to operate one side of the pulley system – meaning they could change the angle of their box but not its height. “It’s automatic but it got stuck,” she said. “One side was going down but the other was stuck so they could have slipped out of one side.

“We had to close the shop at 5pm but they’d been up there for seven hours. “They had a phone so they were speaking with other people on the ground. They were very high.” The window cleaners, one of whom was thought to be about 18 while the other is an older man, have been signed off work until Monday while they recover, it is believed. “We see them every day,” said the barista. “They come here for a coffee. I don’t know their names but I know what they drink. “Everybody from the building was shocked – everybody just stopped working.”

Three fire crews helped staff in the building lower the faulty cradle down to the first floor where they were rescued by an aerial ladder platform. Neither of them was hurt. The rescue, which began at about 4.15pm after the men had been stuck for a number of hours, lasted until 6.15pm.

Window Cleaner Vs Truck Vs Bullets

St. George Police officers respond to a vehicle-versus-window cleaner accident at a Maverik gas station, St. George, Utah, 

Man hit by truck, injured while washing windows at gas station (St. George, Utah) – A man was taken to the hospital, and officers are still trying to piece together exactly what happened following a vehicle-versus-person accident at a Maverik gas station in St. George Tuesday evening. Shortly before 6:30 p.m., emergency responders were dispatched on reports of an accident in the Maverik gas station at 1860 W. Sunset Blvd. “We’re still trying to figure out what happened,” St. George Police Sgt. Wade Johnson said.

From what officers have been able to deduce so far, Johnson said, a man in a Budget rental box truck was parked at a gas pump washing the windows. Somehow, the man ended up being struck by a red pickup truck that was driving around the front of the box truck. “I think the (man washing the window) took a step back into the path of the truck’s rear tire,” Johnson said. “I’m not a hundred percent sure on that because we haven’t had a chance to talk to the victim,” he added.

The incident occurred at a time of day when the sun was low in the sky, potentially causing visibility issues. “I think the guy (in the pickup) just didn’t see him,” Johnson said. The man who was hit was transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George for observation. At the time of this publication, Johnson said he did not know the extent of the man’s injuries. “It looked like his leg got hit,” Johnson said, “and I’m not sure on anything else.”

Officers went to the hospital to try and speak with the man who was hit, but he was undergoing tests at that time. “We were not able to get in there and talk to him,” Johnson said. Though the full scope of what happened has not yet been established, Johnson said it appears this was just an unfortunate accident, and no citations will be given to either party. “We couldn’t see that anybody was negligent or committed any violations, and so we’re not going to issue any citations,” he said.

The man hit was the only person injured in the incident, though the man driving the pickup truck was visibly shaken afterward. “He was very, very shaken up,” Johnson said, “and rightfully so.” In addition to the St. George Police Department, the St. George Fire Department and Gold Cross Ambulance responded to the scene. Gold Cross transported the injured man to the hospital.

Window cleaner, Ian Simonsen was having a snooze in his car when it was shot twice.

Being shot at is all in a day's work (New Zealand): Ian Simonsen is taking being shot at in his stride. The 64-year-old was abruptly woken from his roadside nap to the noise of shots entering the back of his car. He brushed it off and drove home, not realising until the next day what the sound really was. "I thought it might have been water from an irrigation sprinkler, I just didn't worry about it at all."

Mr Simonsen is the owner of commercial cleaning company Te Mata Services (Translation in Spanish - It/he kills you!). Due to the erratic working hours, he often pulls over for a cat-nap. He has done this for the past 20 years without incident. That all changed last Friday night. He stopped on the Hawke's Bay expressway near the Links Rd intersection after he felt himself nodding off. He chose a brightly lit area to park and even thought to himself , "I'll be safe here."

About 11.30pm, two shots - believed to be from a .22 rifle, smashed through the back window and a back panel, just centimetres from where he lay. "I can't feel lucky because I was totally ignorant to what happened." "Everyone seems to be taking it very seriously, though," he said. "I wasn't hurt so how can I really be upset?"

Police are puzzled by the shots. They do not know who fired them or why. "He was lucky he wasn't seriously injured," Detective Sergeant Jason Crowe said. The shots could have been fired by someone hunting possums or rabbits, Mr Crowe said: "It was an unusual event."

Mr Simonsen harbours no ill feelings towards whoever it was that pulled the trigger. He believes the shooter thought the car was abandoned and must have got the "fright of his life" when it started to be driven away. As a "clean Christian," Mr Simonsen said he did not have an enemy in the world.

A police officer suggested Mr Simonsen buy a Lotto ticket, to which he replied: "It was God looking after me." He said he did hope the person responsible came forward even if it was just to receive a "whack" around the backside. Mr Crowe urged those responsible for Friday's incident to contact police.

The Whistling Man

Tim Gentry, left, takes a photo of a truck he and others bought for window washer Ron Chappell on his birthday. Chappell is known as The Whistler for his virtually nonstop loud whistling as he washes windows and, formerly, hitchhiked and walked from job to job. Gentry is a client.

The Whistler can whistle while he drives instead of while he walks (Brunswick): The day has come when Ron Chappell’s window-washing customers will be able see him before they hear him. Known as The Whistler for his piercing whistle while he works, people could normally hear Chappell coming as he walked from job-to-job. But one of his window customers, mortgage broker Tim Gentry, staged a fund-raiser that was so successful that he changed the goal from buying a Chappell a good bicycle to a used truck.

Gentry and some of Chappell’s friends and supporters gave him the keys late Monday on his 61st birthday. “Oh, wow. Thank you,’’ Chappell said when he saw the white truck with “The Whistling Man” and his phone number on the doors. “God bless all of y’all.” As he teared up, Chappell said, “I don’t need to cry. I’m just full of joy.”

Gentry said he was inspired to help Chappell after spotting him on the western end of the St. Simons Island causeway after he had walked the entire four miles lugging his five-gallon bucket and window-washing gear. “He made it across the causeway drenched with sweat. Nobody had picked him up,’’ Gentry said.

Gentry started a fund-raiser for a bike on Facebook, but after it raised $700 in 38 minutes people suggested that he raise the goal. “Everybody said why don’t you go for $4,000 and get a truck,’’ he said.

Auto dealer Mark Covington found a good one and provided it at a wholesale price, and Gentry had it painted and paid for insurance out of the funds from 96 donors. Like Gentry and his father, R.B. Gentry, Chappell was a Marine and he always whistles the Marine Corps hymn when he washes the window at Tim Gentry’s office.

With his family standing close by, Chappell whistled the “Star Spangled Banner” for those who had sung “Happy Birthday” to him. Chappell said the truck will do more than help in his business. “I’ve got a brother in York, Pa.,’’ he said. “I’ve been wanting to go see him.”

Ron Chappell, The Whistler, whistles the National Athem for admirers who took part in a fund-raiser to buy the window-washer a truck. He had been walking or hitchhiking to his jobs. 

Insane Falling Glass Video

This is the horrifying moment a man dodges death as a falling WINDOW nearly slices him in half. The pane is seen falling, left, and making impact, right

INSANE CLIP: Man dodges death as falling window nearly cuts him in half: Footage shows the man walking along a city street at a relaxed pace, even stopping to check the bottom of his shoe, oblivious to what's coming. But when he reaches the al-fresco area of a local cafe, a pane of falling glass enters the shot - and it comes so close that it pulls off his headdress and sends it flying. Had he been inches nearer to the road, the impact would certainly have killed him.

Within seconds, the dazed man is scrambling to his feet, hardly taking a moment to register the glass around him as he picks up his headdress and heads back the way he came. He is then beckoned into the cafe by two other men who look upwards in horror at where the shattered pane fell from. The CCTV clip, from Saudi Arabia, was published last night on LiveLeak after being shot last month.

Tacoma Window Washer Falls To Death From Downtown Building

Inspectors on Thursday investigate a fatal fall of a window washer at a downtown Tacoma building. The accident happened at the Davita Building at 1423 Pacific Ave. The man apparently fell 10 stories after climbing over the edge of the building's roof.

Window washer in Tacoma falls to death from downtown building: A window washer died Thursday after falling from a downtown Tacoma building. The Pierce County medical examiner’s office identified the dead man as Timothy Thomas Sargent Jr., 30, of Kent.

Tacoma Fire responded to the accident, which happened about 9:45 a.m. at the DaVita building, 1423 Pacific Ave. Few details were available about the fall.

Sargent, who was working with a partner cleaning the building’s exterior, fell after apparently climbing over the edge of the building’s roof. He fell roughly 10 stories and was pronounced dead at the scene, police spokeswoman Loretta Cool said.

Sargent worked for Seattle-based United Building Services, said Cammy Wittrell, who represents the building owner, 1423 Pacific Partners. “It’s been a very trying and sad, sad day,” Wittrell said. “We’re trying to deal with this tragedy and are thinking about his family.”

No one from United Building Services was available for comment Thursday. The state Department of Labor & Industries is investigating the accident.

Inspectors investigate a fatal fall of a window washer at a downtown Tacoma building Thursday.

Window washer plunges to his death in Tacoma: washer fell to his death from a building in Tacoma. The 30-year-old man fell from the DaVita building Thursday morning, formerly known as the Sandberg Building, at 14th Street and Pacific Avenue.

Reports are that the man had just gone over the edge of the 180-foot-tall building when he fell to his death. Tacoma police are at the scene where window washing gear and cable can be seen hanging from the building. A bucket, rope and a pair of shoes are on the ground. Tacoma police and the Department of Labor and Industries are investigating.

Keeping The Museum Clean

Window washing technician Raul Dominguez does a dance as he cleans with a simple wand one one of the huge gallery windows of the Broad Museum. 

The fine art of keeping the Broad museum super-clean: Hector Garcia is the Mr. Miyagi of window washing. As president of HSG, Garcia is tasked with the delicate and complicated chore of cleaning the exterior of the Broad museum, which opens to the public Sunday.

Dressed in his gray company polo shirt, Garcia demonstrated the Zen-like balance required of a window washer wearing a five-point harness while poised on a swing stage, a slender platform suspended many stories above the busy streets of downtown L.A.

"Washing windows is a fluid type of motion, you're lathering up and then you shave the glass," he says, his arms swinging in wide, purposeful arcs of the wax-on, wax-off variety, while two of his workers wash the gallery windows above. "And when you walk, the whole thing bounces so you have to train yourself to stay in the middle and do a little dance."

He does a lithe shimmy, his hips swivelling nimbly as his arms circle in unison. Above him, window washing technician Raul Dominguez does a similar, if less dramatic, dance as he cleans with a simple wand, squeegee, gray water and environmentally safe soap.

Apart from the "oculus," the Broad museum's facade is largely opaque, not letting in much light.

The bridal-white Broad is a special case because the building has two layers: an exterior consisting of more than 2,500 honeycomb panels made of fiberglass-reinforced concrete, called "the veil," which shades an interior shell made of glass. At the narrowest points, about 36 inches lie between the veil and the lobby and gallery glass at the front of the building. Not only do the veil's honeycomb orifices need to be thoroughly cleaned on both sides, but the glass behind it needs to be free of spatters from that cleaning.

The job is thankless. If it has been done correctly, nobody will know the difference. If it's done incorrectly, or not enough, everyone might notice. That's just the way things are when you wear white after Labor Day.

Broad architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro anticipated this scenario and its requirements. Consultants contacted Garcia about four years ago in order to find out if he could fit a swing stage within the narrow dimension between the veil and the glass. His solution: a swing stage custom made for the building.

The Broad's 20-foot-long swing stage is a mere 28 inches wide, and on this day it is uncomfortable for the casual observer to notice that there is a mere inch or two of space between the stage and the building. Dominguez must feel claustrophobic? No, he says after he has come down. He likes it. He feels "hugged" by the tight space, Garcia says.

Unlike the rest of this parched metropolis, the Broad is not praying for rain. The museum's pearly exterior is so pure that excessive precipitation could cause unseemly streaks. Cleaning the building is an art, says Rich Cherry, deputy director of the museum.

"The two biggest environmental stressors are cars and the rain," he says. "Say we're four months after a cleaning and you don't notice that dirt has built up, but then a rainstorm comes and washes it down. We might have to respond to that and do a cleaning we weren't planning on. You don't want to let that stuff set. That just makes it harder to get off later."

The Broad museum's cave-like lobby, long and narrow, features undulating walls finished in gray Venetian plaster.

Garcia's company, whose clients include the U.S. Bank Tower, the Gas Company Tower and the Getty, is scheduled to clean the Broad veil with pressurized gray water twice a year and the windows about six times a year. Cleaning the veil will likely take three to four weeks, with workers on from 1 a.m. to 8 a.m. on days the museum is open. (They will work most of the day on Mondays, when the Broad is closed.)

Extensive testing on the veil materials showed how they reacted to the common assaults of nature and humanity such as rain, oil, rubber bits from tires and spray paint, Cherry says.

"You try to cross your Ts and dot your I's, but people think of creative ways to mess things up," he says. "So the art part of this is seeing how the building behaves. How much road dust are we going to get? How many cars are going to pass by, and what will the exhaust do? How dirty is the rain that's coming? We have a plan, but then it's how reality reacts to that plan."

Everything that the Broad discovers during this crucial first year of maintenance will be filed for posterity. Cherry is keeping a careful record so that when the building needs to be preserved 50 years from now, the task will be easier.

The Broad is also taking heart from an esteemed neighbor in its good housekeeping quest: Disney Hall. "Disney looks good, and they've been dealing with the same environment that we'll be dealing with," Cherry says, "only probably with more rain."

The Broad museum sits at the corner of Grand and 2nd Street, right next to Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Tempered Glass Furniture Shattering

Tempered glass is still safer than standard glass.

Temperature changes in your home can cause glass furniture to explode (WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. ) - With a hammer, a Window Doctor employee struck a piece of tempered glass. Blow after blow, the glass held up. Due to that strength, furniture makers prefer using it. However, some consumers have found a downside.

"I'm surprised. I'm shocked," explained Patty Velez. Velez was watching morning television when a noise upstairs startled her. "It was loud enough it scared the dogs," Velez explained. Velez ran upstairs, and couldn't believe the mess in her room. "This whole glass was shattered like it is here," Velez said as she showed us her damaged glass cabinet. "And it was bowing three or four inches out and I could tell it was just ready to go." Within seconds, "It finished exploding and all the glass fell to the floor. It continued crackling and popping almost like popcorn on the floor."

What happened here, could happen to you. "It's common in the industry," explained Gary Orman of Innovative Window Concepts . Orman said all homeowners should beware. "You never know when or if it's going to happen," Orman said. Orman said tempered glass spontaneously shatters from normal expansion and contraction from temperature changes that  might occur in your home from air conditioning and sunshine.

"Tempered glass is tempered in a heat oven and brought up to a certain degree temperature and cooled quickly to make the glass stronger. It puts the internal pieces into compression and the external pieces into tension, and gives strength to the glass," Orman said. "There are particles in there that do not melt and those particles will change as the heat changes." "It's 4 out of 1,000 pieces that do it," Orman said.

Four out of a thousand may not sound like a lot, but there are dozens of complaints with the Consumer Product Safety Commission for patio furniture, shower doors, desks, and glass cabinets. "Would you buy another piece of furniture like that?" Strathman asked Velez. "No definitely not," Velez said.

Despite the examples, furniture makers say tempered glass is actually safer. So we set up a demonstration with the Window Doctor. We used two pieces of glass that look the same, but there's a huge difference when hit. We compared annealed or standard glass with tempered glass. After just one hit, the standard glass shatters into large sharp pieces that can easily cut you. With the tempered glass, after one hit in the same spot the glass is still in tact. Even after six hits, not a chip or a crack.

"With tempered glass the edge is what takes the tension," said Orman.

So we put the hammer to the test on the edge of the tempered glass. It took 8 hits before the glass shattered into a million pieces. The size and texture of the tempered shards are much smaller and duller compared with the annealed glass. "It might be safer but it can still cut you," Velez said.

"Now that you know this happened to other people what do you want the manufacturers to do?" Strathman asked Velez. "I think they need to tell people there is a possibility this could happen with this type of glass," Velez said. Velez's furniture was built by IKEA. Their website warns customers to handle the glass with care especially the edges which in "exceptional cases can cause the glass to break suddenly." Something Velez wishes she knew before she was left cleaning up a mess.

After our calls to IKEA, they replaced the glass in the broken cabinet and another piece of furniture to make sure this doesn't happen again. It's an issue that can impact any tempered glass furniture -- no matter the manufacturer.

Also See:  

Spontaneous Shattering - Tempered Glass - A Guide For Window Cleaners

Glass Shower Doors Can Shatter Without Warning

Annealed Glass As A Health Hazard

Windows Shattering in Dubai - NiS Problems?

Glass & Imperfections - Report Those Unsafe Windows

Why Do Clients Buy Services From FM Companies?

The power of why

Why do clients buy services from Facility Management companies? (By Martyn Freeman)  Recently I attended one of those inspirational days that happens all too rarely. I wasn’t at a TED convention, a CBI event, or even the Davos Forum, but our own sales and marketing conference, to which we invited some very influential external speakers.

Peter Docker, formerly an RAF Group Captain, captivated the entire audience talking about the ‘Power of Why’. He described the ‘magic circle’ model, which illustrates how we approach business tasks from the outside in, looking firstly at ‘What are we going to do?’ followed by ‘How will we do it?’, but rarely starting with ‘Why are we doing this?’

He showed how inspirational leaders like Richard Branson, Steve Jobs and Anita Roddick challenge established thinking by not taking that approach, but by starting at the inner core of ‘why’. As he showed, by thinking about the motivations and perceptions that drive decisions, you soon realise that rather than keep repeating the same path, a totally new approach can yield the kind of success those people have created both for themselves, their customers and employees.

The ‘what’ part of business thinking is the comfort zone, and if you stay there, all you will achieve is incremental improvement at best, or a perpetual Groundhog Day at worst.

I could easily see how this so effectively reflects the Facilities industry, where too much of our time focuses on measurable minutiae. We specify how often spaces must be cleaned, what chemicals will be used, which qualifications staff must have to operate equipment, together with a million and one other elements that make up both an ITT and the final contract.

Conversely, too few people in the industry focus on the second, inner, part of the magic circle – the ‘How?’ These are the people that come up with innovative answers such as automation, zero waste management, Direct audits, chemical-free cleaning and other developments that are set to radically improve the working lives of those who both maintain and use the workplace.

Then we come to the innermost part of the circle - ‘Why’. As Peter pointed out, inspirational leaders have a vision at the centre of their lives that continually addresses the ‘Why?’ Richard Branson has challenged thinking in the music, travel and cosmetics industries, and one day no doubt will carry people to a space hotel, by staring from the premise of ‘Why do people do things?’ and working out how to find a better way.

After all, he didn’t invent airline travel, or any of the other products that carry the Virgin brand, but, as Peter explained, the massive Virgin difference is its culture. Branson’s motivation is to make people enjoy the experience of dealing with Virgin more than any competitor, which he achieves through a combination of product quality and service and sharing the vision among all who work for him.

I have to confess that although we’ve not thought about it so analytically, this new approach to thinking is exactly what we’ve been seeing from clients over the last few Mitie debates. When we started this programme three years ago the talk focused on the details of service delivery, KPIs and SLAs. At our last dinner we spent a whole evening not discussing what we do, or indeed the how, but the why of FM. We heard from Property directors more concerned about the way people enjoy the experience of coming to work in the buildings they run than negotiating lease terms.

People are talking about the challenges of humanizing services, and indeed our own research reflects a deep dissatisfaction among the workforce with the way buildings support productivity, so it is incumbent on us all to start examining more closely the ‘why’ behind the things we do in FM.

The presentations at our conference, combined with what we’re hearing from our clients all point to a very volatile, uncertain, changing and ambiguous future. I have a feeling as we look towards it, that starting with the question of ‘why do we do this?’, rather than ‘How and what have we done before?’ will give us a much firmer footing on which to build successful and sustainable progress.

If you’d like to know more about the power of ‘Why’ and how to apply it to your work, check out Peter Docker’s site here.

 

Mothers Plea For Window Cleaner

Detectives say the window cleaner and keen footballer, who had no criminal links, was the victim of  mistaken identity. 

Mother’s plea for answers five years after her son was shot dead at home: The family of a man gunned down  at his home in a case of mistaken identity today made a fresh appeal to find his killer. 

On the fifth anniversary of his death, the mother and girlfriend of Ricardo Cunha are calling for answers and asking for help in their fight for justice.

The 23-year-old was shot in the head as he looked out of the window of his flat in West Norwood after somebody knocked on the door at around 11.20pm on September 11, 2010. Detectives say the window cleaner and keen footballer, who had no  criminal links, was the victim of  mistaken identity. 

His mother, Maria Cunha, said: “Five years have passed since we lost our boy and we still don’t have answers about what happened and why his life was taken away so cruelly. Nothing will bring our Ricardo back to us but I want whoever did this to my son to pay for what they did.”

She added: “Ricardo had his life ahead of him, so many plans and it was all stolen from him. I don’t know how on earth someone could do this to Ricardo. Five years have passed but there is not a day that goes by that we don’t cry for not having our Rick here with us. So I strongly appeal to anyone out there that has information to come forward and help.”

In 2011 Metropolitan Police issued an image of a 1924 Webley Mark Six Revolver which may have been the murder weapon. They believe it could have been kept as a keepsake, with the possibility that it may have been stolen in an unreported burglary before finding its way into the hands of the killer. 

Detectives know that the same gun was fired during an incident on the Clapham Park Estate in Brixton three days after Mr Cunha’s murder. Mr Cunha’s girlfriend, Sapna Daby, said: “I do not think people understand the pain me and his family have been through for the past five years. “We are still seeking answers and for someone to come forward with information.”

Detective Inspector Alison Hepworth, from the Homicide and Major Crime Command at Scotland Yard, said: “Ricardo was a young man who was mercilessly gunned down and those responsible for his death have  continued to live their life whilst Ricardo was robbed of the chance of living his. 

“We believe that someone knows who shot an innocent man in his own home. With the passage of time allegiances can change and we are directly  appealing to those who for whatever reason did not come forward at the time to use this opportunity to come and speak to us now.”

R.I.P. Tyler Peterson

A view of Bella Vista Independent and Assisted Living in Oshkosh. Tyler Peterson, 20, an Oshkosh man was taken to the hospital and later died from his injuries.

Fatal fall victim identified as Oshkosh man, 20: The man who died after a reported five-story fall in Oshkosh was washing windows, authorities say. The Winnebago County Coroner's Office says Tyler Peterson, 20, of Oshkosh, died Wednesday. He was working at Bella Vista Independent and Assisted Living, 631 Hazel St., when scaffolding gave way.

Oshkosh police say they were called to the apartment complex around 12:40 p.m. for a report of a person who fell five stories. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is also investigating Peterson's death. Bella Vista is the former Mercy Medical Center building near Menominee Park.

Oshkosh police, OSHA investigate man's death: Local and federal authorities continue to investigate the Wednesday, Sept. 9, death of a 20-year-old Oshkosh window-washer who they say fell five stories from a senior and assisted living facility.

The manner of death appears to be consistent with the fall itself, although authorities won't have a preliminary cause of his injuries until after a preliminary autopsy, which was scheduled for noon, Thursday, Sept. 10, Winnebago County Coroner Barry Busby said. Authorities anticipate releasing the findings of that preliminary examination sometime Friday, Sept. 11.

"This is a tragic accident and kind of unusual," Busby said, noting there has not been a job-related fatality of this nature in Oshkosh during his 18-year tenure as coroner. "With OSHA and everybody else involved, you have more eyes on it."

Tyler S. Peterson fell from a platform while washing windows on the fifth floor of Bella Vista Retirement Community, 631 Hazel St., which is the former Mercy Medical Center building, authorities said.

Authorities responded to a report of a person falling five stories from the building at 12:40 p.m., Wednesday, in the 600 block of Hazel Street, according to an Oshkosh Police Department news release. Peterson was transported to a local hospital, where he later died.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is conducting its own investigation of the incident to determine whether any violations of OSHA standards occurred, agency spokeswoman Rhonda Burke said in an email.

Two OSHA compliance safety and health officers from the agency's Appleton-area office responded to the scene after being notified at about 2 p.m., Wednesday, Burke said. Agency personnel will collect evidence, conduct interviews and review records relevant to the incident and will analyze the information for any violations for which citations might be issued.

Burke declined to provide more specifics about the incident, noting the agency does not comment on open investigations, but said falls are the leading cause of death in the workplace.

"There is no doubt that OSHA has saved thousands of lives, but far too many preventable injuries, illnesses and fatalities continue to occur," Burke said. "Workers and families should never accept the risk of death as a condition for employment — and neither should we."

Tyler Peterson, 20, of Oshkosh, died unexpectedly on September 9, 2015. He was born on January 20, 1995, the son of Suzanne Braatz. Tyler was a window washer for Serwas Window Cleaning. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, and being with family and friends.

Tyler is survived by his mother Suzanne, step father Doug Swanke, two sisters Felicia Peterson, Savannah Swanke, his grandparents, Debra and Ronald Winter, Craig and Leigh Braatz, great grandparents Ken and Sylvia Braatz, his Aunt Shirley and other aunts and uncles, two nephews Damion and Rylan, special family Tina, Gina, Sara, cousins, special friend Daria and many other friends. Tyler was preceded in death by his great grandparents Doris and Everett Wohlrabe and his uncle Everette Wohlrabe

Services for Tyler will be on Tuesday, September 15, 2015, at 11:00 am at Konrad-Behlman Funeral Homes- Westside. Family and friends can visit at the funeral home on Monday, September 14, 2015, from 4:00-8:00 pm and on Tuesday from 10:00 am until time of service. Burial will be at the Pine River Cemetery. Please dress in casual and comfortable "Tyler Attire".