Umbilical Drones For Window Cleaning & Painting

Apellix has developed the worlds first software controlled robotic system that utilizes drones connected to a base station with an umbilical cord and tether (UCAT) as material applicators. The Apellix platform moves workers from harms way - by replacing window washers on skyscrapers, moving painters off of scaffolding, and helping move workers to locations with reduced exposure to harmful chemicals. As a safety company we value human workers and the environment, and bring large value to both.

Robots may replace window cleaners, painters next: More than five million jobs are thought likely to be replaced by robots in the coming decade according to some analysts, and it may be that window cleaning and painting are part of that number. A new drone design from Apellix is conceptualising the idea of a robotic painting system, which negates the need to put workers at risk on tall ladders and against tall buildings.

As one of the more dangerous jobs in the U.S., with several deaths each year due to falls, construction – especially on ladders – is something Apellix wants to change. Instead of sending men up ladders, it wants to send a quad-copter up the side of a building with an “umbilical” connection. That cable can provide power, but it also provides paint, water and anything else it might need to complete its task.

The little robot can be seen in the latest demonstration video, flying up the side of a two story warehouse and spray painting it. Apellix has fitted that same robot with a hose system and a 3,000 PSI high-velocity-paint-sprayer, allowing for its application in even the most turbulent of environments.

This could easily be applied to other liquids, such as water, which would allow pressure washing of windows and walls that are out of reach of humans or at least can’t be cleaned safely. Apellix has other ideas too. Fitted with an expanding, self-setting foam gun and stockpile, it believes the umbilical equipped drones could build temporary igloo housing. It could theoretically “3D print” all sorts of structures autonomously with further development.

Industry Veteran Asks Questions

Another Window Cleaner Falls Off Building. Why?

Another Window Cleaner Falls Off Building. Why? In Sydney, another major accident has occurred involving window cleaners and façade access equipment. Two cleaners were left in critical condition after the building maintenance unit (BMU) cradle they were working in fell 12 floors onto the street awning below. One man was crushed under the cradle and the other wound up dangling over the edge of the awning.

This is on the heels of another accident in August where a window cleaner fell off the Apple store in Sydney. He was using rope access methods to clean the façade. He too amazingly survived but with serious injuries.

Are these types of accidents going to be the norm? Do authorities require a death before they act? I’m amazed that after the Apple store accident, the working at heights industry has had no contact directly or indirectly from the agency that is meant to govern workplace safety in NSW, WorkCover. Where are the WorkCover inspectors or educators? Absolutely nothing is being done to improve safety for the thousands of people who work at heights across Australia.

I see the extent of the problem daily. It may be a lone window cleaner working on the facade of a 60-floor apartment building, a plasterer finishing a ceiling while standing on a ladder on the edge of a balcony, or a fall protection anchor point that pops out when being load tested for annual certification.

We need immediate action; to begin with, WorkCover should be inspecting all buildings in Sydney to ensure the façade access and fall protection equipment is in compliance. Also, Government needs to sit down with industry bodies like the Working at Heights Association, IRATA and ARAA, and they need to comprehensively review working practices and standards. This needs to be done now. If we act quickly, we may be able to save someone’s life. If not, I believe it’s just a matter of time before the next accident is a fatality.

Contributed by Andrew Ferguson (KARABINER): Andrew is an expert in Fall Protection, Rope Access and Façade Access Equipment and has been working in these sectors for since 1991. Andrew has worked on large and prestigious commercial construction projects in Australia, Middle East and Asia. He’s experience also extended to the miming, oil and gas sectors.

With 24 years experience there are many first from Andrew and his expert teams, both Karabiner and XSPlatforms. Innovation has always been one of the key elements in his success in solving many of the most difficult access scenarios put up by industry. Such as green facades with 20 tones annually of waste and vegetation to be removed and replaced, glass roofs with complex atrium spaces, large façade art installation, buildings with counter-leveed façades, merging new construction into heritage buildings and a mirrored of architectural features never contemplated just a few years ago. Tackling commercial construction faces many modern challenges however it can be simpler than in the miming, oil and gas sectors where everything is made more complicated by site remoteness, tight program’s and the shear scale of the projects. 

Andrew was a founding member of the Australian Rope Access Association, sat on the WorkCover committee reviewing Façade Access, Working at Heights and Rope Access in NSW. He also sat on the Australian Standards Committee which develop the first Australian Standard for Rope Access (AS4488), his company Karabiner was a (past) member of IRATA and now he is a member of the Working at Heights Association (WAHA) and part of the team developing the ‘Industry Code – Permanent Anchors, Lifeline and Rail Installations’.

Window Cleaning - Safety First

Window cleaning - safety first.

Window cleaning - safety first: Window cleaning has long been associated with working from height along with all the risks that this involves. But since the advent of water-fed poles, how safe is window cleaning today? And what products are there on the market that can further improve window cleaners’ safety? Ann Laffeaty finds out.

Concern for personal safety is becoming increasingly prevalent in today’s society.  Over the past 30 years we have seen a growing trend for items such as infant car seats, personal protective clothing, bicycle helmets and rubberised surfaces for children’s playgrounds. Safety in cleaning has also come under the spotlight and stricter regulations have come into effect to reduce the number of accidents and injuries in the industry.

Window cleaning is one of the riskiest cleaning tasks of all.  It is frequently cited in online polls and on insurance websites as being one of the most dangerous jobs in the world alongside occupations such as logging, mining, fire-fighting and road-working.

The advent of water-fed poles has helped to reduce the number of operatives working from ladders which comes with an obvious risk of falling. But recent events would suggest that the dangers of window cleaning are still very real.

In November 2014, two window cleaners in New York had to be rescued after the cables securing their work basket malfunctioned. This left them dangling precariously at a near 75-degree angle on a platform near the 69th floor of One World Trade Centre. In a dramatic rescue hundreds of feet above the ground, fire department workers had to saw through the windows and haul the two to safety.

In March 2014 a stranded window cleaner in Toronto had to be rescued by firefighters after her hair became caught in a descending rope line. Earlier the same year a window cleaner in the UK sustained serious injuries after falling from a ladder through a conservatory roof.

And in a horrific accident in December 2013, a window cleaner plummeted 47 storeys from the roof of a Manhattan skyscraper. Miraculously the operative sustained only minor injuries after having clung to the scaffolding platform as it fell.

Scores of window cleaning accidents and even deaths are reported every year, usually as a result of falling from height. The EU Work at Height Regulations 2005 alleviated the problem to some extent by stipulating that if a window cleaning task could reasonably be carried out from the ground, that is how it should be done. But this of course is impractical when cleaning skyscrapers and other high-rise buildings.

And in any case, water-fed poles come with their own safety issues. Operators can incur injuries to their arms, wrists or backs when handling unwieldy poles for instance. In some cases, pole sections may fall to the ground and injure passers-by. And cleaning with water-fed poles can lead to a great deal of water spillage which could cause slips and trips on the part of the window cleaner or members of the public, particularly in icy conditions.

Modular systems

Unger is one of those companies to have embraced the challenge of increasing the safety of water-fed pole systems according to product marketing coordinator Axel Droste. “For many years window cleaners have had the choice of two types of pole system: telescopic or modular,” he said.

“However, telescopic poles can tend to flex as they are extended and this brings a subsequent loss of control. They also have some weight issues; for example, a six-section telescopic pole will always have six sections since none of these cannot be removed – so even if you only need to use four sections to clean to the height required, you will still be carrying the weight of six.

“Modular systems, although better at extending without losing rigidity, simply become too heavy when they are extended. And these extensions also add width to the poles which makes them more difficult to handle.”

His says this situation has presented manufacturers with a challenge. “How do you create a water-fed pole system that will clean at heights of up to 65 feet, but that will also be both lightweight and easy to control?” said Droste. “Along with engineering and design techniques it is crucial to use the right materials and combine the best features of telescopic and modular poles. And an increasing number of options are emerging to provide specific solutions.”

Stronger and rigid

According to Droste, water-fed pole materials such as carbon fibre, fibre glass and aluminium have all offered choice and flexibility to the window cleaning sector. “These have helped to create equipment to suit each situation and building type,” he said. “Carbon fibre in particular offers an amazing balance between strength, weight and rigidity. In comparison to steel it is both stronger and more rigid yet weighs considerably less.”

He adds that today’s new lighter poles make the cleaning operative’s job easier, safer and more comfortable while putting less of a strain on their bodies and enabling them to clean more swiftly and efficiently.“The fact that these systems are lighter in weight also means that the operative is less likely to become tired so quickly, which means they can clean a larger surface area than when using a conventional system,” he said.

“However just because the poles are more lightweight it doesn’t mean that they deliver less in terms of rigidity. Even when extensions are added to increase the length and reach of the system, the poles do not bend or become unwieldy. On the contrary rigidity, and therefore control, is maintained which allows every corner and crevice to be cleaned thoroughly”.

Unger offers the nLite modular system which is basically a telescopic pole that can be extended by another telescopic pole, says Droste. The base unit has four sections and an extended length of 6.63 metres while the extension has two sections at a length of 3.41 metres.

“Depending on the material used you can add up to four extensions to reach a height of 20 metres,” he said. “The individual components can be selected and put together to create a system to suit personal requirements. There are six grades of materials in the nLite range to suit various cleaning challenges and budgets.”

He adds that taller buildings need regular, thorough and effective cleaning to ensure that they present a professional face to customers. “But how do you deliver the high standards that are expected while also making the lives of operatives safer and easier?” he said. “Professional 

window cleaners have adapted to these challenges by embracing new methods and equipment.”

According to Moerman director Marc Roels the main health and safety risks for window cleaners include falls from ladders, wrist injuries and falling poles. “Working at Height legislation is moving the window cleaning industry into new directions and spearheading innovative developments,” he said. “It is important that we continually work towards safer practices since there is always 

room to improve.”

Moerman’s latest innovation in terms of safe window cleaning is the Liquidator. This system is said to allow operatives to clean right up to the edges of the window frame, leaving little or no water residue. This is claimed to significantly reduce the amount of time spent on prepping with a cloth.

No stretching

“With our Liquidator there is no real need for detailing,” said Roels. “This means operatives do not need to stretch out with a detailing cloth which can heighten the risks of falling.  The Liquidator also ‘floats’ over the glass which means that less effort is required during cleaning - and this in turn reduces the tension on operatives’ muscles and wrists.”

He says the future of window cleaning will greatly depend on the type of buildings being built. “Skyscrapers, for example, will always need to be cleaned from height but there will continue to be evolutions that allow the task to be carried out more safely,” said Roels.

Unger’s Droste agrees that the building industry will be key in determining the future of window cleaner safety. “Whether we are talking about the Shard in London, the Commerzbank Tower in Frankfurt or the Torre de Cristal in Madrid, the fashion for high-rise, hi-tech designs featuring plenty of glass and metal does not look like slowing down any time soon,” he said.

“The majority of our most iconic buildings seem to prove the theory that size matters – at least in terms of height. If high-rise buildings continue to be built, window cleaner safety will continue to be a challenge. “

Window Cleaning Company Fined For Safety Breaches

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) successfully prosecuted Brian Stubbs (director) and Brian Stubbs and Company Limited at Stafford Magistrates’ Court after a window cleaner was observed standing on guttering on the outside of a balcony parapet wall on the third floor of St Joseph’s Nursing Home, Lichfield Road, Stafford.

Window cleaning company fined for safety breaches: A window cleaning firm and its sole director have been fined for health and safety breaches after the company was employed to clean the windows at a nursing home.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) successfully prosecuted Brian Stubbs (director) and Brian Stubbs and Company Limited at Stafford Magistrates’ Court after a window cleaner was observed standing on guttering on the outside of a balcony parapet wall on the third floor of St Joseph’s Nursing Home, Lichfield Road, Stafford, on 21 August 2014. An HSE investigation found that there was no suitable edge protection or other appropriate safety measures in place.

Mr Stubbs, of Westhead Avenue, Stafford, was fined a total of £660 and ordered to pay £867 costs after pleading guilty to breaching 3(1)(a) of The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. Brian Stubbs and Company Limited was fined £660 and ordered to pay £846 in costs after pleading guilty to breaching 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

After the case HSE Inspector Katherine Blunt commented: “Work being carried out in this manner was entirely avoidable. This could very easily have been a fatality. “They didn’t have to do the work this way. As advertised on the company’s website, a ‘reach and wash’ system could have been used, which allows the cleaning of windows up to 65 feet.”

For more information on what employers need to do to protect employees when they work at height please visit the HSE webpage here.

Window Silly

Mary Bodrova, 45, seen hanging from the window of her ninth floor flat in Lviv, Ukraine. Click to enlarge.  

Window silly! Woman risks her life clambering out onto a ninth storey window sill so she can clean the outside of her Ukrainian apartment. A fearless Ukranian woman has been filmed balancing precariously from her ninth storey apartment and cleaning the outside of her windows. Shocked witnesses watched as Mary Bodrova, 45, clambered onto the window ledge and started scrubbing the outside of her home. The jaw-dropping footage was shot in the city of Lviv in Western Ukraine.

Ms Bodrova was seen hanging from the window frame with her left hand and cleaning the glass with her right, without a safety rope. Witness Ivanna Rudenko, 23, said: 'I think the housewife was so exited about the washing process that she doesn't realise the danger. 'If I only imagine myself outside the window, I feel sick.' Yuriy Popenko, 45, added: 'What a woman. She must work in the Cirque du Soleil.' 

New UK Guidance On Working At Height

A brief guide' can be accessed free of charge on line, is significantly simpler to understand and makes it very clear what anyone who works at height or their employers, need to do to properly plan any work at height and dispels a number of classic myths.

New guidance on working at height: The UK HSE has published its new guidance to working at height, including two new concise, easy to read guide books. The launch of this new guidance is pitched by the UK government as a significant step towards reducing red tape, but this is something of a myth as there are no legal changes to what is effectively European wide working at height legislation. However this does not detract from what are major improvements.

The new guides' Work at height - A brief guide' and 'Safe use of ladders - A brief guide' can be accessed free of charge on line, is significantly simpler to understand and makes it very clear what anyone who works at height or their employers, need to do to properly plan any work at height and dispels a number of classic myths.

The HSE summarises the new guidance as:

• Providing simple advice about do's and don'ts when working at height to ensure people are clear on what the law requires
• Busting some of the persistent myths about health and safety law, such as the banning of ladders when they can still be used 
• Offering targeted advice to helping business in different sectors manage serious risks sensibly and proportionately 
• Helping workers to be clearer about their own responsibilities for working safely.

Click to enlarge.

Printed versions of the two publications are also available for a small fee and can be ordered online, they are hosted on an improved working at height web page which is an excellent source for anyone who works at height. The guides are clearly visible but if you prefer click here to go directly to Work at height - 'A brief guide' and here for 'Safe use of ladders - A brief guide.'

Click to go directly to the guides section of the library

HSE chairman Judith Hackitt said: "It is important to get working at height right. Falls remain one of the biggest causes of serious workplace injury - with more than 40 people killed and 4,000 suffering major injuries every year. We have a sensible set of regulations and have been working with business to improve our guidance - making it simpler and clearer and dispelling some of the persistent myths about what the law requires."

"The result is advice that employers can count on to help them manage their businesses sensibly and proportionately. The need to ensure people understand what the law requires was identified in the independent review of health and safety regulation undertaken by Professor Ragnar L￶fstedt, and this proposal has been developed through the Red Tape Challenge."

For more health & safety guidance forms for window cleaners go here.

Working At Height & Wind Speed

Skyscrapers like One World Trade Center, now the tallest building in the United States, are not the place to be during hurricanes.

Sandy spared New York’s skyscrapers, but high-rises carry high risk during hurricanes: On Oct. 28, 2012, the day before Superstorm Sandy’s center came ashore over southern New Jersey, the National Weather Service’s New York City office cautioned that one of its computer models was projecting a “possibility of skyscraper window damage” and warned residents to stay away from windows if they lived on the 10th floor or higher.

Fortunately Sandy’s strongest winds had weakened to 70 mph when it came ashore near Brigantine, N.J., the next day. The strongest wind recorded at the NWS Central Park station that day was 38 mph with gusts to 62 mph. In Atlantic City, N.J., however, where the highest reported surface wind was 51 mph with gusts to 64 mph, Sandy did cause minor damage to high-rise building roofs and higher floors. “The problem I saw in New York, especially lower Manhattan, was when the power went out and back-up generators were in flooded basements,” says Tim P. Marshall, a meteorologist and engineer who’s been studying building wind damage for Haag Engineering in Dallas since 1983. “If you’re on the 40th floor, that’s a long way to walk down the stairs.”

Even if you think trudging up and down several stories in a high-rise without elevators is a good way to get in shape, you should evacuate a high-rise condo, apartment, hotel or time share that’s threatened by a hurricane because it’s a potentially deadly place to be. At the very least you should take the following advice from the New York City Office of Emergency Management (and other emergency managers):

On or below the 10th floor: Close and lock all windows and securely cover them to reduce damage and injury caused by flying debris. Above the 10th floor: Be prepared to take shelter on or below the 10th floor.  If you have a balcony or rooftop, remove all items that cannot be securely tied down.

Mean hurricane eyewall wind variation with elevation. To calculate the wind speed at a particular height, put a decimal point after the first ’1′ in the percentage and multiply the surface wind by that number. For example, if the wind at the surface is 80 mph, for the speed at the 20th floor multiply 80 by 1.15.

In the article they say: “The top of a 25-story coastal high-rise in the hurricane eyewall will experience a mean wind that is about 17% higher (or one Saffir–Simpson hurricane-scale category higher) than the surface or advisory value. For this reason, residents who must take refuge in coastal high-rises should generally do so at the lowest levels necessary to avoid storm surge.”

Their study was based in part on data from GPS dropwindsondes that hurricane hunter airplanes had been using since 1998. These are small packages of instruments that measure and radio back atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity, and wind speed and direction as they fall to the ocean under small parachutes.

Marshall says that buildings “up north, seem to be better built” than many he’s examined across the South. Windows are only one of the problems. Once debris breaks a window the flying glass can break other windows, as he and his colleagues found after Hurricane Alicia hit Galveston and Houston on Aug. 18, 1982 (less than three weeks after he started with Haag Engineering) showering downtown Houston with flying glass.

“The problem is with EIFS clad (Exterior Insulation Finishing System) buildings in the South. I have seen this type of façade get into trouble many times from many hurricanes. There also have been problems with keeping windows intact. Part of the problem is flying debris and the cascade or domino effect when one window breaks and so on.” All in all, an upper floor in a high-rise is no place to be in a hurricane.

Internet Daredevil Window Cleaner Fined

This daredevil window cleaner is captured on film balancing on a ledge without a safety harness on the third floor of a building in Bath.

Internet star window cleaner who balanced on third floor ledge is fined £2,000 for breaking health and safety rules: A window cleaner who became a YouTube hit when he was filmed balancing on a third-floor ledge with no safety harness has been ordered to pay £2,000 for health and safety breaches. First reported here.

Fearless Wayne Mallon was caught on camera as he calmly climbed out of a top-floor window to carry out his work 40ft above the pavement. Passers-by watched in horror as he stepped onto the outside of a stone balustrade before walking around the building. A later clip showed him doing the same thing on the level below, but this time walking along the top of the narrow windows – again without any kind of safety equipment.

Self-employed Mallon, who works for Terry Mallon and Sons Cleaning Services, pleaded guilty to three health and safety charges at Bath Magistrates Court in Somerset. The 40-year-old was fined £400 for each of the offences and ordered to pay £800 in costs, as well as a £15 victim surcharge, bringing the total to £2,015.

Risky: Footage showed Wayne Mallon balancing precariously on a ledge without a safety harness as he climbed across the building - 40ft up - to clean its windows.

Mallon, of Whiteway, Bath, took to the windowsills above the Loch Fyne restaurant in Bath in September last year. It was filmed by a passing pedestrian and went viral on YouTube, attracting nearly 90,000 views to date. But the clip came to the attention of the health and safety team at Bath and North East Somerset Council, which brought charges against Mallon and Loch Fyne.

The restaurant chain faces six breaches of health and safety regulations, which will be dealt with this Friday. A spokesman from B&NES Council said: “The council, in common with the window cleaning industry, takes these issues seriously because of the dangers to the public and workers.

“Whilst working in this manner, Mr Mallon was putting not only his own safety at risk but also that of members of the public who were passing on the busy pavement below. “The council hopes that the fine and court costs of £2,000 incurred by Mr Mallon will deter businesses from putting themselves, other workers and members of the public at risk.”

He added: “Falls from height remain the most common cause of workplace fatality. “The council wishes to remind all businesses carrying out these activities that they must, for their own and other’s safety, familiarise themselves with legal requirements which in this case would have assured Mr Mallon’s safety.” 

 

Bath hotel fined over unsafe window cleaner: A restaurant and hotel firm has been fined £15,000 after a window cleaner was filmed balancing precariously on a ledge outside one of its buildings. Loch Fyne admitted one breach of health and safety law and was also ordered to pay costs of £3,023. Self-employed window cleaner Wayne Mallon was fined £2,000 on Monday. He was seen climbing along the ledges of the third floor of the Milsoms Hotel building - owned by Loch Fyne - in Bath without ladders or safety equipment. Mallon, of Whiteway, Bath, who works for Terry Mallon and Sons Cleaning Services, pleaded guilty to three health and safety charges at Bath Magistrates' Court

The footage went viral when it was posted on YouTube in September last year and has attracted more than 90,000 views to date. It came to the attention of the health and safety team at Bath and North East Somerset Council (Banes), which brought charges against Mallon and Loch Fyne, which has its roots on the west coast of Scotland. The film was shown to magistrates and Loch Fyne admitted allowing a contractor to work at height in an unsafe manner. 

Robin Wood, representing Banes, told the court that the firm had a duty of care to contractors. "If a suitable risk assessment had been carried out, Mr Mallon would not have endangered himself or others below in the way he did," he said. "There were a number of documents in place to make sure a risk assessment was possible but they were not being used and had not been checked by the company for more than eight years. "We have no evidence that this happened on more than one occasion, except he seemed to know what he was doing."

He added: "The video has been seen by more than 89,000 people on YouTube. It has also appeared in national newspapers and on television. "Window cleaners from around Europe have commented on YouTube. The industry itself is aware of this, and in some ways, they will take note of what has happened in this instance."

Speaking outside court, a Loch Fyne spokesman said the company took health and safety "extremely seriously" and expected the same from its contractors. "We accept today's decision and are grateful this isolated incident in Bath was brought to our attention. "As a result we have put tighter measures in place to prevent anything similar happening again, including stricter procedures for our restaurant manager to follow when using external contractors."

Loch Fyne, which employs 1,234 staff at 42 restaurants and four hotels, said it was the first time it had ever appeared in court. Speaking outside his home, Mallon said he was "very health and safety conscious". He added that only three of the hotel's 28 windows could be reached using "reach and wipe" equipment.

Unsafe Window Cleaner Video Goes Viral

Daredevil window cleaner not good for image of window cleaners.

Bath's daredevil window cleaner with a head for heights: A daredevil window cleaner has been captured on film balancing on a ledge without a safety harness on the third floor of a building in Bath. More than 1,000 people have viewed the Extreme Window Cleaning clip on YouTube, which shows a man working above the Loch Fyne restaurant, at the corner of Milsom Street and George Street. During the three-minute film he is seen to climb out of the top floor window and onto the other side of the stone balustrade, before walking around the outside of the building. Later on he is seen doing the same thing on the level below, but this time walking along the top of the narrow windows - but again without any kind of safety equipment.

A member of staff at Loch Fyne said the incident was being dealt with internally by the restaurant chain’s owners Greene King, and added that they had been in contact with the health and safety team at Bath and North East Somerset Council. B&NES today confirmed it was investigating the incident. It is understood that the floors above the restaurant are occupied by the hotel side of the business, Milsoms, which has a number of rooms available for guests.

Extreme window cleaning (BATH, SOMERSET): An investigation has been launched after a daredevil window cleaner was captured on film balancing on a ledge without a safety harness on the third floor of a city centre building. The YouTube clip, which shows a man working above the Loch Fyne restaurant is being investigated by Bath and North East Somerset Council.

Another Maid Dies Cleaning Windows

Indonesian Maid Dies in 30-Storey Plunge in Singapore:  A 23-year-old Indonesian maid fell 30 storeys to her death at Telok Blangah Heights on Thursday. She had apparently been cleaning the windows of her employer’s flat at about 1 p.m. This is at least the third case so far this year of a maid falling to her death here. A neighbor told Chinese newspaper Shinmin Daily that she was in the vicinity when the maid fell. She was at a nearby bus stop when she heard a loud noise.

She saw the maid on the ground with blood flowing from her head, and the maid’s employer arriving soon after. She said the female employer told her that the maid had lost her balance and fallen out of the window, but managed to cling to it. She shouted for her employer, but fell before the woman could reach her. The maid was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics at about 1.15 p.m. The Straits Times understands that the maid had worked for the family of five — a couple, two young children and an elderly woman — for about two years. The family declined to comment on the incident.

The neighbor said that the maid’s employer would tell her not to open the metal window grilles when she was cleaning the windows. But she still did so, saying she could not clean the windows without opening them. Neighbors said they would occasionally see the maid around the area, and described her as quiet and petite. Police are investigating the incident as an unnatural death.

New Minnesota OSHA Standard For Window Washers

New Minnesota OSHA Standard for Window Washers: The state of Minnesota is handing down new standards to help make the job of window washing safer. In November, the FOX 9 Investigators exposed frequent safety shortcuts by crews working in the metro. Three men washing windows have died in the past three years. OSHA reports say their deaths could have been prevented with more training and proper use of safety equipment and procedures.

The new Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MNOSHA) standard is designed to increase worker protection and provide clarity for contractors that perform interior or exterior window-washing or building-maintenance operations. It applies to workers that are suspended more than 14 feet above grade.

The standard requires employers to have a comprehensive written safety plan and provide employee training for window-washing and building-maintenance activities. It also addresses and outlines worker safety requirements in the areas of:

• Anchors and anchor points;
• Appropriate recordkeeping regarding employee training and retraining;
• Fall protection;
• Proper care, use and inspection of equipment;
• Rope descent systems; and
• Visual inspections of building exteriors before work begins.

"This new standard ensures a plan is in place to reduce risks to workers and that systems are in place to identify and control workplace hazards," said Commissioner Ken Peterson, Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI). "The goal is to prevent accidents." MNOSHA began a local emphasis inspection program for the window-washing and building-maintenance industry in October 2010. Since then, MNOSHA has conducted 34 window-washing inspections: one was a complaint, one was a fatality and 32 were part of the emphasis program, where investigators may stop and conduct an inspection when they observe window-washing activity.

During these inspections, MNOSHA investigators found some worksites lacked proper safety equipment for employees cleaning windows. Also, not all employers were complying with existing MNOSHA safety standards or following the manufacturer's guidelines about how to safely use suspension scaffolds and lifelines. Employers can get information about the new standard via the DLI website (click on the "Standards" tab) or by calling MNOSHA Compliance at (651) 284-5050. The new safety standard for window-washers takes effect March 1, 2012. Click here for pdf file download.

Minnesota tightens rules to reduce risks for window washers: State safety officials are acting to make it safer for window washers to do their jobs. It's a profession that has suffered three on-the-job deaths in Minnesota since 2009.

Tony DeMaio, Matt Carlson and Jose Munoz of Columbia Building Services washed windows at the Thrivent Financial Building in June.

Minnesota tightens rules to reduce risks for window washers: The Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MnOSHA) said Monday that it is tightening requirements for employers in the areas of equipment inspections and training for window washers who work 14 feet or higher above ground but not on a ladder.

The new standards take effect March 1 and are designed to "reduce risks to workers and [ensure] that systems are in place to identify and control workplace hazards," said Ken Peterson, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. MnOSHA has intensified window-washing worksite inspections since October 2010. In the 34 inspections since then, the agency found a lack of proper safety equipment and improper use of suspension scaffolds and lifelines at some sites.

The most recent death occurred in June, when window washer Ryan J. Shannon, 25, of Roseville, fell from the roof of an eight-story St. Louis Park apartment building, where he was working with a crew. In September 2009, Bryan Prairie, of Plymouth, fell to his death at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park. Six months earlier, Jacob Jennings, 20, of Coon Rapids, fell and died washing windows in Bloomington.

Ryan Wagner, operations manager for StarBrite Cleaning Services in St. Louis Park, defended his industry as "very safe ... if you do everything right. You can train for as long as you want, but it still comes down to that person. ... They have a checklist they have to go through." Wagner said he suspects that OSHA is "feeling pressure to do something" because of the recent deaths.

"From a company point of view, let alone personal, ... you don't want to lose somebody," said Wagner, who added that his company hasn't had an accident in its 27 years of existence. "I've been doing this for nine years, and I've never felt unsafe." Minnesota Labor and Industry spokesman James Honerman said that Minnesota's new regulation came as a result of the three window washer deaths and a maintenance worker who fell and died in 2007 while clearing snow from the IDS building.

The new rules should help prevent further falls. "Things we found during the initial inspections is that not all employees were being afforded the right to work safely," Honerman said. "This new standard requires comprehensive written safety plans and the need to provide workers training for window washing and safety. It talks specifically about the equipment they use and how to properly use that equipment and inspect that equipment."

Honerman added that window washers are not certified or licensed in the state of Minnesota. Some labor unions and advocacy groups have pushed for a national certified training program. For now, under the new MnOSHA standards, it's the individual building owner and window cleaning contractors who must provide a written safety plan and offer window washers training. Licensing requirements for workers do not fall under OSHA's jurisdictions, Honerman said.

The Aerial Water Fed Brush from Tekbuk

Do you use a professional window cleaning brush that is effortless to use? Introducing the "Aerial Brush" from Tekbuk.

The 1st Window Cleaning Brush with a built in Scraper: The Aerial brush is the latest brush to be offered to window cleaners; it’s a new design that has been made specifically for fast window cleaning, the brush is made to use against a predominately flat vertical surface. Most brushes used for window cleaning use a standard brush design, most commonly based on the sweeping broom brush which is made for horizontal surfaces.

Richard Sorrel (pictured) returned to window cleaning almost five years ago and started to use wfp systems, it didn’t take long for him to to realise each brush has limitations and consequently those limitations means it takes longer to clean. So in 2009 he started development on the Aerial brush rather than try and make a brush that’s able to cover different types of work. He decided to focus the on the use of the brush and just have it clean windows exceptionally fast.

Richard decided from the start to work with an established brush maker, with their background, skill and knowledge of brushes, it made sense to work with an expert brush maker from the start. Although he provided all relevant information from a window cleaner’s perspective, prior to this, he also sought the views of other established window cleaners, for what they thought are the most important features for an authentic window cleaning brush.

The Aerial brush does have a replaceable non scratch scraper, although this is a very useful feature; it’s not the most important. The majority of time is spent cleaning windows, so the most important aspect of the brush is its ability to clean fast. A window cleaner’s time is more valuable than the difference in the price of a brush. Anyone using this brush for the first time will need time themselves to adjust and revise there cleaning method as well as build there confidence in the brushes ability, learning when to stop cleaning is the hardest part when using the Aerial brush. This is especially so if you have only ever used modified or adapted brushes, when used correctly the Aerial brushes clean windows amazingly fast and won’t be like anything you have tried before.

The brush attaches to the generic angle crank/adaptor with a tapered screw thread. They come in 3 types of different monofilament/bristle which are Polyester, Nylon monofilaments and Natural bristles commonly called Boars hair.

During development it became apparent that you cannot have a single brush for two different types of work and expect to complete work just as quickly as a brush made for a single purpose. The Aerial Polyester monofilament is for maintenance cleans and the thicker and more absorbent Nylon monofilament is for initial cleans. Richards advice for any window cleaner "is to have a range of brushes at your disposal," "Some brushes you will use everyday, others may only get used a few times a year." "Select the most appropriate brush that is able to complete the work the quickest, ultimately window cleaners provide a service based on time and completing any work sooner is more profitable."

Rinsing the glass after cleaning isn’t always necessary with the Aerial brush; used correctly the brush is able to maintain a consistence pressure, so with maintenance cleans he personally only rinses the glass when it is necessary, which is never more than 30% of all the windows he cleans in any given week. Combine this with working methodically with the brush, you should save a huge amount of time over using a conventional brush; the Aerial brush is often able to clean the window spot free with just a couple of passes. The 40mm narrow brush stock combined with a much wider monofilament splay also makes it much easier to clean window sills and again, these can be cleaned in just a few seconds for windows that are maintained on a more regular basis.

Developing and making the brushes combined with testing has been a real eye-opener for Richard. Working with a brush specifically made for cleaning windows saves a tremendous amount of time, opposed to a brush that has been jetted then is used for window cleaning. After many prototypes, he would never have put the Aerial brush into production if it didn’t work, likewise he could never go back to using a conventional brush for window cleaners having now gotten use to the speed and efficiency of the Aerial brush. 

If you would like more information from Richard and to see more pictures, please visit "Tecbuk Water Fed Pole Brushes." These brushes are available for sale in the UK. If you an overseas distributor interested in the brushes please contact Richard directly. Contact details are on the website.

New "Watch-Phone" For Window Cleaning Employees?

Japanese wrist-phone knows when you're slacking & tells the boss: Japanese cellphone maker KDDI has announced a new phone that should be immediately unpopular to anyone with half a brain: it monitors your movements and can tell when you're slacking off. The phone, which you wear on your wrist, actually, uses an accelerometer to check your movements against information stored on a server — which the wrist-phone communicates with wirelessly — to identify what you're doing.

The folks at KDDI claim that the technology is actually pretty accurate, too, and can distinguish between actions such as walking, scaling a staircase or cleaning something. It'd be able to tell when an office worker or a window cleaner were doing the things they're supposed to be doing, or if they're just sitting there.

While it all screams Big Brother, Philip Sugai, director of the mobile consumer lab at the International University of Japan, told the BBC it actually may not be so bad: "Technically, I think this is an incredibly important innovation. For example, when applied to the issue of telemedicine, or other situations in which remotely monitoring or accessing an individual's personal movements is vital to that service." He did acknowledge there could be negative ramifications associated with the information the watchphone could gather, though.

A negative side that KDDI knows about, and considers part of its market for the device. Your boss knowing your every move could be a "good thing," however, according to Hiroyuki Yokoyama, a KDDI researcher. "Of course there are privacy issues and any employers should really enter into an agreement with employees before using such a system," he told the BBC. "But this is not about curtailing employees' rights to privacy. We'd rather like to think our creation more of a caring, mothering system rather than a Big Brother approach to watching over citizens."

Hey, it could happen, right? A nurturing Big Brother? No, not buying it? Yep, neither are we. Who wants to wear a wrist-phone, anyway?

HSE Prosecutes Window Cleaning Company UK

Firm fined after window cleaner fell from roof: A window-cleaning firm from Lincoln has been ordered to pay out more than £5,000 after one of its employees fell from a roof, breaking eight ribs. A Nicoll & Son Limited, which is based in Allenby Road Industrial Estate in Crofton Drive, Lincoln, was charged with breaking Health and Safety at Work regulations. The city's magistrates' court was told how James Theaker, 50, was cleaning windows at Lincoln College, with two other employees, when the accident happened in November last year. Mr Theaker had climbed onto a flat section of roof at the college to clean windows of a neighbouring building, when he reached over and fell. The court heard that he plummeted 13ft to the ground, where his fall was broken by metal railings.

Directors of the company, Susan and Alistair Nicoll, pleaded guilty to contravening health and safety regulations. Health and Safety Executive inspector Judith McNulty-Green was prosecuting in the case. She told magistrates: "Work at that height should be properly planned and supervised and should be undertaken safely. "The instructions given to the team were detailed about the location of the job, but were not detailed about the method of cleaning. "The employees had not been told that they should have used a harness."

The court heard that the workers had been using the pole-washing system – where water is pumped up extendable poles to clean high windows. But several windows could not be reached using this method. So Mr Theaker climbed onto the roof, without the use of a harness to prevent him falling.

Peter Smith, mitigating, told the court that the company has never broken a health and safety regulation before. A Nicoll & Son Limited was fined £2,500 and ordered to pay £2,948 in court costs – meaning it will now have to pay a total of £5,448. Representatives from Lincoln College are due at Lincoln Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, November 10 to face charges of breaking Health and Safety at Work regulations in relation to the same case.

HSE urges employers to keep those working at height safe: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has today prosecuted a Lincoln firm after one of its workers fell four metres from a roof, breaking eight ribs and sustaining a back injury. James Theaker, 50, from Lincoln was employed by A Nicoll & Son Limited to clean windows at Lincoln College in Monks Road, Lincoln, when the incident happened on 4 November 2008. Mr Theaker had climbed onto a flat roof at the college to clean the windows of a neighbouring building, when he over reached and fell. A Nicoll & Son Limited of Crofton Drive, Allenby Road Industrial Estate, Lincoln today (27 October) pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 for failing to ensure cleaning work was properly planned and supervised. The company was fined £2,500 and ordered to pay £2,948.20p in costs by Lincoln Magistrates' Court.

HSE Inspector Judith McNulty-Green said: "More than 3,200 employees suffer from major injuries as a result of falls from height in the workplace each year. "These injuries can shatter lives. It is crucial to remember that even when a risk assessment has taken place, it is only effective if the information is passed onto staff and supervision ensures that they undertake the work safely."

Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 states: "Every employer shall ensure that work at height is properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out in a manner which is so far as is reasonably practicable safe."Information on working at height is available on the HSE website.

Spiders, Scissors and Booms

Conversely, those with speciality plant could be actively seeking cross-hire as a route to market. It meaWith the UK construction downturn likely to run well into 2010, rental companies still face long, difficult months with plant and equipment idling in the yard. Predictions for the aerial work platform (AWP) market, however, offer some encouragement. While platform sales may be declining during the recession, rental uptake will hold firm and possibly increase. With the outlook still gloomy and investment on hold, companies are opting to rent rather than buy.
There’s other encouragement for UK hirers, too. According to figures just published in IPAF’s European Powered Access Rental Report 2008, the average fleet age in Europe for AWPs in 2008 was a relatively young 3.8 years. Of course, newer, state-of-the-art platforms make a more attractive rental proposition.
The crunch question for rental companies is, new or not so new, do you have the type of platforms that will sustain you through the downturn? Possibly not. During the construction boom, hirers have focused a substantial part of their investment on high volume, lower margin platforms - the booms and scissors which are the staple of the construction site. The lower volume, higher margin specialist platforms have been overlooked to a greater extent. But with use for the bread and butter platforms down, the more specialised machines – insulated booms, the new-generation narrow scissors, spiderlifts – are still doing well. And niche platforms are in demand in many more areas than their tag suggests. Construction itself is demanding more sophistication, hungry for platforms that give an edge in productivity, accessibility or versatility, particularly for fit-out when interiors need equipment with a more delicate touch. It could be a narrow chassis, low floor loadings, greater levelling ability or bigger outreach to machine weight ratio - features which get you to places other platforms can’t reach.
These capabilities are in demand in closely allied sectors that remain buoyant – building maintenance and refurbishment – and under-exploited markets for powered access, such as industry, infrastructure and utilities. There are also markets showing distinct growth, like facilities maintenance (FM). A legacy of the latest retail and commercial property boom, with its emphasis on statement architecture, is the access conundrums created by exposed structural steel, decorative glazing, high atriums, suspended walkways, galleried floors and so on.
Window cleaners, painters and decorators, electricians, H&V engineers, security installers, audio visual specialists, sign-writers, and many others serving the FM market are reliant on specialist platforms to overcome access issues. In addition, major developers and construction players are picking up FM contracts as part of the new era of PFI awards in health and education. With the work at height regulations filtering into working practices across all sectors, including the smaller trades, use of powered platforms for FM will only increase.
The current high cost of finance may make it difficult for hirers to diversify their plant offering to tap into these outlying sectors of business. But while they may not be able to revamp their fleet with the latest innovation, they do have the infrastructure and know-how to shift focus and pick up business in new sectors. They should be casting their net into new areas of business and exploring ways of matching solutions to customer needs, even if they don’t come from their own yard but are cross-hired from someone else’s. Rental companies could be developing new and more profitable revenue streams from cross-hired equipment, rather than cutting margins in chasing scant construction rental for their traditional fleet.
Conversely, those with speciality plant could be actively seeking cross-hire as a route to market. It means they haven’t had to do the legwork to get the business, and exposes machines to new customers to help increase awareness and drive demand universally. At IPAF’s recent summit in Dublin, speakers were urging rental companies to wake up to the emerging earning power of the specialist platform. Consolidation in the European AWP rental industry has seen the small-medium, more specialised rental companies swallowed up by the volume rental giants – squeezing the specialism out of AWP rental supply to some extent. So cross-hire may currently be the best way of tapping into the earning power of specialist machines as the recession continues to bite.
Andy Bray is managing director of The Spiderlift Company.

This building is being maintained by 1 crane type BMU which has a max outreach of 11 m. The machine runs on a set of anchored tracks. The system was designed and built by OTTE Aufzugsstechnik GmbH, Germany. It was installed and is routinely maintained by MACE BMU.
The building is located in city Al-Khobar on east coast of Saudi Arabia.

30 St Mary Axe, also known as the Gherkin and the Swiss Re Building, is a skyscraper in London's main financial district, the City of London, completed in December 2003 and opened on 28 April 2004. It is 180 metres (591 ft) tall, with 40 floors. Its construction symbolised the start of a new high-rise construction boom in London. The primary occupant of the building is Swiss Re, a global reinsurance company, who had the building commissioned as the head office for their UK operation. Maintained by MACE. More videos can be found at the MACE You-Tube channel.