Window Cleaners Critically Reviewed

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Safety - What's wrong? The antics of some window cleaners were followed up on, when cleaning the windows of the offices of the CSST, an organization dedicated to safety. On October 3, workers of the company Sunshine Window Cleaning appeared at 9, Rue Nicholson, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, To clean the exterior windows of the building, which houses the offices of the Commission of Health and Safety (CSST).

In the photographs taken when the window washers were at work, one can see clearly that no security perimeter had been drawn around the workplace and people walked near the ladder although it was footed (as required) by a worker on the ground. On one of the pictures, you can see a window washer also trying somehow to keep his balance while leaning forward to reach the window.

Verdict: Nothing illegal

CSST claims they were not informed when the workers were present. An inspector who was passing by in the morning observed the ways of the business and then found that everything was perfectly in order. "All the techniques were consistent." "The number of workers was sufficient and there were cones on the sidewalk to prevent people going through there," said Jacques Nadeau, spokesman for the CSST. He added that it is not impossible that the company has changed its ways since that day. "It's possible, but it would be very unfortunate if they hadn't." He added their work practices were "Not recommended."

Asked about this, Normand Payette, responsible for work at height for a property maintenance company for 38 years, believes that "it is not off-the-law, but it is certainly not advisable." "For buildings of two stories or more, we use a crane with a bucket. In this case, people passed under the ladder, it's really not safe, "says Payette.

The owner of the building, Shazad Khan, is currently outside the country and his son Nadeem who has responded on his behalf said "We were not aware of their ways, had we known, we would have done business with another company." "We can not let something like that happen, especially as the offices of the CSST are located in this building" he said.

The viewpoint of Sunshine Window Cleaning Company is "We ensure compliance with all safety regulations." "We know how to do our job and we have experience." "We've been in business for 35 years and there has never been an accident," said Georges Hersky, an employee.

Montreal Newspaper Slams Window Cleaners At Health & Safety HQ

The window cleaner had no harness or safety line to do the job, as "Le Soleil" thought he should.

The windows of the CSST cleaned without any health & safety: A scene both amusing and incomprehensible could be observed on Monday in downtown Valleyfield, where the window washers were busy cleaning the outside windows of the regional office of the CSST, in total violation of the rules of health and safety that are in force.

Many citizens have noted unsafe methods used by the firm Sunshine Window Cleaning.

The two company employees from Sunshine Window Cleaning, a company based in the West Island of Montreal, did their work accompanied with a long ladder near electrical lines, no harness, and without having erected a security boundary around the workplace.

The CSST sign on the building.

At some point, you could even see passersby flow past underneath where they were working at the intersection of Victoria and Nicholson. Workers were able to do their work for several hours without being bothered in any way by the staff of the CSST. However, the manual published by the CSST and entitled "How To Wash Windows Safely," clearly lays out rules to allow these workers to do their work safely.

On the one hand, the use of a ladder is recommended for work performed to a maximum of 40 feet in height; any worker who works at a height of more than 3 meters (10 feet) must also must wear protective equipment in the form of a harness, in addition, exercising great care when one is close to electrical lines.

The building in question on a busy intersection, houses the CSST, the OSHA equivalent in the USA or the HSE in the UK.

In addition, "when the working area of ​​the window cleaners is over a sidewalk, street or driveway, the window cleaning business or building owner must ensure public safety. The work area must be enclosed by barricades and appropriate signage. "

In fact, several people who witnessed the scene threw an incredulous look and expressed their amazement having to deal with the rather rudimentary working methods used by these window washers. One passerby commented, "I'm working on a construction site and I can tell you that the CSST inspectors are usually faster than that to tell us what to do on site," said a witness at the scene.

The place of work should be safe and offer safety to passersby.

The building owner has a responsibility. At last aware of this situation, the spokesman for the CSST, Danielle Girard, initially showed surprise, recalling that the building owner who hires a window cleaning firm also has a responsibility for health and safety. The building in question, which houses five commercial premises, is owned by the numbered company 9162-8537 Quebec Inc., whose head office is located in the borough of Verdun, Montreal.

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Window Cleaning, The Sun & Working Inside

Interesting articles for window cleaners about how sun can effect your skin even whilst working inside...

Sunshine causes wrinkles through a window: Previous research has shown that basking in direct sunlight and shunning the sunscreen leads to wrinkles, but for those who thought their skin was safe while driving or sitting in a conservatory, here's an eye-opener. A study by a team of University College Hospital, Besancon, in France has revealed that the damage caused by sun coming through glass can be so dramatic that, over time, the side of the face exposed to the rays can end up looking up to seven years older than the other. A few hours sitting in a car during April results in skin damage, and even during autumn months the damage is far worse than previously realised, it has been found.

Glass does block out the sun's UVB rays, but about 50 per cent of UVA rays, associated with burning and ageing, do get through. The team demonstrated that a woman office worker or regular driver will age more quickly on the side where the skin faces the sun and heat - even through glass. "Participants showed significantly more clinical signs of facial ageing on one side of their face due to driving or working close to windows over many years," the Daily Mail quoted researchers as saying. Another study, by skin experts at Boots, found even a few hours sitting in a car in April resulted in skin damage linked to ageing.

Trevor McMillan and Sarah Allinson of the Lancaster University have shown that low dose UVA, equivalent to a British autumn day, causes up to a 50-fold increase in the expression of certain genes involved in photoageing - premature ageing of the skin from exposure to UV radiation. Professor John Hawk, an Emeritus Professor of dermatological photobiology and UVA expert, said: "We believe up to 90 per cent of the visible signs of ageing are due to the sun's ultraviolet radiation and more than 95 per cent of these are known to be UVA rays. "What's needed is a step-change in awareness of the damaging effects all year round, not just during summer holiday season."

Reading this article could open all those people’s eyes, who were under the impression that they are safe sitting in their cars or conservatories, whilst being exposed to direct sunlight, as the negative effect on the skin would be equivalent to basking under direct sunrays. A team of researchers of University College Hospital, Besancon, in France has outlined that the damage, which is caused by sun sieving through glass could be of serious level, since a person could end up looking many years older than his real age.

It has been found by this study that sitting for few hours in a car during the month of April results in grave level skin damage, and also, when autumn months start, sitting under direct sunlight sieved via glass could make one look older, which is something that people were unaware of. It is true that glass blocks the UVB rays of the sun, but at the same time, almost 50% of UVA rays that are related to burning of skin or ageing cannot be locked by it, as found by the study. The team illustrated that a woman sitting on the window side, who is exposed to sun rays, is likely to age faster than other women who are not exposed to sun rays.



They have concluded that UVA in sun rays, which can make lines worse and cause wrinkles, are able to penetrate glass and damage skin even while we are indoors. The team from the University College Hospital, Besançon, found that workers who sit near windows can look ten years older than those who don't. They also claimed that the side of the worker's face which has been facing the window, pictured left, would have aged more than the other side. The research - which also revealed that eight out of ten women don't think about protecting their face from UVA rays unless they are on holiday - was backed by Boots, who are introducing UVA sun protection into a line of their No7 moisturisers.