UK Window Cleaners Targeted In Politics

So far cash-in-hand builders, hospital consultants, home tutors, plumbers, window cleaners and eBay traders have all been targeted by HMRC inspectors, pulling in an extra £500million in tax since 2007.

Tradesmen's anger over cash-in-hand claims: Tradesmen have accused the Government of letting them down after David Gauke, a Treasury minister, criticised those who accepted cash-in-hand payments in order to cheat the tax man. Labour MP John Mann accused Mr Gauke of "attacking the working class". He said: "George Osborne and his team cannot resist attacking the working classes in Britain, whilst leaving millionaires and large multinationals free to hide money in UK secured overseas territories. "First it was pasties, then caravans and petrol. Now it is everyone in Britain who goes to car boot sales. Have George Osborne and David Cameron ever visited a car boot sale in their life? Can we now expect George Osborne to tramp around car boot sales in order to try to extract a few pennies in tax? "If we are looking at issues like this then we need every Cabinet Minister to reveal any potential benefits they have received that are theoretically taxable, including all cash payments made by them over the last five years, including payments to window cleaners, car washers and gardeners."

A spokesman for Rated People, a website which advertises the services of builders, carpenters and other workers, said that the "reality" for many was that they would go out of business if they did not accept cash payments. Tariq Dag Khan accused ministers of failing to understand the realities faced by small tradesmen in the current economic climate. Ryan Notz, of the MyBuilder website which has 60,000 builders on its books, also criticised Mr Gauke. He said: "Going after the little fish is a distraction from larger mistakes that have been made over tax avoidance by large corporations and the like. "The real problem here is VAT on building work, which should be zero-rated for all building work as it is on new builds. Tradesmen are not asking for cash in hand to dodge the odd few pounds on income tax, but rather to stay under the VAT threshold, as they know that once they hit that threshold they have to add 20 per cent to every invoice, which in the current market can often mean pricing themselves out of a job."

They spoke out after Mr Gauke told the Telegraph that it was "morally wrong" for tradesmen to offer a reduction in their fee in return for cash, saying that if they then failed to pay tax by keeping their work off the books they would effectively be robbing those who did. Mr Khan said: “David Gauke’s comments that it is morally wrong to pay tradesmen in cash do little to help tradesmen who are struggling in a difficult economic climate. "For the reality is that there is little or no alternative to cash payments for many tradesmen, and criticising the whole industry belies a misunderstanding of the situation many customers and tradesmen are in."

Morality Tsar David Gauke 'never pays cash-in-hand' - what about the window cleaner Minister? Exchequer Secretary David Gauke has come under fire after warning that people who pay for services cash-in-hand are contributing to UK tax avoidance. The Treasury minister has said: "Getting a discount with your plumber by paying cash in hand is something that is a big cost to the Revenue and means others have to pay more in tax. "I think it is morally wrong. It is illegal for the plumber but it is pretty implicit in those circumstances that there is a reason why there is a discount for cash. "That is a large part of the hidden economy."

The Government loses about £2 billion each year to the black economy as tradesmen fail to pay VAT or income tax by not declaring payments and keeping them "off the books". Mr Gauke told BBC2's Newsnight some Tory ministers may have previously paid workers in cash, but denied doing so himself. "I've never said to a tradesman, 'If I pay you cash, can I get a discount?'," he said. No doubt, this claim will be forensically examined over the coming days - just to ensure nothing has slipped his mind - from cleaners and gardeners to window cleaners. 

Paying tradesmen cash in hand morally wrong, says minister - Mr Gauke said cash payments were "facilitating" the hidden economy. Treasury minister David Gauke has said it is "morally wrong" to pay tradesmen such as plumbers, builders and cleaners in cash in the hope of avoiding tax. He argued the practice came at "a big cost" to the Treasury and meant other people had to pay more. But Treasury sources stressed Mr Gauke was answering a specific question rather than proposing a policy change. Labour said the government should be focusing on "clamping down" on "large-scale tax avoidance". Asked if he ever had paid cash to tradesmen to reduce his costs, London Mayor Boris Johnson said: "I've certainly paid a lot of cash in hand." In response to the same question, Local Government secretary Eric Pickles said: "Certainly not." The government is estimated to lose about £2bn each year to the black economy as tradesmen fail to pay VAT or income tax by not declaring payments and keeping them "off the books". Mr Gauke told BBC Two's Newsnight there was nothing wrong with paying in cash, but doing so actively to avoid tax was wrong.

Jury Returns Verdict: Accidental Death For Window Cleaner

Atherton window cleaner died from fall in Eccles: A window cleaner died when he accidentally fell while doing his job, an inquest jury has ruled. Daniel Lobb, aged 43, of Everest Road, Hag Fold, Atherton, died while cleaning a first floor window at a house in Eccles on January 23, Bolton Coroner’s Court heard. Sarah Taylor, HM Inspector of Health and Safety, told an inquest jury that Mr Lobb may have been stood on the ledge or flat roof rather than the ladder when he fell. Mrs Taylor said: “The window cleaner often wants to be as quick as possible and clean as many windows as possible. “The difficulty is engaging self-employed people and getting them to have health and safety training.”

Bolton coroner, Jennifer Leeming, added: “When you do something every day, I am not sure you appreciate the magnitude of the risk you take.” Mr Lobb fell approximately 20 feet from a terraced house in Broadman Street, Eccles, between 11.40am and noon. The owners of the property dialled 999 when Mr Lobb was discovered lying at the bottom of the ladder in the front garden. Mr Lobb died at Salford Royal Hospital at 9.17pm that day.

The ladder was still standing when the window cleaner was found on the concrete slabs beneath the window and one of the paving stones was broken. Mrs Taylor said: “What it seems, based on what we know, is that he stepped onto the ledge or even the window sill which might have been slippy, or the roof. “It is most likely that he slipped down which is why he was found face down rather than if he fell backwards.” Pauline Gibbons, owner of the property where he fell, said Mr Lobb “had the shakes” on the morning of his death. Pathologist Dr Desai told the court Mr Lobb had died of multiple injuries, including a ruptured spleen and damaged kidney. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death. Previous blog here.

Cat Survives 19-Story Fall: Fortunate feline lives through dramatic high-rise accident. Sugar, the cat, survived a 19-story fall from a downtown Boston high rise, according to Jennifer Wooliscroft, spokeswoman for the Animal Rescue League of Boston. The little white cat's amazing adventure may sound like an urban legend, but she's not the first pet to demonstrate the dangers of leaving the windows open. In 2009, Lucky, then a 3-year-old Bengal tabby, fell from a 26th floor balcony in New York City. His drop was captured on video by a window-washing crew across the street from his Liberty Drive apartment. Lucky landed without a scratch and was later able to make an appearance on Good Morning America.

Sugar's owner, Brittany Kirk, is sharing her story to help prevent accidents by reminding pet owners to stay vigilant about open windows, especially with the warm weather here.

Pets fall out unscreened windows so "regularly," Dr. Alett Mekler said, "the veterinary profession has named the problem 'High Rise Syndrome.'" Serious head and pelvis injuries often are the result.

"When pets fall from high places, they don't land squarely on their feet," Mekler said. "Instead, they land with their feet splayed apart." With cats, falling shorter distances can be more dangerous than the long drops because the animal doesn't have time to adjust its body for the optimal landing. High rise syndrome is preventable, Mekler said, if people will install secure window screens and exercise care about leaving pets home alone. Dogs that are fearful about thunder or fireworks should be "treated for their anxiety and securely housed when left alone," Mekler said. If an animal does fall out a window, the owner must find it right away and rush it to a veterinarian. "Don't assume that the animal has not survived the fall," Mekler said.

"I was always very careful about my windows," Kirk said. But that morning of March 21, a house guest was staying in the apartment. The guest opened the window about five inches and did not notice when Sugar fell out. Kirk was at work when Sugar landed in the street behind the apartment building. The impact bruised Sugar's lungs, but she was otherwise uninjured, Wooliscroft said, probably because on the way down Sugar splayed her feet like a flying squirrel and slowed down her body's momentum.

Also a factor, Kirk said, when Sugar fell, a neighbor happened to be standing by her window and saw something white fluttering down. The woman suspected someone had tossed litter out the window, and she called the concierge to complain. The concierge went out to check, found the cat and called for help, Kirk said. "Sugar was on the ground with her arms all spread out," Kirk said, according to the concierge's description. She happened to land on a small square of mulch, Kirk said. The area was otherwise surrounded by concrete; and if the cat had missed the soft landing by a foot or so, the outcome might not have been so lucky, she said.

Sugar did run away when the concierge approached her, but she didn't go far. "Sugar ran into the front lobby and hid under a couch," Kirk said. That's where the Animal Rescue League people found her. The story could have ended very differently, if Sugar had been lost after her fall, Kirk said. "My cat is deaf, and she's never even been outside," Kirk said, and she could have been killed in traffic. Sugar came home a "little dazed" and had to stay on antibiotics for a few days, Kirk said, but she has since made a complete recovery. "She's back to her old mischievous ways," Kirk said, but with one exception. She's not allowed anywhere near a window. "I'm not taking any chances ever again," Kirk said.

Robot Cleaning Market Taking Hold

Robot maids to battle Shantabai: Barely a few months into launching, robotic cleaner brands say urban Indians are eager to replace tantrum-throwing maids with 007 gadgets that can mop floors, scrub carpets and shine windows.

The most precious gift Tushar Chopra gave his mother, Meena, last Mother's Day was a 'maid'. Diligent, punctual and far from quarrelsome, the new recruit kicks off the cleaning routine every morning at eight, after the teacher leaves her home in Panchkula, Chandigarh. Mopping floors, dusting carpets, and scrubbing the marble top kitchen counter, this new entrant has changed their lives, the Chopras claim. The fear of having to lose a hand to opportunistic neighbours doesn't arise when your hygiene cop is a disc-shaped robotic cleaner. "The Robocop spruces up our home before I'm back from work. After years, I find myself not having to tell a maid to dig dirt from under the sofa. In fact, it's such a hit, my sister and neighbours borrow it over the weekend," says Chopra.

The robotic cleaner market in India is barely a couple of months old, but manufacturers are excited with customer curiosity. Milagrow Human Tech, a Gurgaon-based firm that manufactures Robocop ( 9,990), SuperBot ( 10,990), Red-Hawk ( 16,990) and the BlackCat ( 15,990), claim they have sold 2,500 units since their launch in February. "People have less time on their hands. More women are joining the workforce, and efficient domestic help is tough and expensive to find. It's only natural for technology to step in. Our latest launch includes a window cleaning robot that we are targeting at owners of homes in high- rise apartments," says CEO Rajeev Karwal, who hopes sales hit 1 lakh units a year by 2015. They are not the only ones. Eureka Forbes has launched Robocleanz ( 7, 990) while LG's Hom Bot ( 43,990) maps your home for dust deposits, before busting all signs of dirt. Robocleanz's Facebook teaser is inviting customers to discuss 'Dus bahane meri bai de gayi...(ten excuses my maid came up with)'.

The Japan Robot Association has predicted that by 2025, the personal robot industry that stands at $5 billion today, will be worth more than $50 billion a year globally. In India, the customers like Amit Sharma will make sure the figures are met. The 45-yearold resident of Gurgaon is a pilot training instructor for a domestic airline, and invested in a robotic cleaner three months ago to enjoy the idea of returning to a clean home every night . "My daily schedule made it tough to coordinate my hours at home with a maid's," says Sharma. In the West, domestic robots end up doing far more. The Korea Institute of Science and Technology has designed robots that stand four feet tall and weigh 122 pounds. The Mahru-Z has a human-shaped body, and is capable of 'seeing' three-dimensional objects and recognising people and identifying jobs that need to be done. It can, for instance, pick up a dirty shirt, throw it into a washing machine and push the buttons to get the laundry done.

Bengalur u-based Ramaprasanna Chellamuthu is hoping to get there with his creations. He has built robots that cook and clean, and even splash water over his head on mornings that he oversleeps.

"My robots come fitted with three webcams and a screen, with a gesture-recognising software. Robot cleaners will change the future of cleaning," says the engineer with Microsoft. Navrisham Kaur Grewal, co-founder of Ludhiana's Metalmate Robotics, although dealing in commercial robotics in India, harbours an old school thought — "Robotic cleaning can never replace haath ki safai". But for urban Indians pressed for time, technology that saves them from tantrums is worth an investment.

Robots gain fans. It's estimated that about 2.2 million robots for personal and domestic use were sold in 2010 — that's 35 per cent more than in 2009. The International Federation of Robotics headquartered in Germany has projected that global sales of domestic robots could reach over 9.8 million units between now and 2014.

So, what can a robo maid do? Clean all types of surfaces, from marble and tiles to carpet, glass and wood. I Work from 45 to 90 minutes, and recharge itself in between cleaning cycles. I Have in-built obstacle and edge detection intelligence to prevent it from colliding into people and furniture, and rolling down a flight of stairs. I Can be auto-scheduled to kick off cleaning operations at particular time and date. In-built UV ray lamp helps destroy virus and bacteria.

Tips for those looking to buy a robo maid: If you are considering an international brand that's been imported to India, you will be shelling out far more. Premium robot vacuum cleaners start at 30,000.

Make sure the after-sales service is good. Dust is a problem peculiar to India, making maintenance vital. I'd recommend the Mint Floor Cleaner robot for Indian homes. It's more of a dry and wet mopper than a full-fledged floor washer. — Navrisham Kaur Grewal, co-founder, Ludhiana's Metalmate Robotics.

If you're the type of discerning person who has a yacht in the ocean, and a rare exotic car in your garage alongside your private jet, you're the perfect customer for the one of the most exclusive products ever created: The GoVacuum GV62711 24k Gold Plated Vacuum Cleaner.

The World's Most Expensive Exotic Vacuum: Want to feel like a million bucks while you're vacuuming your house? Well, you're in luck! Just Haver, VP of sales and marketing for Go Vacuum - an online retailer of vacuum cleaners that has been around since 1996 - has manufactured a set of 100 24-carat gold-plated vacuum cleaners, each with a price tag of $1 million. If you think paying a million dollars for a vacuum cleaner is ridiculous, just wait 'till you hear how Haver came up with the idea for the million dollar cleaning tool. According to Gizmodo, Haver conceived of the idea for a million dollar, gold-plated vacuum while shuffling to his bathroom, his half-asleep eyes blinded by a golden light. (We're serious!).

Making matters worse, the expensive vacuum cleaner is being promoted with an equally ridiculous rap song that goes something like this: "Go Vacuum's $1 million dollar/is gonna make you holler/forget the other vacuums man/don't even bother/clean up your house in golden style/do you follow? Only 100 available/ they may be gone tomorrow." (YIKES!). It took him about six months to manufacture them, but now Haver has 100 vacuum cleaners, each priced at $1 million. "The status and exclusivity of owning a vacuum like this can't be measured in dollar and cents," says Haver, whose $1 million dollar vacuum cleaners come equipped with a 10 amp motor, a 14-inch wide cleaning nozzle, and anti-marring urethane wheels. But considering that you can pay $60 bucks for another person to clean your house, and that you can get a vacuum cleaner for as low as $21.00 on Amazon.com, Haver's million dollar dust-suckers might be a hard sell.

Check out window cleaning robot windoro here & here.

Indoor Window Cleaning At Height

Not just outdoors: Ann Laffeaty finds out about the increasingly sophisticated window cleaning systems on the market that can be used for cleaning the interior windows of offices, stores and other facilities without causing any disruption or water damage. Traditional window cleaning systems involve buckets, squeegees, detergents and plenty of water. Even water-fed pole systems – which require no detergents – still result in water being sprayed on to windows with the excess left to run down the outside of buildings. Yet an increasing number of companies are opting to have their indoor windows cleaned by professional firms, sometimes while the buildings are still in use. So how do they avoid any run-off water dripping on to staff, equipment and furniture?



Indoor window cleaning systems are designed to closely target the windows to be cleaned. In general they only use a fine spray of liquid – usually pure water - to minimise the amount of moisture and eliminate the risk of water damage.

Unger offers an indoor system that allows window cleaning to be carried out at heights of up to 30 ft without the need for ladders. “Users simply fill their spray bottle with glass cleaner or - even better, deionised pure water - and attach their chosen pad to the pad holder,” said Unger European sales manager Dave Rogers. “They then spray the water directly on to the pad and begin cleaning.”

New Indoor Window Cleaning System from Unger.

The Unger system uses either a microfibre pad with shorter fibres for regular cleaning, or a pad with longer fibres for periodic washing and heavy soiling. The pad is attached to the aluminium swivel head pad holder via a Velcro backing that fits all Unger poles using a thread adapter.

Pure water is recommended since it leaves glass and surfaces spot and streak-free without the need for chemicals, said Rogers. “Water is sprayed directly on to the pad which means there is little or no excess that can splash on to other surfaces,” he said. “And because the water is pure, you can simply wipe the surface until it is clean and then leave it to dry naturally.”

No buckets of water

However, he says it makes sense for building managers to take precautions to protect window sills, walls, furniture, computer equipment and personal possessions from water damage before interior windows are cleaned. “Though since our system does not rely on buckets of water as in traditional methods, there is less risk of any damage occurring,” he said.

According to Rogers demand is growing for easy-to-use, flexible indoor window cleaning systems. “Companies are looking for more efficient ways to keep their premises clean – and that means efficiencies in both time and money,” he said. “Methods of cleaning high interior windows that dispense with the need for ladders - but still operate in a safe way - are becoming more popular.”

He says there are many organisations that require professional indoor cleaning systems. “From the blue-chip global company that needs to keep the glass atrium at its headquarters clean, to the school dining hall with its high windows and the printing works with its roof skylights – indoor cleaning is becoming increasingly important,” he said.

Mineral-free water

“I think the sector will continue to make progress and take advantage of new technology and innovations both in engineering and materials to produce even more adaptable indoor window cleaning systems,” he said.

Managing director of Salki, Leo van Hal agrees that indoor window cleaning is very much a growing business. The company offers the Aqua Clean window cleaning system which can be used for cleaning interior high-rise windows and surfaces.

Mineral-free water is transported to a microfibre glass pad cleaner at the end of a lightweight water-fed pole by remote control. “The system only delivers the necessary amount of water which means there is no mess,” said van Hal. “It also leaves a streak-free finish and the fact that minimal water is used helps to prolong the life of the microfibre pad.”

The Aqua Clean system can be used wherever there is a reach problem and where a conventional solution cannot be carried out, according to van Hal.  “The system is easy to operate and it also saves time,” he said.

He claims the system is unusual because of its remote control operation and because it uses two fine-spray nozzles to deliver the water rather than just one. “The remote control system helps to control the flow of water to create an optimal result,” he said.

IPC Pulex has just launched a new indoor system which combines all the cleaning components into one hand-operated pole. Cleano, which requires no electricity or batteries, consists of a lightweight anodised aluminium frame weighing no more than 950 g; a 750 ml integral tank said to be sufficient for a day’s cleaning, and a telescopic extension enabling the operator to clean at heights of up to five metres from the ground.

A mechanical pump micro-nebulises the distilled or demineralised water while a cloth made from 'honeycomb' microfibre is said to remove oil, grease and dirt without leaving marks or smears.
Luca Bertesi, product manager for IPC Pulex’s Ultra Pure system division, who demonstrated the system at ISSA/INTERCLEAN in May said: “Everything is incorporated into one tool so there is no motor, no tank, no wires and no belts. It is also very safe since there is no need to
use ladders.”

Cleano was conceived specifically for indoor use and the structure of the tool has been designed to avoid drips, says IPC Pulex sales and marketing director Loris Giustetto. “It operates with a minimum amount of water and can be used for quick unplanned cleaning during work hours – even in offices where the desks may be strewn with files or computers or while people are present - without having to interrupt activities or cause a disturbance,” he said.

No moving furniture

Lehmanns’ Lewi Indoor system is claimed to offer the best of all worlds – high-rise indoor cleaning capable of removing heavy soiling in difficult-to-reach places, but with no risk of water damage. The system comprises stabile telescopic poles, a vaporising system for demineralised water and a choice of microfibre pads depending on the level of soiling that needs to be removed.

“Cleaning is carried out directly from the ground and equipment such as buckets, washers and squeegees are not required,” said Lehmann managing board member Joachim Supthut.

“There is no need to move furniture before cleaning takes place - the microfibre pads and special spray nozzles allow water to be distributed evenly and precisely on to the cleaning surface without dropping any on to the floor.”

The telescopic poles allow cleaning to be carried out at heights of up to 10 metres, says Supthut, and the lightweight pump-and-spray system helps to conserve battery life. He says the system is widely in use in environments such as hotel reception areas, shopping centres, atriums and offices and can be used to clean staircases and other smooth surfaces as well as windows.

Expanding sector

Brodex offers a portable indoor window cleaning system with a long reach option allowing cleaning to be carried out at working heights of up to 60 ft. The Misty system uses a fine mist of pure water that is sprayed on to the glass surface by 12v dc battery-powered water sprayers. The water is then mopped away from the glass by an absorbent cleaning head attached to a telescopic pole.

“The whole point of the Misty Kit is that it uses minimal amounts of water and there is no need to cover the area or move furniture,” said Brodex machine services managing director Sean Burke. “The water is delivered in a misty spray which is wiped away immediately.”

The Misty system comes in two formats: a low-level office internal Misty Kit and a high-level, heavy-duty Misty Kit using an eco trolley. According to Burke the system is particularly suitable for cleaning the reception areas of large offices and other establishments, particularly those with high atriums.

He says awareness of indoor cleaning systems is growing and he believes the sector is expanding. “I think all window cleaners will have an internal cleaning tool before long since this type of delivery can be used for various surfaces and applications,” he said.

Window Cleaning News

A man cleans windows in Changsha, Hunan Province, China, on Sunday, June 24, 2012. The boom in Changsha and other inland cities is cushioning China and the world at a time when global growth is slowing, and may help relieve the damping effects of the debt crisis in Europe, China's largest export market. Click picture to enlarge.

Indonesian Maid Falls to Her Death From 14th-Floor Flat: (Singapore). Another maid has fallen. This time, it was an Indonesian maid who fell 14 floors from a HDB flat at Block 63, Marine Drive on Wednesday morning. The maid, Ami, who has only one name, was 32 years old and had arrived from West Java early this month. Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene. Since the start of the year, there have been nine cases of foreign maids who died after falling from heights while working. Investigations are ongoing for the latest incident, as well as for the death of a Myanmarese maid who fell earlier this month, said a Ministry of Manpower spokesman. Police have classified Wednesday's case as unnatural death. The spate of incidents prompted the Singaporean government to impose stricter rules about maids' working conditions last month.

The new rules require an adult to supervise maids as they clean the exterior of windows. Window grilles must also be installed and locked during the cleaning. Police declined to comment when asked how the maid fell, but Sukmo Yuwono, an Indonesian embassy counsellor, said the flat's kitchen window and grilles were open when police arrived at the scene. A stool was also found under the window, he added. Neighbors told The Straits Times they were shocked to hear a loud thump at around 7 a.m. An eighth-floor neighbor said, "I looked out the window and saw the body... I couldn't move my legs for five minutes." Ami's employers - a young Chinese family - declined comment when approached at home.

Shawn, 28, is also the owner and manager at College Pro Window Cleaning in Courtenay, but had put his work aside to focus on Emily.

Married life cut short as cancer claims Emily: Just 11 days after their wedding, local man Shawn Wood has been forced to say goodbye to his new bride. Emily Ann Wood, nee Niinemets, has succumbed to the terminal Large Cell Lymphoma with which she was diagnosed only in January. After noticing lumps in her neck, Emily tried every available treatment, but doctors quickly realized there was nothing they could do and Emily was given three to 12 months to live. At age 24, she said her dying wish was to marry her fiancé. Emily and Shawn’s wedding took place in Courtenay on Tuesday 3 July, thanks to hundreds of monetary and in-kind donations.

Everything from the limousine to the jewellery was given to the couple, free of charge, while a total of $12,191 was donated via their fundraising website. “I do not know either one of you but was touched by your story that aired on the news,” wrote Katheleen Stubbs, on Shawn’s Facebook page. “Think not of this as a time of sorrow but as a time of celebration: no more suffering. She lived a beautiful life and touched many hearts!” Shawn’s page has been flooded with messages of condolence. “I need you to know that you did your best. You fulfilled a heart, you fulfilled a life, most of all you fulfilled a love,” wrote Tanya Winters. “You did everything possible a loving man and husband could do, Shawn, and for that you are the hero.”

The couple were booked to go on a free cruise to Alaska on July 29, for their honeymoon, but Emily weakened suddenly after the wedding, suffering worse pain, swelling and deteriorating eyesight. On Saturday, 14 July, Emily had to be admitted to hospital, unable to walk and having difficulty breathing. “It's really heartbreaking,” Shawn wrote on his Facebook page. “Why can't I just take this from her? Would lay on my sword any day for her. I just wish that I could do something other than watch her slip away from me!”

Just hours later, Emily was gone. Shawn, 28, is a business student in his third year. He’s also the owner and manager at College Pro Window Cleaning in Courtenay, but has put his work aside to focus on Emily. A fundraiser has been organized for Friday, 17 August, at the Mex Pub, featuring live music and a raffle. Admission is $5 and doors open at 8 p.m. Further funds are being raised via T-shirts, available for $20 at 479 4th Street in Courtenay. Reading ‘Love for Emily,’ the shirts also feature a lime green ribbon – the symbol for lymphoma awareness.

Safety failings led to asbestos exposure at Dorset school: The unsafe removal of asbestos insulation boards at a large independent school in Dorset led to several people being exposed to asbestos fibres, Dorchester Crown Court heard today (13 July). The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted Sherborne School and Peter Eldridge, the director of a company responsible for the refurbishment project, after an investigation found they had failed to identify and prevent the risk of asbestos exposure at the school. Asbestos insulation boards were removed in an unsafe way, exposing building contractors and a teenage work experience student to asbestos fibres, and leaving them at risk of developing serious and potentially fatal diseases later in life. The HSE investigation found that from the initial design stages in May 2008 right through to undertaking the construction work in July 2009, there was inadequate planning and a failure to carry out a full asbestos survey. This was despite the fact that a sample taken from the building in 2008 had identified its presence and asbestos had previously been removed from other parts of the school. An asbestos register was also kept for the school buildings.

Regulation 11(3) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 states: "Every designer shall in preparing or modifying a design which may be used in construction work in Great Britain avoid foreseeable risks to the health and safety of any person: (a) carrying out construction work; (b) liable to be affected by such construction work; (c) cleaning any window or any transparent or translucent wall, ceiling or roof in or on a structure; (d) maintaining the permanent fixtures and fittings of a structure; or (e) using a structure designed as a workplace. Exposure to asbestos fibres is the single greatest cause of work-related deaths in the UK; it is responsible for around 4,000 deaths a year. For more information on asbestos.

A group of Tory MPs has said that some small limited companies should be freed from stringent employment regulations. The Free Enterprise Group (FEG) has put forward seven proposals which it feels will help to give UK businesses a shot in the arm. One of the ideas is for small firms with turnovers of less than £75,000 a year (the threshold for VAT registration) to become exempt from employment laws. A paper published by the group states:"Private sector growth is the best way to rebuild our economy. So let’s get government out of the way of budding entrepreneurs. "Whether in website design, weeding gardens, window cleaning or widget production, we’ve got to help our smallest businesses to get started and thrive. The government should remove the regulatory burden." The plans would include such limited companies not having to auto-enrol anyone they employ into pension schemes as well as not having to offer people pay for paternity and maternity leave.

Wales coach Warren Gatland suffers serious injuries in fall: Gatland suffered his injuries while cleaning windows ahead of a visit to the family beach-side holiday home by a journalist, who was going to feature the property in a magazine. He broke both heels after falling some three metres on to concrete, sustaining multiple fractures to his right heel. “It was one of those freak things,” he recalled. “I was at the beach on the deck and climbed up on the rail to clean some windows and lost my balance and fell backwards on to the concrete by the garage. “I fell about three metres and landed on my heels. “I’ve had a lot of stick about that. I think Alan Phillips has had a bit of stick as well because he was a window cleaner in a previous life and people have been telling him he didn’t train me well enough!” It was no laughing matter for Gatland at the time though, with his painful injuries leaving him facing a lengthy recuperation period.

The UAE's best window cleaners compete: The daredevil maintenance men who can be seen on the end of ropes cleaning windows on landmarks such as the Burj Khalifa and the Burj Al Arab demonstrated their skills in the first Middle East Rope Access Olympics.

Rope access experts from Megarme walk across a high tensile net, 228m above the ground at Abu Dhabi Gate Towers construction site on Reem Island.

World first for Abu Dhabi workers who walk on air - 228 metres above ground: Workmen at a skyscaper development in the capital are walking on sunshine thanks to an innovative net system that allows them to saunter between towers without ropes or scaffolding - 228 metres above ground.  The 1,800m net has been strung across a 30m gap between two of the towers that make up The Gate Towers development, making it the largest and highest installation of its kind. "There's no office like it," said project manager Mickey Schram, one of the skywalkers who spends every working day on the net, which is accessed from the 64th floor. "I do get scared; if you don't then one becomes complacent. You need to have that fear in you, if you don't then there's a problem."

The net, made of a polyester cord mesh, is supported by steel cables anchored to the structure of the buildings. And, while conventional wisdom says you can avoid vertigo by not looking down, Mr Schram disagrees. "I think you need to look down, because it gives you a sense of respect for the system you're dealing with and heightens your awareness of safety," he added. "So absolutely, I look down." Mr Schram said he enjoyed a number of aspects of the job: "It's outdoors, and it's providing solutions. A client has a problem, you come up with a solution, and to see it pulled off successfully is what's most rewarding." Another member of the team, Roger Gallenbo, said: "I like working on the net very much. It's fantastic and it's a nice feeling walking on it. I prefer it to working on the ropes - it's more exciting."

The nets were developed to cope with the tough conditions on North Sea oil rigs. Their use in the UAE is being pioneered by the Dubai-based rope access company Megarme, which fitted and operates the one that links Towers 3 and 4 at the Sorouh Real Estate development on Al Reem Island. An advantage of the system is that it can be used by workers who are not trained in rope access techniques. At Gate Towers a subcontractor is fitting aluminium panels to the underside of the penthouse skybridge that connects three of the buildings. Megarme staff, meanwhile, are installing abseiling hooks that will be used by rope access personnel to clean and maintain the towers once they are complete. A decking system is being used in conjunction with the net for the first time in the UAE to provide a stable working platform, which makes tasks like drilling easier.

When the work is complete the net will be moved to Towers 4 and 5 so that staff can work there. Megarme is working closely with Arabian Construction Company, the main contractor on the Gate Towers project, and Hill International, the consultant. Amel Vriesman, Megarme's head of access solutions, said: "This is a unique project because of the combination of the size and the height and the fact that we're using a decking system for the first time. "Everybody is really fond of the system. We installed it in 20 days where scaffolding would have taken eight weeks. You have to identify what is the best tool for a particular job, and this was by far the safest, the quickest and the most economical system available." Operations manager Fred Marshall said: "The net works as a system: you load one end of it and the other end tightens up immediately, so the more people you have on it the better it works. "If you stand on one end of a trampoline and somebody jumps on the other end then you bounce with it, and it's a similar type of effect with the netting system."

Golf tournament honors memory, raises funds to fight prostate cancer: A memorial golf tournament has been scheduled for Aug. 3 to honor Rodger Arndt. Arndt grew up in Issaquah and after taking over his father’s residential window washing business, continued to service many Issaquah residents after moving to Bellevue. He died just months after being diagnosed with prostate cancer at age 47. “There’s a huge misunderstanding that prostate cancer is just something you watch,” said Arndt’s sister, Diane Arndt Burns.

Members of the Chattanooga (TN) Fire Department's Urban Search and Rescue team are practicing their high-angle rescue skills this week at UTC's McKenzie Arena.  Tuesday morning, the team simulated what might happen to someone, such as a window washer, who somehow gets stranded outside a high-rise building and needs help getting down to safety. Starting from a catwalk in the arena about 85 feet off the ground, Firefighter Michael Battle is lowered by rope to serve as the victim. Mr. Battle dangles by himself, 50 feet above the gym floor, as his fellow team-members work out a plan to rescue him. After getting all the ropes, pulleys and related gear in place, Senior Firefighter Mark Brown is lowered from the catwalk to the victim. After carefully attaching rescue ropes to Mr. Battle and releasing him from his original gear, both Battle and Brown are carefully lowered to the gym floor below.

New York construction accident lawyer David Perecman from The Perecman Firm comments on window washer safety after a scaffold accident in New York. For one of the two window washers stuck on a dangerously tilted scaffold, the accident was his third. Firefighters rescued two window washers from broken scaffolding 42 stories above the streets of Manhattan, reported The Wall Street Journal(7/11/2012). New York construction accident lawyers at The Perecman Firm understand it was the third time one of the workers had been saved from a suspended scaffold on the side of a building. “Hearing of a scaffold worker needing to be rescued three times is a good indication of just how dangerous the job of a window washer can be in New York,” construction accident lawyer David Perecman said. According to the Wall Street Journal, the stuck scaffold in the accident was hanging at a 45-degree angle. The two window washers in the scaffold accident waited 30 minutes before being rescued. “Window washers risk their lives every day. As scaffold accidents without physical injuries show us, it is essential for the safety of window washers that their equipment be in working order and that all proper precautions taken,” said David Perecman, a New York construction accident lawyer for over 30 years. New York's Labor Law 202 provides specific protections for window washers. This law requires building owners, contractors and others to provide a safe environment in which window washers perform their job duties, as well as other safety measures, including safety devices. New York Labor Law 240 also protects window washers and others who perform work at an elevated position.

Window cleaners work on a high rising building in New Delhi.

An exhibit of Guarino's work, "What Manner of Men?" is up now at Real Art Ways in Hartford.  Guarino's work emphasizes the random, disjointed aspect of his philosophies. The men in the paintings look awkward, their heads disproportionately large against their bodies, which at times are fuzzy or broken up. The men do an assemblage of things that all alone may seem natural — sweeping leaves, exercising, holding a shoe, cleaning a window, walking on stilts — but when collaged together don't make sense.

'The Act's' twenty-year journey to create an emotion genre: The Act was never meant to be an iPad game. If things had gone as planned, arcades would be a profitable market and The Act would be that market's most popular game. As fate had it, arcades fell apart and so did The Act. The "emotion" game was conceived and canceled before anyone knew what an iPad was. And yet here it is, available on the iTunes App Store. Today. Right now. You're probably wondering what an "emotion" game is. The Act, far as I know, is the only one. You control the emotions, obviously, of an on-screen character, navigating them through a series of dramatic scenes, ultimately completing a story. In this case, the character is a lovestruck window washer, and the story is his slapstick pursuit of a sexy nurse. Emotion games are like playable movies. You would probably mistake The Act for a feature cartoon from the early 1990s, if it weren't for the "game over" screen that appears when someone doesn't properly man the controls. Also see previous blog here.

The iPad Game That Took 9 Years (And an Epic Disney Fail) to Finish: Edgar, a mild-mannered window washer, is daydreaming of the girl he loves. In his dream, they meet in a nightclub straight out of Casablanca, flirting from across the room. The scene, lovingly rendered in hand-drawn animation on an iPad, is controllable: By swiping your finger right or left, you can control the boldness of Edgar’s flirting. Swipe too hard and Edgar will gyrate wildly, causing her to recoil in terror. But swipe slowly, and Edgar will ease on the charm, pantomiming some smooth dance moves that win him the girl of his dreams. The Act, released last month for iOS, is a game with a remarkable history. Development on the game began over nine years ago and involved dozens of former Disney animators that had worked on films like Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. Its animation was created the old-school way: pens and paper. And after The Act was completed, it came very, very close to never coming out at all. The seed of The Act was planted in Omar Khudari’s mind in 1986. A computer programmer for an educational gaming company, Khudari was looking for the next big thing.

Clean your way to fun on the App Store with Beat the Window: AS Mobile Applications, an innovative new mobile software and applications developer, is excited to announce the launch of Beat the Window onto the App Store. Compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, this casual yet wildly entertaining arcade game charges players with a simple task - clean one cartoon window after another, and do it faster than the current Beat the Window Champion of the World! It's all about quickness and hand-eye coordination in this game, and the more times you can clean up the scene faster than World Champion Randy Doo the closer you'll get to taking over the title! Beat the Window is currently available for download on the App Store for Free in the Games category. An eloquently simple and highly intuitive experience, this game utilizes sleek touch based controls to enable players to clean off one dirty window after another. After all, that's the name of the game. There's only a few rules - don't touch the window sills while you're cleaning and clean all the smudges off a given window faster than your virtual opponent!

New Solar Windows Are Cheaper, Stronger: Using low-cost materials and a new manufacturing technique, scientists have developed improved solar windows that can produce more electricity at a lower cost. The innovation is the latest in a series of advancements for the SolarWindow, the world’s first technology capable of generating electricity on clear glass windows. The SolarWindow looks like an ordinary window, but contains unique, thin, clear solar cells that are layered on the glass. The cells are connected in a network through a grid system that is virtually invisible. As light hits the solar cells, they create electricity. The new development for the technology helps optimize the flow of electrons within the solar cells, so they can generate more power. It uses efficient, low-cost manufacturing techniques, and also makes the windows more durable because it better protects the solar cells inside. Created by New Energy Technologies along with the DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the University of South Florida, the SolarWindow is currently still in development. New Energy Technologies plans to eventually install the windows in homes and commercial buildings throughout the United States.

Feel-good glass for windows: Daylight acts on our body clock and stimulates the brain. Fraunhofer researchers have made use of this knowledge and worked with industry partners to develop a coating for panes of glass that lets through more light. Above all, it promotes the passage through the glass of those wavelengths of light that govern our hormonal balance. Most people prefer to live in homes that are airy and flooded with light. Nobody likes to spend much time in a dark and dingy room. That’s no surprise, since daylight gives us energy and has a major impact on our sense of wellbeing. It is a real mood lifter. But not everyone is lucky enough to live in a generously glazed home, and office spaces – where we spend many hours of each day – are often not exactly bright and breezy. Modern heat-insulating, sun-protection glazing for offices and housing doesn’t make things any better, since it isn’t optimized to allow the light that governs our hormonal balance to pass through: instead, a distinctly noticeable percentage of incident sunlight in this effective part of the spectrum is reflected away.

Anti-reflective glass that is more transmissive overall to daylight is reserved for certain special applications, such as in glass covers for photovoltaic modules or in glazing for shop windows. The aim with this kind of glass is to avoid nuisance reflections and to achieve maximum light transmission at the peak emission wavelength of sunlight. This is the wavelength at which the human retina is also most sensitive to light. “However, our biorhythms are not affected by the wavelengths that brighten a room the most, but rather by blue light,” explains graduate engineer Walther Glaubitt, a researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC in Würzburg. That is why he and his team have developed glass that is designed to be particularly transmissive to light in the blue part of the spectrum. The secret is a special, long-lasting and barely perceptible inorganic coating that is only 0.1 micrometers thick. “Nobody’s ever made glass like this before. It makes you feel as if the window is permanently open,” says Glaubitt. One reason the glass gives this impression is that it exhibits maximum transmission at wavelengths between 450 and 500 nanometers – which is exactly where the effects of blue light are at their strongest. New feel good glass.

The number of graduates forced to take menial jobs as cleaners, labourers, shelf stackers and rubbish collectors has almost doubled in five years, figures show. More than 10,000 university leavers took posts that do not require degrees after graduating in 2010/11. The number in so-called ‘elementary occupations’ six months after graduating in 2006/7 was just 5,460, according to data released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency. Other examples in this category include caretakers, road sweepers, street vendors, odd-job workers, shoe cleaners, hotel porters and door-to-door sales people. The figures also show 720 graduates became process, plant and machine operatives in factories in 2010/11, compared with 595 in 2006/7. But many more fail to get even menial jobs, with 9 per cent (20,620) assumed to be unemployed six months after completing their degrees in 2010/11. This is around the same proportion as the year before, but the figure stood at 5 per cent in 2006/7. The statistics will worry parents and students preparing to embark on degree courses this autumn, when tuition fees will rise to as high as £9,000 a year.

Tony Cottee’s lowest Everton FC moment - the night he played against his own window cleaner!  Everton have never played at the Globe Arena, but a Blues record signing did once run-out, reluctantly, at Morecambe’s Christie Park. And Tony Cottee found himself lining up against his window cleaner! Cottee was a British record transfer signing, costing £2.2m, but found himself out of favour when Howard Kendall returned to Goodison as manager. And early in 1991 he was ordered to play for Everton’s A team (equivalent of the third team) at Morecambe. “It was degrading for me, the club’s record transfer, being forced to play for the third team. “A couple of weeks earlier ‘Scan’ had been cleaning the windows at our house in Birkdale with Roly Howard, the manager of non-league Marine, who was our regular window cleaner! “The other Everton lads had a good laugh at my unexpected meeting with my window cleaner but despite winning 2-1, with me scoring one, it couldn’t disguise the fact that Morecambe was the lowest point of my career.”

Legal Advise - Question: We recently moved to new premises and soon after received a demand for payment from a window cleaning company. Although we told them their contract was with the previous owners they are claiming the contract is on the building, and are threatening to take us to court.

Answer: I take it you have bought the building, rather than renting it through a landlord. If it’s the latter it’s possible a management company has contracted for window cleaning and you are due to pay a share. Check your lease. If you own the building the window cleaners, save in exceptional circumstances where the window cleaners spend more than 70 per cent of their time on your building, should have no claim on you, and should send their bill to the previous owners who likely remain liable.

'My Fantastic Mr Fox': Cub visits schoolgirl's garden when she sings - Zillah, and her husband Andrew, 48, a window cleaner, contacted the Fox Project animal charity, after the animal set up home at their detached house in Tolladine, Worcester. Zillah, a legal administrator, added: 'It was a real treat to have a wild fox living in our garden but we didn't want to do anything which could damage it's wellbeing. 'The animal charity told us not to touch the fox and not approach it. 'When either myself or my husband go into the garden Foxy always hides but it always comes out when Lydia comes out to play.' Trevor Williams, director of The Fox Project, said: 'Fox cubs are naturally curious and clearly this one find's Lydia's singing entertaining and enjoyable. 'The animal obviously does not see Lydia as a threat but a friend and not something to run away from.'

Finding clarity in a new company: Isaac and Daisy Russell are former sign language interpreters and instructors who've turned into entrepreneurs with their business Clearly Clean Window Washing & More. The pair have one other employee and serve the Iowa City and Cedar Rapids area. In addition to windows, they clean and perform a variety of services for commercial and residential clients. He'd always wanted to start a business. In 2009, he said, "I'm going to give it a shot" He set up a window-washing business by late 2009 and started calling on potential commercial clients that winter.

The couple struggled briefly, but stood together and a month after starting the home-based business, landed their first commercial account. A month later, they received their first residential job and less than a year after starting it up, there was so much work, they hired their first employee. They'd like to hire more as they grow over the next few years, allowing Isaac to train employees and market his business. Clearly Clean Window Washing & More now serves clients in Iowa City, Coralville, Solon, North Liberty and the surrounding areas.

A window washer repels a downtown building while cleaning the windows Wednesday, July 11, 2012, in Atlanta.

Government services contracting going strong: It takes a lot of repair work to keep government operational. Considering the buildings, roads, bridges and public lands the state owns, it is not surprising that the demand for repair work is strong and continual. In fact, there are thousands of contracting opportunities each week for firms offering repair services. Outside contractors are routinely hired for specialized expertise such as elevator repair, security alarm maintenance and window washing for high-rise office buildings.

Much depends on a test: Sri Lankan refugee Tharsanan Vijayakumar, 30, hopes the mother luck which protected him during the civil war in his country will continue to next Friday, July 27. That is the day when he sits for his driving test, for the second time, at Blacktown Roads and Maritime Services. The result will decide his future — including job security and family happiness — in his resettlement in Wentworthville. NRMA Safer Driving School offered him an extra three to four hours of free driving lessons after he failed in his first attempt last week.

Mr Vijayakumar spent 15 months at Villawood detention centre before he was given refugee status and released into the community early this year. The Blue Mountains Refugee Support Group, which is looking after him, plans to get a van for him to start his own window cleaning company with another refugee as his assistant. With a job secured, Mr Vijayakumar will be able to bring his wife and the one-year-old-son he has never seen to Australia. "It's is all I want to make my life whole again," Mr Vijayakumar said. "A secured job and a family." He was forced to flee Sri Lanka at the end of the civil war, which saw the government gain full control of the country. The Group got him a job with a window cleaning company. Group spokesman Michael Howorth said Mr Vijayakumar's future would be restricted until he gets his driver's licence. His instructor said he was a good driver but failed in his first test partly due to the fault of another driver who cut across his path.

Mansfield man threatened to stab partner in the neck: A judge slammed a Mansfield father-of-three for his ‘appalling’ behaviour after he threatened to stab his partner in the neck. Police were called to Darlton Street after a drunken Mathew Hargreaves (26) returned home about midnight and gathered together eight or nine knives, Nottingham Crown Court was told. He threatened to stab his pregnant partner leaving her petrified. Hargreaves admitted affray and was sentenced to 12 months’ prison, suspended for two years with an electronically tagged home curfew on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, to stop him going to the pub for six months. Judge Tony Mitchell told him: “Maybe by then you will have stopped drinking yourself stupid and come off cannabis.” The judge told him he was ‘immature with a very bad temper’ and people had kow-towed to him over the years. His barrister Emma Coverley said he now had the offer of a job as a window cleaner and would live on Third Avenue, Clipstone.

With so many new — and delicious — food trucks hitting the streets of the Twin Cities each summer, it’s almost too tough to keep up. All the way from the land down under, we bring you Aussie’s Kebabs — a delightful little truck, cooking up a lot of flavor. "There’s a lot of interesting people when you’re working on the streets. People watching is really, really fun. You just see crazy things happen, spur of the moment. Also, food trucks are really popular downtown with the customers but not so much the other businesses. It’s interesting to see the games and tactics that the restaurants in the area have pulled. They did a fake window-washing thing one day to keep us off the streets. Just things like that, it’s really interesting to see. I hope the people of Minneapolis enjoy having food trucks around and we can get along with the rest of the restaurants and stay out here."

An Uplifting Superhero Story: Evelina Children’s Hospital was the first new children’s hospital to be built in London in more than a century. The hospital was designed with a goal of “making a hospital that didn’t feel like a hospital.” Accomplishing this required hospital designers and staff to create a patient experience that included touchpoints fostering a sense of inspiration and wonder – in addition to healing – for children throughout their stay. Perhaps the most remarkable touch point of all comes from an unexpected source: the hospital window washers. As part of their contract, Evelina requires that hospital window washers dress up as superheroes while cleaning the hospital windows. Bedridden, sick children delight in seeing Superman, Spiderman and Batman dagling just beyondf the glass. The window washers report the superhero visits to Evelina are the highlight of their week.