Saturdays Window Cleaning News

Little optimism goes long way: While Canadians, and particularly newsmakers, have always had a pessimistic habit of believing that when the United States economy catches a cold, Canada will also automatically suffer, this has not proven to be totally true during these past few years. The business service industry is also predicted to continue growing as it is now well known that the service sector has replaced the production of goods as our principal form of economic activity. Two additional service areas that support the day-to-day operation and management of businesses are also creating significant job opportunities. For instance, Statistics Canada predicts that by 2014, the building services field will represent 50 per cent of all service sector jobs. These jobs include janitorial, landscaping, carpet, window and chimney cleaning and will be found in both private homes as well as businesses.

City licenses, building permits drop during 2009: The good news: despite a year-long recession that gripped Mesquite, the number of new city business licenses increased slightly to 217 from 211 during 2008. The bad news: revoked and expired business licenses took a big leap in 2009. Revoked/expired city business licenses jumped from 277 in 2008 to 514 in 2009. Many of the business licenses erased from the city’s list over the past year were those belonging to mortgage companies, real estate brokers and out-of-town contractors. Most of the new city business licenses: real estate brokers and local/out-of-town contractors. “When I first started in licensing, we had about 2,100 active business licenses,” said Maria Trujillo, who handles business licenses for the city. “Now it’s down to about 1,600. But keep in mind that contractors used to have to have a license for each contracting service offered, but we have new regulations requiring contractors to have just one license. They’re able to combine all the licenses into one now.” Business licenses for services – everything from lawn mowing to house sitting to window cleaning – are among the most common.

Commitment from the top: How Lynn Elliott instills a service mindset at Columbus Window Cleaning Co. - It’d be nearly impossible for E-Wynn Inc., which does business as Columbus Window Cleaning Co., not to reflect the service mindset ingrained in its president and CEO, Lynn Elliott. Her commitment is obvious through her involvement on many local boards, which mean much more to her than just more titles on her resume. For example, as the board chair of the Columbus Housing Partnership, she met with board members individually over lunch to discuss the organization’s goals and to ensure that each member was comfortable with his or her role.
Then as the director of development and communications for Action for Children, a nonprofit focused on early learning initiatives, Elliott created a communitywide model for child care and education programs called Learning Begins Right from the Start by expanding strategic alliances between community organizations and securing corporate contributions. Elliott also coordinated the School Business Partnership Program at Upper Arlington City Schools, creating an outreach program that resulted in the support of 260 Columbus companies. Later, she turned those networking tactics into a graduate class at the OSU College of Education called Building School Community Partnerships, which was offered for five years.
When Elliott stepped into her role in 2000, she put a community giving plan in place. A committee reviews needs and decides where to donate an annual contribution — usually to an organization involved in housing, education or the arts. The company also offers gift certificates for free or reduced-cost window cleaning to local fund-raising events, while Elliott helps draft written fund-raising materials. She also encourages employees to get personally involved, noting the company’s hours — 7:00 to 3:30 in the summer and 8:00 to 4:30 in the winter — are convenient for coaching sports or participating in evening meetings. She considers supporting her employees’ participation, whether financially or through team sponsorship.

Grandad asked for I.D.! Trevor Butcher was told he could not buy six cans of beer and a bottle of sherry unless he produced some proof-of-age ID. The 60-year-old window cleaner with greying hair was given the ultimatum at his local newsagent’s and post office in Chelmsford, Essex. He said yesterday: “The man at the counter, aged about 40, said: ‘You know what I’m going to ask now?’ I was at a loss. Then he asked me if I was over 25 and said: ‘Have you any ID?’ “I couldn’t believe it. By this time I was a bit miffed and said they could keep their booze!”
Manager Kevin Lind said the shop had to ask for ID as part of licensing conditions after selling alcohol to a 15-year-old in 2008. He said: “We are determined to meet the terms and rigorously enforce the under-25 check, although we are embarrassed at having to ask older people.”

Missing man mystery: St. George » It's been nearly a month since Steven Koecher vanished, leaving his family alternating between hope and despair as they endlessly speculate. The 30-year-old St. George man was last seen Dec. 13 in a homeowner's surveillance video leaving his car in a residential area in Henderson, Nev. Inside the car were Christmas presents for his young cousins and snack food, according to his cousin, Jeff Bradshaw, of Las Vegas. A police investigation, searches of the surrounding desert by helicopter and all-terrain vehicles, and the efforts of family and friends has turned up nothing substantive. "We're taking things one day at a time," said Steven's mother, Deanne, who lives in Bountiful. "We go through different scenarios to try and get a handle on it, but none of it makes sense. I can't believe it's been this many days."
Greg Webb, a good friend of Koecher's in the LDS church, said he called Koecher the morning he disappeared. His cell phone has not been used since, nor his bank cards. Webb said he asked Koecher to attend a church meeting in his place that day at 11 a.m. "He said he was in Las Vegas, but would go back [to St. George] if I needed him to," said Webb. "I was also in Vegas so decided to go back myself. I told him just to do whatever it was he had to do and I'd see him later. That's it. I wish I would have asked him to go back to St. George." Webb, who did not know why Koecher was in the Las Vegas area, said his friend always told him if he was not planning to be at church. That Sunday, he never called. "It's one thing that sticks out in my mind," said Webb.
Webb said Koecher, who worked for The Salt Lake Tribune 's online edition from March 2007 until July 2008, had been actively looking for a full-time job and had sent out his résumé to a list of possible employers. The power company was threatening to disconnect electricity at the house where Koecher rented a room and lived alone, according to Webb. Deanne Koecher said she knew her son was having financial difficulty, but said the power bill was the landlord's responsibility. "We talked about [finances] in our last conversation and I felt he was in control of things and I offered to help with his rent, saying that's what families did for each other," she said. "I transferred some money into his account, but it was never used." She described her son as "a good young man" with a fondness for drawing, playing the guitar and singing.
"He didn't have issues or addictions or anything that could have led this to happen," said his mother. "He was devout to his church and liked water sports, always taking advantage of an opportunity to go boating." She said Koecher, who has three brothers and a sister, graduated from high school in Amarillo, Texas, and served a mission in Brazil for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He studied at Ricks College (now Brigham Young University-Idaho) in Rexburg, Idaho, and eventually graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in communications. Deanne Koecher said her son liked his job at the Tribune , except the overnight aspect. He also didn't like winter temperature inversions. "Last winter really got to him so he took the opportunity to move to St. George," said his mother. Once there, he initially had a job selling advertising for a publication and later worked part-time for a window-washing business.

Norwich, Conn. The back tax issue that reared its head in the 2009 elections has popped up in Mayor Peter Nystrom’s office. Bonnie Cuprak, who was appointed by Nystrom as secretary for him and the City Council, is making $50 weekly payments to the city out of her salary on $1,300 in back taxes and $1,700 in fines she owes the city. Cuprak is disputing the personal property taxes assessed against a window cleaning business she owned with her husband. According to the city budget, the annual salary for Cuprak’s part-time position is $22,113. She works 21 hours a week. She is the wife of Peter Cuprak, a Republican who served with Nystrom on the City Council and in the state Legislature in the 1980s. The Cupraks are long-time friends of the mayor.
Cuprak said she was held harmless for the debt by a Superior Court judge in 2008, but she does not have paperwork of the decision. “The lawyers stopped calling after that, and I went back to looking for a job,” she said. The Bulletin was made aware of the debt through a series of anonymous phone calls and letters.
Tax issue in campaign: During the city’s fall election, one mayoral candidate, three council candidates and two school board candidates were listed as having delinquent city taxes. One school board candidate disputed the bill’s accuracy. One council candidate from the Norwich For Change Party dropped out of the race because she was unemployed and could not afford to pay at the time. “I’m not paying this back because I thought it would be an issue, because I’m not a politician,” Cuprak said. “I’m not paying the bill to protect Peter Nystrom. I’m paying the bill now because now I have a job. And as soon as I got the job, I went to the city and made arrangements.”
Nystrom said he was made aware of Cuprak’s debt and payment arrangements after he asked her to take the job. He also said if anyone thought they could use the issue against him politically, they’re mistaken. “I would have offered her the job whether I knew or not,” he said. “I’ve known Bonnie for years. She’s very qualified to do the work. And I don’t need protecting. If she offers her resignation, I won’t accept it.” City Manager Alan Bergren and Comptroller Joseph Ruffo declined to comment.
Mayor stands by her: Nystrom said Cuprak is one of many people who have been out of work and have financial troubles. He said her payment arrangement settles the matter. “Anyone who thinks I would just throw someone aside because she lost her job and had money problems really ought to look at themselves in the mirror,” he said. Cuprak said her family’s financial difficulties date back to 1999, when her husband, a firefighter, was injured on a fire call. He underwent three surgeries in three years and couldn’t work. They lost ownership of their home nearly three years ago, and now pay rent to a landlord to live there. She then lost her job at the state Legislature after the 2008 term.
Cuprak said she intends to fight what she calls an unjust bill for equipment she said is worth about $380. “You fight after you pay it off,” she said. “You fight with clean hands.” She also believes the leaking of the information about her tax situation was a political vendetta. “Anyone who would use anonymous letters to go after a secretary to hurt the mayor or hurt my husband is a coward,” she said.

Focus on Window Cleaning

JIM GONZALEZ

The Deal: Focus is on window cleaning service

EDUCATION: High school graduate; cosmetology school graduate.

FAMILY: Married. Wife Toni and three children: Lisa, Jennifer and Matthew. Five grandchildren.

CAREER HISTORY: Bank teller, U.S. Army, insurance sales, hairdresser, salon owner for 20 years, bartender, and now window and blind cleaner for the last 20 years.

FIRST JOB: Paper delivery route

WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? Queens, New York

WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP? Johnny Carson

HOW DID YOU END UP OWNING ULTRASONIC BLIND & WINDOW CLEANING ? I started out with a request from my wife and her sister to clean windows for one of their housecleaning clients. From Windex and paper towels, to trucks and the latest equipment 20 years later. My son, Matt, and I do all of the work.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST DECISION YOU'RE WRESTLING WITH NOW? When can I get away for a couple of weeks to go somewhere where it is warm.

WHAT IS ONE THING YOU WOULD CHANGE ABOUT YOUR JOB? Fuel cost and lack of competition in the blind cleaning side of our business.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB NOW? We are in new workplaces every day, which are some of the most beautiful homes in the area. Working with my son every day and being of service to wonderful folks.

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU? Sparkling windows and blinds.

WHAT'S YOUR MOTTO? At your service.

WHAT'S THE BEST THING ABOUT THE BUSINESS CLIMATE HERE? There are more dirty windows and blinds than we could ever get to.

WHAT'S THE WORST? Not everyone with dirty windows and blinds has called us yet.

WHO WAS YOUR MENTOR? Mark Wilmot, owner of a big blind cleaning business in Seattle.

WHAT BUSINESS BOOK DO YOU MOST RECOMMEND? WHY? "The E-Myth" by Michael Gerber--common, effective business advice.

WHAT DO YOU DO FOR FUN? Listen to good music and talk radio. I take a cruise whenever possible, golf and hang out with my wife.

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR GREATEST CAREER ACHIEVEMENT? Being in the same business and still doing well after 20 years.

WHAT'S THE BEST CAREER ADVICE ANYONE HAS GIVEN YOU? Be fair and upfront when dealing with people.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE OTHERS TRYING TO ENTER THIS FIELD? Come on in. It's a terrific business.

WHAT ARE YOUR CAREER GOALS? Keep on working until I turn the whole deal over to my son Matt, the best window and blind cleaner I know.

Picture of the Day + Window Cleaning News

WINDOW WASHING: A cleaner washed windows on a building in Brasilia Tuesday. (Ricardo Moraes/Reuters) Click to enlarge.

EU Commission report calls for VOC limits in paints to be extended to other products: The limits on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) set out in the EU paints Directive should be extended to a range of other products, according to a report for the European Commission by German research institute Okopol. Products that should be made subject to VOC restrictions include hairsprays, deoderants/antiperspirants, solvent-based adhesives, window cleaning products and wood coatings. In line with its provisions, the Directive is being reviewed. This is likely to be completed by mid-2011. Also here.

Fulton firm battles state agency, MU over prevailing wage: The Shepherd's Co. of Fulton is locked in legal battles with the Missouri Division of Labor Standards and the University of Missouri over claims the Fulton firm is not complying with prevailing wage laws. The Shepherd's Co. of Fulton is unusual because it is not set up with owners and employees. Instead, it does business in Missouri as a general partnership of 64 current owners. Workers at the Shepherd's Co. are members of a Christian faith-based group who attend the Shepherdsfield Community Church. They live in a communal society in which all members relinquish personal property to the group. The firm provides a variety of services, including window cleaning for retailers and offices.
Their attorney, Mark Comley of Jefferson City, says the earnings of the group are shared with each other and the Shepherd's Co. is organized under Missouri law as a general partnership with 64 current partners. The unions are miffed because the Shepherd's Co. has been the low bidder on some prized public projects, especially those at the University of Missouri in Columbia. Under Missouri and federal law, whenever work is performed for a government agency the prevailing wage for the area must be paid to all workers. The prevailing wage is set each year by the state for various areas of the state. That rate almost always is set at a high level because it generally is determined by union wages in the area.
The department has been aggressive in ferreting out violations of prevailing wage laws. For fiscal year 2009, the department found 126 prevailing wage violations on Missouri's public works projects, affecting 995 workers throughout the state. The department assessed a total of more than $1,127,070 in owed wages as a result of these violations. Comley said the company complies with prevailing wage laws and always has in the more than 20 years it has been operating.
About three months ago, the university's facilities planning and development office sent a letter to Shepherd's Co. saying the university will reject any bids from the firm because it "balked at requests to release record relating to prevailing wage compliance." Comley denies Shepherd's Co. balked at releasing records. That prompted Shepherd's Co. to file suit against the curators on Oct. 30, asking that the Fulton-based company be taken off the university's bid rejection list.
That's not all of the embattled Fulton firm's problems. Buschjost's Division of Labor Standards sent a letter to Columbia Public Schools saying there were allegations the company did not pay the prevailing wage. The school was about to award the firm a contract to work at the Columbia Area Career Center but decided against it after receiving the letter from the state agency. The city of Columbia a few days ago decided to send Shepherd's Co. payroll documents relating to a building it operates to the State Division of Labor Standards. The city asked the state agency to determine if Shepherd's wage records comply with prevailing wage laws. Comley said the Fulton-based firm always has complied with the prevailing wage law.

'Window cleaners' in £1,000 burglary: Two brazen burglars swiped over £1,000 of luxury goods from an Islington home after tricking their way through the front door by posing as window cleaners. Police this week released e-fit images of the two men after they made off with a laptop, a digital camera, a laser printer and several Xbox 360 games from a house in Fairmead Road, Upper Holloway. Pretending to have just finished a job in nearby Wedmore Street, they duped a woman in her 50s into letting them in by wearing blue v-neck jumpers emblazoned with the logo "Ocean Cleaning". The two men negotiated a price with the victim as she showed them round her home before filling their buckets in the kitchen. After around 15 minutes, they left with another two men who were waiting outside the house.

They left a note with the names "Peter" and "John" and a contact telephone number written on it. The victim, who did not ask for ID, later realised her windows had not been cleaned and her property was missing. Suspect one is described as a white man, aged 20 to 25, of slim build, about 5ft 9ins tall, with blue eyes and gelled spiky brown hair. Suspect two is a white man, aged about 30, between 5ft 6ins and 5ft 9ins tall, with blue eyes and short blonde hair. He walked with a limp. Both were polite and spoke with local accents. The Ocean Cleaning logo was written in white capital letters in a white circle on the front with the same motif enlarged on the rear of the jumper. Any witnesses or anyone with information should call Detective Constable Debbie Keyser on 020 7421 0220 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 to stay anonymous.

Window cleaner v roofing inspector in John Smith's People's Darts final: The John Smith's People's Darts final 2010 will be a perfect showcase for the sport's talented amateurs - a window cleaner is taking on a roofing inspector. At the end of a trail which began four months ago, with thousands of hopefuls entering Britain's best amateur sporting contest in their local pubs and clubs, Mark Petchey and Duncan Hastings will contest a £14,000 charity jackpot on Sunday. Window cleaner Petchey, from the Royal Oak in Basingstoke, Hants, and roofing inspector Hastings, representing Pennies Bar Falkirk, Stirlingshire, made it through the last eight and semi-finals to book their live TV date at the Lakeside Country Club. Now "Petch" and "Big D"will take to the worldfamous stage in Frimley Green, in front of 2,000 fans and millions of BBC TV viewers, just before the Lakeside World Professional Darts Championship final in a classic Auld Enemy showdown. Final: Hastings v Petchey on Sunday (Jan 10).

Farewell to Sidmouth window cleaner Harry: One of Sidmouth's familiar faces about town was that of Harry Badcock, who died last Monday (December 28) aged 84. A real local character, Harry was a true born and bred Sidmothian and lived and worked in the town all of his life. Many knew him as the local window cleaner and for 32 years he pushed his barrow, with its flashing lights, up and down the streets. But he did many jobs before this, such as working for Pinney's building firm for 15 years. For a decade, between 1952 and 1962, Harry was a retained fireman and paid £5 a year.
But most folk will just remember Harry as a familiar face around the town who loved a natter; his knowledge was second to none, whether it was Sidmouth and its history or about its local people and their news. "He was Mr Sidmouth Herald, in his latter years after retirement he would sit at the front window to watch and wave to folk as well as going around on his mobility scooter along town and the seafront," said Roy. Harry lived in the same house for 74 years and was married to Maria; who came from Italy, for 48 years. He was a loving father to Roy and Antonio and a special grandad to Elliot Joel, Thomas Christopher and Daniel.

Holyrood is bottomless pit says MSP: Maintaining the Scottish Parliament building is costing five times as much as expected. Official figures show that the biggest maintenance contract – which includes heating, lighting and electrical installations, as well as replacing bamboo-style poles and other repairs – cost taxpayers almost £6 million over five years compared with a £1.1m forecast. And today MSPs (Members of the Scottish Parliament) said the escalating cost of maintaining the building was almost on a par with the soaring price for construction of the Holyrood building. It also showed annual costs, excluding VAT, had soared from £427,176 in the first year to £2,625,994 in 2008-09. "It confirms the criticisms people made right from the start. It's such a crazy design. The window cleaning is almost impossible, the quality of the materials used means to replace anything – the wood, the granite and everything – is very expensive. I want the parliament's public audit committee to look at why the costs have gone over by so much and why the estimates were so badly out." The Holyrood building was dogged by soaring costs throughout its construction. The original price quoted was £10-40m, but the final bill was £414m. Also see here.

Census Bureau looking for workers: Over the next three months, the U.S. Census Bureau will recruit more than 3.8 million people across the country, including more than 48,000 in Wisconsin. The recruitment goal for Madison is about 4,200, said Lydia Ortiz, a Census spokeswoman. It's the flexibility of the part-time job that appeals to Murray, who is nine months pregnant with her first child and due Thursday. "And it's always neat to look into other people's houses. Does that seem creepy?" said Murray, who got a perfect score on the exam, which was graded on the spot. Porter's son, Thad Johnson, 37, a Madison window washer, also took the test. He was hoping the job would start sooner. "It's a slow time of year for my work," said Porter, who scored 93 percent. "It would be doing something different than I've ever done before. I think I'd be really good at it."

JUNEAU ARTISTS GALLERY, 175 S. FRANKLIN ST. Jeweler Rowan Law is the featured artist for the first Art Walk of the new year at the Juneau Artists Gallery. Rowan will be in the gallery from 4:30 to 7 p.m. on January 8 with his work. His new creations are matching sets consisting of earrings and coordinating pendants. Rowan has never offered sets before, and is excited about these one-of-a-kind combinations. Rowan is well known in Juneau for his handcrafted jewelry, which is mostly made with sterling silver. He usually oxidizes the silver, which gives it an antique or rustic looking dark patina. Many of the pieces also contain yellow gold, copper, and brass. Stones including opal, labradorite, and turquoise are set into some pieces. Rowan cuts and shapes many of the stones himself, using an electrically powered grinding wheel. By holding each stone against the wheel, he creates unique shapes from the original rough stones, and then finishes by polishing the stone, also against the wheel.
Rowan and a friend once owned a window washing business in Maui, and one of their customers was a high-end jewelry store. Rowan washed the windows inside the shop, and he thought the studio area in the back of the shop, where the jewelry was created, was very interesting. It wasn't until about three years later, after he moved to the mainland, that he started reading about jewelry making and eventually took a few classes, including from Michael Hunter who used to teach at UAS. For the most part Rowan is self taught, and his style has evolved as he developed his skills.

Canada Seeks Zero Tolerance After Scaffold Tragedy

Safety blitz of scaffolds not enough, activists say: Only a public inquiry – not just a scaffold safety blitz – will get to the root problem of unsafe labour practices in the province's underground economy, labour leaders say. On Wednesday, the labour ministry announced the mid-January start of a safety blitz after four men fell 13 storeys to their deaths from a suspended construction platform on Christmas Eve. Inspectors will not give companies prior warning before visiting to check for hazards involving suspended platforms. The inspectors will have a zero-tolerance policy for non-compliance. The review will take 90 days. Labour activists welcome safety inspections but they argue the problem here is deeper than safety issues. Even though the blitz was announced in advance, inspectors will not reveal when sites will be targeted.
The Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario will hold a news conference Thursday at Queen's Park to call for a public inquiry and discuss issues surrounding the scaffolding fatalities. "This accident is just the tip of the iceberg of the growing underground employment in the construction industry," said John Cartwright, of the Toronto and York Region Labour Council. "Because of (the workers') precarious employment they would never feel they could raise the safety issue." Ontario Federation of Labour president Sid Ryan wants a criminal probe into the deaths of the four migrant workers. Ryan says Attorney General Chris Bentley should step in. "We would like to see you take more seriously the provision in the Criminal Code of Canada that gives your office the power to lay criminal charges if an employer causes death or serious harm due to negligence," Ryan said in a letter to Bentley, dated Dec. 31, 2009.

The OFL represents more than one million workers in Ontario. On Dec. 24, five workers fell from outside a 13th-floor balcony at 2757 Kipling Ave., an apartment building complex just south of Steeles Ave. W., when the scaffold they were on suddenly snapped in half. Four of the men died. The fifth man, Dilshod Marupov, 21, clung to the equipment briefly before falling. He suffered broken legs and a shattered spine and is the only survivor, recovering at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Killed instantly were Fayzullo Fazilov, 31, of Uzbekistan; Aleksey Blumberg, 33, of Ukraine; Alexander Bondorev, 25, originally from Latvia; and Vladimir Korostin, 40, originally from Uzbekistan. The legality of the employment status of some of the men involved in the Christmas Eve accident is unclear.
Metron Construction president Joel Swartz previously told the Star Metron "does not discuss personnel matters or personal information with anyone outside the organization." On Oct. 20, five work orders were placed against Metron Construction at the adjacent building at 2737 Kipling Ave. However, there were no orders issued regarding the swing stage on that site on that date, according to Tom Zach, a labour ministry spokesperson. The swing stage involved in the fatalities was not at 2757 Kipling Ave. when labour ministry inspectors where there in October, he said.
For labour activists, this accident is reminiscent of the Hogg's Hollow disaster, where five Italian Canadians working under dangerous conditions were killed in March, 1960, while building a tunnel at Old York Mills Rd. and Yonge St. "It looks like we've come full circle," Cartwright said.
Labour Minister Peter Fonseca expects to see a report on the safety blitz in 90 days. Then, decisions will be made on what further steps should be taken. However, a spokesperson for the labour ministry said it will wait for a coroner's inquest and then review the recommendations before any decision on a public inquiry. Under Ontario law, if a fatality happens on a construction site, an inquest must be held, said Cheryl Mahyr, a spokeswoman for the Office of the Chief Coroner. Labour inspectors will also begin a heightened enforcement campaign targeting fall hazards at construction sites this month. In 2008, a similar blitz resulted in 336 projects being temporarily halted.

Ontario launches construction site blitz - Inspectors will check for hazards involving suspended platforms: Beginning mid-January, Ontario Ministry of Labour inspectors will begin an enforcement blitz checking for hazards involving suspended platforms and fall hazards at construction sites. "We want to ensure that Ontarians are safe at their workplace and these actions we're taking serve as a reminder that safety practices must be followed when working above the ground. I have asked for a report back in 90 days, at which time decisions will be made on what further steps will be taken," said Minister of Labour Peter Fonseca. As part of regular inspections, Ministry of Labour inspectors will look for compliance with fall protection requirements, including appropriate fall-related equipment and adequate worker training. Inspectors will have zero tolerance for non-compliance, said Fonseca. The most commonly used suspended work platforms (suspended platforms or suspended scaffolds) are known as swing stages. They are used for window cleaning or conducting repairs to the exterior of buildings and consist of a work platform, guardrails and a suspension system.

The most significant hazard associated with swing stages is workers falling from height. Some of the reasons why a fall may occur include:
• the swing stage over-turning because the counterweight does not have the adequate weight or if the “fulcrum” or point of support at the edge of the building fails; or
• the swing stage collapsing because it is overloaded, the platforms are inadequately attached (in case of modular type stages), or there is damage from exposure to chemicals or corrosive material to the motors, platforms or wire ropes to which the stage is suspended, in addition to poor maintenance.

Employers and supervisors are required to take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances to ensure the health and safety of workers, including: Proper training - Workers working on a suspended platform or suspended scaffold who may use a fall protection system must receive comprehensive fall protection training and must receive:
• training on the use and inspection of the platform or scaffold, including access to and egress from it
• training on the erection and dismantling procedures where the workers are involved in these activities
Wearing of a fall arrest system when working on suspended equipment

A worker who is on or is getting on or off a suspended platform or suspended scaffold must wear a full body harness that is connected to a fall arrest system with an independent lifeline, or that is securely fastened to the suspended platform or suspended scaffold. Proper design, construction and use of equipment -
The platform must not be overloaded, equipment must be maintained in a condition that does not endanger a worker and it must be used in accordance with any operating manual issued by the manufacturers.
Every suspended scaffold that consists of more than one platform, and every suspended platform that weighs, together with its components, more than 525 kilograms, must be designed by a professional engineer and erected in accordance with the design drawings. A professional engineer must inspect it prior to its first use and issue a written report in regard to the inspection. The constructor must keep a copy of the design drawings and the professional engineer’s written inspection report on the project while the suspended platform or suspended scaffold is on the project.
Adequate maintenance of equipment, materials and protective devices -
Employers must ensure that the equipment, materials and protective devices are maintained in good condition.
Proper inspection of equipment by a competent worker and by the supervisor
Suspended platforms or suspended scaffolds must be inspected prior to each day’s use by a competent worker if it is operated by mechanical power and at least once a week by the supervisor or a competent person appointed by the supervisor.

Wagtail Giveaway! Wagtail Reaches New Heights

Willie Erkin of Wagtail Pivotal Cleaning Tools sent me an email yesterday with the news that Wagtail Squeegee's are being used on the Burj Khalifa Tower (formerly Burj Dubai) now officially the tallest building in the world. Just watch the video below at 00:45 & see that unmistakable swish of a Wagtail squeegee being used at the highest point anywhere in the world! Freeze it if you have to - you will see the giveaway pivot on the channel as a giveaway. And Giveaway is exactly what we're doing. Just fill in the form below from the trusted & secure email submission form & get a chance to win an 18" & a 14" Wagtail Whirlwind - the newest Wagtail's out there. "

CoxGomyl designed, manufactured and installed all 18 building maintenance units (BMU's) on the Burj Khalifa. Yep, I know I've been going on a little about this incredible buiding! Can't get enough? Go here for the CoxGomyl blog.

But why use a Wagtail over all of the other squeegee's on the market?

The combining of the mop and squeegee can remove the requirement to apply water in a separate action - the single pass of the Wagtail device over the window surface applies water and then immediately squeegees it away, meaning either greater productivity or, more appropriate to the present analysis, less effort for the same productivity. If conditions are such that a separate mopping action is required then that mopping action can be accomplished with much less precision, as a second mopping action will be accomplished by the Wagtail in the same pass as the eventual squeegeeing.
On hot days, sun striking a window can make the window very hot. There is then a tendency for window cleaners to rush the window-cleaning operation because applied water can easily dry before the squeegeeing operation is completed, thus leading to increased drag on the squeegee with the associated requirement to press harder on the tool.
With the Wagtail , additional water is applied by the mop incorporated into the cleaning head which ensures excellent lubrication of the squeegeeing action under all circumstances, thus relieving the stress associated with (a) the need to push harder on a drying surface, and (b) the requirement that the entire operation be hurried. Willie Wagtail shows you how...

So what are you waiting for? If you are a window cleaner just fill in the form below for your chance to win, not one, but two squeegee's, the newest 14" & 18" Wagtail Whirlwinds! The winner will receive an email from me to confirm their postal address. The competition is Worldwide, so don't delay - sign up & be part of more offers to come. You'd be mad not to.



Email Marketing You Can Trust

Yes, I want the chance to win 2 of the fastest squeegee's out there. No thanks, I'd rather take a running jump.

Window Cleaning, Snow, Ears, Burgers & Borrowing 10 Billion

Tony Evans of "A New View window cleaning" braves the snow & gives us another episode in the new third "weather or not" winter edition. Whilst Chris Dawber decides not to bother going to work!

A former window cleaner prone to attacking strangers was jailed indefinitely for chomping on a man’s ears while trying to rob him. Mark Rawlings, 24, who has been in and out of prison since his teens, was described as “unstable” by Judge Stephen John as he was sentenced to a minimum of two years for attempted robbery on December 18. The court heard how Rawlings, of Hazel Crescent, Whitley, attacked his victim after leaving a pub on August 8, at 11.30pm, the day after being released on licence from a previous offence. He said he did it because someone had stolen a pair of trainers given to him by his mum.
Sentencing, Judge John said: “The victim had left the pub when you came up behind him and put your arms around his throat, bit his ears and demanded he take you to a cashpoint saying you wanted at least a grand. “He managed to fight himself free and ran back to the pub where the door was locked behind him but you broke that lock and assaulted the publican. “This was a very frightening incident.”
Rawlings had been released on the same day from a two-year sentence imposed in June 2008 for one offence of actual bodily harm and two offences of common assault. He had been shouting abusively down a mobile phone at Reading train station when he was asked to quieten down and leave. Instead he punched a member of staff in the face, another two employees in the head and threatened to throw one of them on the railway track before striking a member of the public, the court heard.
In another offence in 2004, Rawlings, a window cleaner at the time, sank his teeth into a pensioner’s neck and another man’s ear. He also picked a fight with two men as they left a shop in Overdown Road in Tilehurst, biting one of them on the ear and finger and then punching the other. He was jailed for 13 months. Rawlings has been diagnosed with two personality disorders, describing him as emotionally unstable and socially incapable.
He claimed he carried out the offence in August because someone had stolen a pair of trainers from him that his mum had bought. Judge John added: “These are impulsive acts of violence against strangers, there is a worrying and unstable nature to your behaviour. “I have significant concerns that you were not able to cope on your return to the community. You have a marked tendency to act impulsively with no thought or consequence.” Rawlings was given an indeterminate sentence for the protection of the public and was warned if he did not deal with his behaviour he would never be released. As he was taken away, Rawlings shouted across to his father in the public gallery: “That’s alright, two years, it’s good.”

Dreaming to bridge surface science and materials science: An interview with Prof. Kai Wu of Peking University - What are the short-term and long-term research plans?
Kai: They are quite simple. In the short term, I would like to finish the projects that I’m working on. Surface science is a money-eating machine. I have to find extra funding to build the new machines we need to use in our research. In the long term, I would concentrate on the good science, in my eyes. I would definitely try to bridge surface science and nanomaterials. In conventional surface science, all crystals in the periodic table have been studied. One has to find a new field. I believe nanocrystals can open a new window for surface scientists because people can now prepare tons of novel nanocrystals.

Dubai's Khalifa Tower, World's Tallest Building, Opens with Fanfare: Building is so tall that it is ten degrees Celsius cooler at the top than at the base. The tallest building in the world has opened in the Gulf emirate of Dubai. But the 828-meter tower formerly known as the Burj Dubai has been renamed the Burj Khalifa, to honor the leader of neighboring Abu Dhabi, who gave Dubai $10 billion last month to help repay its debts. Dramatic music, fireworks and men parachuting from the sky helped Dubai introduce the world to its new tallest building. Its inauguration comes during a deep financial crisis in Dubai. Lead architect George Efstathiou says the building symbolizes the emirate's perseverance.

Brave window cleaners take on the challenge of the world's tallest skyscraper, Dubai's Burj Khalifa: Cleaning the windows of skyscrapers can be a daunting process. But never more so than for the company who landed the epic task of cleaning the windows of the world's tallest skyscraper in Dubai, the Burj Khalifa. Towering at 2,717ft and with 1,292,500 sq ft of glass, the £1billion Burj is an imposing building, and one designers were determined would be sparkling clean in time for yesterday's extravagant opening ceremony. Dale Harding, the general manager of cleaning company Cox Gomyl, said the firm installed £5 million of hi-tech equipment, including unique window-cleaning carousels which they designed, to ensure the Burj was constantly clean. Twelve machines weighing 13 tons carry up to 36 cleaners, who use ordinary soapy water to wash down the Burj's 24,830 reflective windows in a process that takes three months from top to bottom.

The cleaners stand on the specially designed machines, which emerge from cavities in the skyscraper and track along rails skirting its curved towers. Mr Harding said the company, based in Melbourne, Australia, had been working overtime to get the Burj gleaming for Monday's extravagant opening ceremony. He said: 'It's an enormous challenge. The architects had some fairly high expectations. 'It's an iconic building with high exposure. They wanted it as clean as possible, particularly for the opening. There have been some fairly tight deadlines over the past few months. 'It's an incredible construction. People are focusing on the height of the building but the sheer size of it, the footprint, is huge. It's really 10-15 conventional buildings.' Click pictures to enlarge.

And in a spectacular blunder just months before the opening ceremony, which was attended by over 6,000 people, Samsung Besix Arabtec Joint Venture, which built the Burj, were forced to rush in Mick Flaherty after they realised they had forgotten to fit lights to the tip. The 35-year-old, originally from Tyne and Wear, and his company Total Solutions Middle East, worked on the pre-fabricated spire of the building for more than a month before it was officially unveiled to the world. His daily commute to work involved him taking five lifts to the 160th floor, climbing through a further seven tiers on vertical ladders, then squeezing into the 6ft wide spire and out of a hatch. Mr Flaherty said: 'I felt like I could see the whole world. It was absolutely breathtaking.

Window cleaning chemical injected into fast food hamburger meat: If you're in the beef business, what do you do with all the extra cow parts and trimmings that have traditionally been sold off for use in pet food? You scrape them together into a pink mass, inject them with a chemical to kill the e.coli, and sell them to fast food restaurants to make into hamburgers. That's what's been happening all across the USA with beef sold to McDonald's, Burger King, school lunches and other fast food restaurants, according to a New York Times article. The beef is injected with ammonia, a chemical commonly used in glass cleaning and window cleaning products.
This is all fine with the USDA, which endorses the procedure as a way to make the hamburger beef "safe" enough to eat. Ammonia kills e.coli, you see, and the USDA doesn't seem to be concerned with the fact that people are eating ammonia in their hamburgers. This ammonia-injected beef comes from a company called Beef Products, Inc. As NYT reports, the federal school lunch program used a whopping 5.5 million pounds of ammonia-injected beef trimmings from this company in 2008. This company reportedly developed the idea of using ammonia to sterilize beef before selling it for human consumption.
Fascinating. So you can inject a beef product with a chemical found in glass cleaning products and simply call it a "processing agent" -- with the full permission and approval of the USDA, no less! Does anyone doubt any longer how deeply embedded the USDA is with the beef industry? Apparently, this practice of injecting fast food beef with ammonia has been a well-kept secret for years. I never knew this was going on, and this news appears to be new information to virtually everyone. The real shocker is that "a majority" of fast food restaurants use this ammonia-injected cow-derived product in their hamburger meat. It sort of makes you wonder: What else is in there that we don't know about? "School lunch officials and other customers complained about the taste and smell of the beef," says the NYT. No wonder. It's been pumped full of chemicals. It's almost enough to make you want to puke. If you do so, please aim it at your windows, because ammonia cuts through grease like nothing else, leaving your windows squeaky clean!

Scaffold affects business: The company behind rapper-turned-fashion guru Sean "Diddy" Combs is suing the landlord of its flagship New York shop over a scaffold that has been hanging over its window for more than three years. It wants at least $2.5 million in damages and freedom from its more than 660,000 dollars-a-year lease. It claims the scaffold is affecting business and is not good for the company's image.

24,000 Windows - Clean by Tonight!

Reach for the sky, how to clean all that glass: It is the world's tallest skyscraper but who is going to clean its 24,000 windows? The answer - an Australian company that has designed and built an $8 million window-washing system to burnish the reflective glass of the Burj Dubai tower that rises almost a kilometre above the Arabian desert. The rulers of Dubai last night tried to convince the world that their financial troubles had been overstated by holding a lavish launch of the 818-metre ''superscraper''. It dwarfs the world's previous tallest buildings, the 508-metre tower 101 in Taipei, and the 629-metre KVLY-TV mast in North Dakota. Among the 6000 guests were representatives from Melbourne company Cox Gomyl, which designed and built the machinery to take window cleaners, harnessed to metal cages, to the 160 storeys. Unmanned machines will clean the 27 extra tiers and the spire.



The general manager, Dale Harding, said the company had also tendered to provide the 36 cleaners needed to battle the hot desert sun, high winds and routine sand storms. ''It takes about three months to clean the entire building so the machines will be operating in cycles the vast majority of the year,'' he said. The machines cover about 40 storeys each and travel along tracks fixed to the facade. When not in use, they are hidden at various heights behind glass panels. While the technology is cutting edge, the window washers - most likely migrant workers - will use the traditional squeegee and soapy water. ''It's a challenging environment to work in. You're out on your own, the wind is howling by, the heat is bouncing off the glass and on the lower levels there is sand as well,'' Mr Harding said. The cleaners will carry electrolyte packs and wear specialised clothing resembling moon suits, while working only on parts of the building that are in shade.
Cox Gomyl is one of several Australian connections to the Burj Dubai. Melbourne and Sydney experts from Hyder Consulting reviewed and approved the tower's design on behalf of the Government of Dubai. The company also supervised construction. ''We are in fact responsible for the building,'' said property director Jim Forbes. ''To be involved with the tallest building in the world was a real thrill.'' Mr Forbes said Dubai's wind and frequent sand blasts presented a design challenge combated by changing the tower's shape as it ascended to ''confuse the wind and resist any vibrations.'' Setting aside fears that the emirate is on the brink of defaulting on its debt, last night Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, was expected to make a triumphal ascent of the $1 billion tower which has swimming pools on floors 43 and 76 and plans for the world's highest mosque on the 158th floor.

Burj Dubai set to open as world's tallest building: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum expected to ascend the 800m Burj Dubai during lavish opening party. Crews of cleaners today rushed to finalise preparations for the grand inauguration of the Burj Dubai, the tallest building in the world. With batteries of fireworks and an invited crowd of 6,000 guests, the rulers of the Gulf emirate will tonight attempt to convince the world that their financial troubles have been overstated with a lavish celebration of a glass and steel building that tapers almost a kilometre into the sky. Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum (pictured), is expected to make a triumphal ascent of the spire-shaped tower which rises over 800m from the Arabian desert. He will announce the exact height this evening in a move intended to draw a line under the country's financial crisis, which has left a trail of outstanding creditors. "Crises come and go, and cities move on," said Mohamed Alabbar, chairman of Emaar Properties, the state-owned developer of the building. "You have to move on. Because if you stop taking decisions, you stop growing."

With swimming pools on floors 43 and 76 and plans for the world's highest mosque on the 158th floor, the $1bn "superscraper" dwarfs both the world's previous tallest building, the 508m tall tower 101 in Taipei, and the 629m KVLY-TV mast in North Dakota, the tallest man-made structure. It is so high, the temperature is said to be 10C cooler at the zenith than at the base. But with many investors in the building's 1,044 apartments already facing losses after property prices in Dubai slumped, the Burj's owners are struggling to present their architectural achievement as anything but a pyrrhic victory. The offices and most of the flats are still an estimated two months from completion and the emirate's neighbours in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, which provided Dubai with a £15bn bailout last year, are also understood to be unimpressed at the ostentation of the building.

The fountain outside cost a reported £133m and the 160 room hotel was designed by fashion designer Georgio Armani and boasts a nightclub, two restaurants and a spa. Meanwhile, labourers on the project, including many immigrants from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, earned low wages. Skilled carpenters took home just £4.34 a day and labourers, £2.84. Security is expected to be tight. Local newspapers quoted Major General Mohammed Eid al-Mansouri, head of the protective security and emergency unit for Dubai police, saying more than 1,000 security personnel, including plainclothes police and sharpshooters, will be deployed to secure the site for the opening.

But even by the standards of an emirate which has created miles more beach front by building vast islands from millions of tonnes of sand in the shapes of palms, the tower stands out as Dubai's most remarkable achievement. Around 12,000 people are expected to live and work in the tower which is part of a 500-acre development known as "downtown" Burj Dubai. Alabbar said Burj Dubai was "another demonstration of Dubai's ability to achieve what few people thought possible". "The tower is a global icon," he said. "It represents the determination and optimism of Dubai as a truly world city. It is a powerful symbol for the entire Arab world."

Burj Dubai is the ultimate vantage point: After all the hype, we find out what it’s actually like to see the city from the ultimate vantage point. “They could have at least washed the windows!” moaned one journalist stood on the 124th-storey observation deck of the Burj Dubai. Apparently it can get dusty when you’re half a kilometre in the air. Only very slightly though – and you’d have to be an epic grinch to let this taint your experience of the world’s tallest building.
Ignoring this glass-half-empty simpleton, the rest of us took advantage of today’s press preview to get a sterling view of –and from – the Dhs 5.5 billion ($1.5 billion) superstructure. Even at 8.30 on a murky Monday morning, floor 124 offers a cornucopia of sights. The circular gallery offers a 360-degree panoramic view of the city, allowing visitors to take in landmarks such as the Burj Al Arab, Wafi and The World archipelago in under a minute if they so desire.
Tours depart from Dubai Mall at 30-minute intervals. Guests enter a ground floor lobby situated between More Café and a Burj souvenir store (so if you want to buy T-shirts, photo frames or a Dhs299 commemorative crystal bottle of water afterwards, you know where to go). “Get ready to enter the record books,” pronounces a sign at the entrance. The lobby itself contains a softly-lit replica of the tower, along with “a story in numbers” (12,000 people worked on the Burj at one time or another, and it’s visible from up to 95 kilometres away apparently).
The tour itself nudges into sci-fi territory at times, especially with the elevators (TV screens and the nightclub-esque décor aside).
The lifts are a speedy proposition indeed – racing up and down the tower at an astonishing 10 metres per second, although you may not even realise you’re moving until your ears begin to pop. Now if only I could get some installed in my Al Barsha tower block… For those of you wishing to be educated as well as wowed, moving diagrams and interactive displays explain the story of how the Burj was built, before you enter the iconic edifice itself. Upon reaching the viewing deck, visitors are free to wander around the floor, which comes equipped with high-tech digital telescopes. There is even an outside platform, which was unfortunately shut yesterday for the fireworks display but will be open to the public as of today. Going back to the view, I found the sheer scale of the Burj forced home by its monstrous shadow – slicing through Dubai and almost touching the coast.