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How it works

When pure water is used for window cleaning the impurities on the glass are held in the water, as the pure water strives to return to its impure state. The glass is then given a final rinse with the water fed poles to leave the glass totally sterile. Our window cleaning system produces a high level of Pure water : from 1 to 10 ppm after the reverse osmosis purification stage (depending of the hardness of your water), and 0 ppm after the final stage which is the Dioniser. Pure water (0 ppm) leaves your window neat and clean. With spot free water, your windows dry spotless without the need of wiping the contaminates off. No detergent residue means that windows do not get dirty so quickly, windows stay cleaner for longer.

Water Fed Pole

A water fed pole uses a very high level of pure water and when pure water flows over a surface, it absorbs all the existing substances on it such as dust and dirt, leaving a smear free surface.

Pure water doesn't leave any residue, unlike most other window cleaning methods, so there's no need to wipe any contaminants off and windows stay cleaner... for much longer!

Health & Safety

A water fed pole eliminates the health and safety concerns involving the safe use of ladders because water fed poles can be safely operated by a single window cleaner from the ground. This system is the safest window cleaning method for reaching and washing exterior high windows in UK.

Advantages of the Water Fed Pole System

A water fed pole can reach windows above sensitive ground areas such as lawns and flower beds and reach previously inaccessible areas.

Water fed poles can extend up to 60ft for total window cleaner safety and reduce disturbance to any occupants.

Conservatory roofs and windows above conservatories can be cleaned safely from a standing position on the ground, with even a short water fed pole.

Offices can be cleaned, even when their car parks are full, making the windows inaccessible with ladders.

Window frames and sills are left much cleaner using a pure water system.

No damage is caused to the window frames, sills, or the building compared with the normal method of leaning ladders against them.

The Work at Height Regulations 2005

How do they affect window cleaners?

In 2005, new regulations came into force that impacted the way that all work at height, including window cleaning would be carried out.

These regulations became law in the UK as a result of The European Work at Height Directive, which aims to standardize work at height regulation throughout the European community.

Why Were New Regulations Needed?
Working at height is, of course, inherently dangerous. The potential for serious and even fatal injury from working at height is all too well illustrated by the accident statistics compiled by The HSE.

Clearly, more is needed to be done to prevent death and serious injury among those trades that work at height. It was found, for example, that approximately two-thirds of all accidents while working at height involved ladders.

How Do They Affect Window Cleaners?
Even before the regulations were published, the consultation document made it clear that they would have a profound impact on window cleaners. There are few other trades where work at height, in particular the use of ladders, plays such an integral part of the working process.

Put simply, the regulations say that if a task can reasonably be done without the need to work at height, then it must be done that way.

They also require that when ladders are used (and a risk assessment must show that work at height was unavoidable) then those ladders must be "secured".

The Regulations and Water-Fed Pole Systems
An obvious question that arises is how does the advent of water-fed pole systems affect window cleaners in light of the new regulations? The answer is somewhat complex.

It is now illegal to work at height where a risk assessment would show that it is reasonably practical to complete the task from the safety of the ground.

Its a simple fact that the vast majority of window cleaning work can now be done without the need to work at height by using a water-fed pole system. As using a system is almost always faster (and therefore more efficient) than using ladders, and can clean to greater heights than is possible from ladders, it would be very hard to argue that using a water-fed pole was not "reasonably practical" in the majority of cases.

This takes on a particularly serious dimension for employers who could be prosecuted under the new regulations if their worker has an accident while using ladders for a cleaning task that could have been done with water-fed pole.

The HSE has promised more guidance on what it would consider to be "reasonably practicable" in the context of the regulations, but this has not yet been produced.

All Ladders Must Be "Secured" - What Does That Mean?
Schedule 6 of the regulations requires that when ladders are used, they must be "secured", and then goes on to describe specifically how that is to be done.

1)"Securing the Stiles"
For example, tying them using straps or chords to an existing structure (eg scaffolding). This method is not practical for most window cleaning

2)"An effective anti-slip or other effective stability device"
For example a rojak stopper or ladder leveller. More than one device may be needed.

3)"Any other arrangement of equivalent effectiveness"
This may include having another person 'foot' the ladder as a last resort

First Call Window Cleaning Ltd

WEBSITE: http://www.dorsetwindowcleaner.com

TEL: 07855 556041

EMAIL: firstcallwindowcleaning@outlook.com