Window cleaning

Questions to ask include:

Height

How high is the job from the ground?

Surface

• What surface will the access equipment rest on?
• Is this surface strong enough to take the weight of the workers and their equipment?

Ground

• What is the ground condition under the area where access equipment might need to be set up - for example, is it sloping, muddy or uneven? The access equipment you use must be suitable for the ground conditions - stable, level and not liable to fall or collapse.
• If you fall, what will you fall on to?

Weather

• Is it raining hard, or very windy?

Task

• What tools or materials will you need for window cleaning?
• How will you get them up and down safely?

When looking at what you need to do the job, think about the following…

From the ground

• Can you do the work from the ground (e.g. waterfed pole system)?

From inside the building

• Can the windows be adjusted so that both sides can be cleaned internally?

From a flat roof

• Can the work be done from a flat roof that is accessible and strong enough to work from?
• If you need to work from the roof, does it have guardrails or other equipment that will prevent a fall?
• If no, can this be installed?

From a platform

• Can you do the work from a mobile elevated work platform (MEWP) or tower scaffold?

Fall protection

• Can you use personal fall protection to allow safe access?
• Can rope access be used to do the job safely (e.g. are the access points in good condition)?

From a ladder

• Is the work low risk and short duration?
• Do you have a ladder that will reach the area?
• Can you secure the ladder safely?
• Can you or your workers use the ladder safely?

• Plan what you will do in an emergency, or if someone falls.
• Make sure the people who will be doing the job have the right skills, experience and training to use the equipment safely and have been consulted about the right equipment to use.
• Take frequent breaks, especially when working from a ladder - do not work from a ladder for longer than 30 minutes at a time
• If you have to use a ladder make sure you re-position it before you clean another window, to reduce the risk of an accident from over-reaching.
• If you use a ladder keep three points of contact wherever possible.
• If you are hiring access equipment, make sure you know how to install and dismantle it safely - ask the hirer for instructions or assistance if you need them.

What can happen:

A window cleaner sustained broken ribs, fingers and a broken arm when he fell 2.3 m from his ladder while cleaning the windows of a show home on a new housing estate. The ladder was not secured or footed, the ground was dry but sloped gently away from the building. The construction company had not produced a method statement and the injured man had received no health and safety induction when he arrived on the site.