Cleaning windows seems like a fairly easy venture right?! Wrong. If you are a window cleaner in the commercial industry you will be aware of the dangers and risks you are putting yourself through working at great heights.
You completely depend on your life with the equipment you use. Making sure equipment is installed correctly, as well as maintaining the quality of what is supporting you, is a life or death situation.Window cleaning is one of the most unexpected dangerous jobs, but can cause fatality if not carried out with experience, knowledge and professionalism.
How dangerous can it be?
Buildings have been getting taller and taller over the last half a century. A lot of modern building are made with glass, and a lot of windows to go with them too, meaning the demand for commercial window cleaning has risen. In the early days of high rise buildings, commercial window cleaners used rope access exclusively, but not with the advanced development and safety precautions we have today.
Access has developed over the years and finding safer ways to clean windows of tall buildings has continued to be a priority. Such risky environments have led to several different access options over the years, and now there are a few ways utilised, but none more so than the cradle access and rope access.
Rope Access
Rope Access is the closest you can get to the office desk on the 28th floor. Yes dangling at 100 feet in the air from a rope is not for the faint heart, but is an everyday occurrence for a commercial window cleaner. Rope access is a non stop workout for a window cleaner and it takes a lot of strength and experience to perfect it. Many commercial window cleaners use rope access because of the benefits to getting as close as you possible can to your project and ensuring the job is done with complete precision.
Window Cleaning Cradle
Another fantastic method for commercial window cleaning at dizzying heights, is in a cradle. The cradle is basically a platform that is suspended on a crane. The platform is usually large enough for multiple professionals to work from, which is why this method is a popular choice. A job shared, is a job halved. The level of the cradle can be adjusted manually and automatically which can make the cleaning process flow with ease. Anybody operating or using cradle access with have to be certificated, possessing the right knowledge and suitable experience to use this dangerous method.
