[Paul Coleman]

  Don't know if Andy Cheney posts on here but have just found this bit of
  info posted on another forum.

  http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/hsc/meetings/2006/090506/misc09.pdf

  Looks as if the HSE will be targeting window cleaners etc.. on the working at
  heights regulations. About time they starting enforcing this issue.

  Doug

personally, I just wish they would leave the self-employed alone.  It's understandable when someone is an employee and may feel under pressure to climb a ladder but I believe the HSE are going too far.  Compulsory ladder training would have sufficed and even that might be overkill in some cases.

[Moderator David@stives]

i have never been stubborn about ladders one of the reasons i persued wfp was because i was sick to the back teeth of ladders.

My first interaction with wfp told me wfp does not work, i dont know if people remember but i had a bad experience when i first got taught wfp, but things slowly got better.

My attitude is now if you dont look for spots you wont find any and if any get mentioned investigate and find out why they are there,you can usually find a solution.

The only trouble with wfp is that you have to rely on the customer to tell you if there is a problem apart from that and a few other little niggles it sure beats the monotomy of ladders

Dave

[DASERVICES]

  Dave totaly agree.

  Shiner don't know how old you are but the younger you are the more risks
  you take in life, the older you are the wiser you become. You look back and think
  wow that was stupid.

  Like I said before if we use the ladder safely we are ok, but customers will
  always ask us to clean that odd window where we know there is a risk. We've
  all done it, now its safer with WFP.

  We are not anti ladders but just think about our lives, just like HSE.

  Doug

[Paul Coleman]

  Dave totaly agree.

  Shiner don't know how old you are but the younger you are the more risks
  you take in life, the older you are the wiser you become. You look back and think
  wow that was stupid.

  Like I said before if we use the ladder safely we are ok, but customers will
  always ask us to clean that odd window where we know there is a risk. We've
  all done it, now its safer with WFP.

  We are not anti ladders but just think about our lives, just like HSE.

  Doug

Doug.
I'm 49 and have been window cleaning for 15 years so I know what you are saying.  There are things I used to do that I wouldn't even consider now.  I am a WFP user myself with very occasional ladder usage for a few flat roofs and a couple of houses with bad oxidisation.  I did mention compulsory ladder training rather than the current state of affairs so, hopefully, the less experienced (and probably younger) window cleaners would have been clued up as to what is and isn't safe with a ladder.
For the last few years (before switching to WFP) I have used an extension pole (not water fed) for the occasional hard to access window to keep my risk levels down.  All that kind of stuff could have been taught.

[jeff1]

Hi Guy's

I might be P***ing into the wind here.
But wahd, says ladders are not banned, and we all take this as read,

but the way I see it, if you normaly use a ladder to to do a window, and there is a safer way to do it, then this option must be used. there for is the ladder not banned for doing that window? and if you use the ladder for that window you are breaking H&S guide lines, and leaveing your self open to prosecution? I'm confussed like the rest of you?