[prestige cleaners]

apparently his wfp system was frozen up last friday, so went out on ladders with no footer. hes had 3 ops and smashed his ankle. still in hospital.

if your reading this phil, hope your better soon mate.

[Richard Neal]

Easily done, ive had a few close calls over the years, hope he is back out there soon.

[dazmond]

i personally think its madness going back to ladders when its freezing if your working on your own!im happy to use a trad pole and screenwash and i very rarely get any complaints!

a local guy who s been window cleaning for 20 years fell off last year and broke his heel and damaged vertabrae in his back.he wont be going back to window cleaning!! :


dazmond

[Johnny B]

I'm trad, and agree that it is madness going out when it's icy. I had to have a small job done on my van on Wednesday at my friendly garage (a customer) hoping to do a few local jobs which were due. The roads were clear but the pavements were lethal. Definite no-go for me. However I did see another trad cleaner up his ladder in the same village. How he even got to the houses without slipping over... :

John.

[bobby p]

i trust my ladder spikes (  but you never really know do you ) , i sharpened them recently with a file

[dazmond]

theres just no need to climb ladders in 99% of cases these days for window cleaning so why do some of you guys do?do you enjoy doing it??

[birdymiller]

Yea i enjoy it and it keeps me fit. Its faster than trad pole and less hastle and overheads than wfp. The trad pole is a great option for unsafe windows and conditions but for 90% of time ladders are very safe if you are an experienced shiner. Sometimes we can cut corners trying to save time or lose concentration, this is when accidents like the above can happen. I now know that if we carry on getting bad weather ie snow i can still go out and just do downstairs. For you daz being more experienced with trad pole you can do upstairs as well, so bonus

[JoeMax]

90% 

Seriously when you actually do fall and hurt yourself you'll wish you invested in WFP. Damn, I fell over a few weeks back play fighting with a friend - never again. I can still feel it - as you get older these little knocks really do develop into bigger problems later on in life. I'm sure of that.

[birdymiller]

i stopped play fighting with my freinds in my teens . Grow up and stop being a wuss

[bobby p]

theres just no need to climb ladders in 99% of cases these days for window cleaning so why do some of you guys do?do you enjoy doing it??

  a couple of months ago i had a fall,but this was only because i chose to trust a laddermat.   like others,i do enjoy ladder work ,its the main reason i do this job.  it can be a very boring job otherwise

[Jackal]

theres just no need to climb ladders in 99% of cases these days for window cleaning so why do some of you guys do?do you enjoy doing it??

daz,you used ladders for 16 years,why when you could of used trad pole then ?,i actually do enjoy ladder work does keep you fit and ladders used properly are fine,its when you are rushing or stretching that things go wrong,

im all for wfp and will convert one day but its not for everyone some people wont want the hassle of it and prefer to fill a bucket of water and off you go 

[dai]

I think it's even more dangerous to use ladders when you have been WFP for years.
Your average trad guy spends more time practicing his ladder skills than a circus tight rope walker.
What I'm trying to say is you can lose your edge, a newbie compensates for this to some extent by being extra carefull, but for those of us that spent years working off ladders in the past, Ok we have the experience, but are sadly out of practice, and need to take extra care.

[G Griffin]

I think it's even more dangerous to use ladders when you have been WFP for years.
Your average trad guy spends more time practicing his ladder skills than a circus tight rope walker.
What I'm trying to say is you can lose your edge, a newbie compensates for this to some extent by being extra carefull, but for those of us that spent years working off ladders in the past, Ok we have the experience, but are sadly out of practice, and need to take extra care.

I was just thinking that Dai.

[p1w1]

I think it's even more dangerous to use ladders when you have been WFP for years.
Your average trad guy spends more time practicing his ladder skills than a circus tight rope walker.
What I'm trying to say is you can lose your edge, a newbie compensates for this to some extent by being extra carefull, but for those of us that spent years working off ladders in the past, Ok we have the experience, but are sadly out of practice, and need to take extra care.

Thats so true.. i used ladders for about 3 years but before that i was a scaffolder so heights ect never been an issue..but having been wfp for nearly 7 years nowadays when i'm up a ladder it is always in my head 1 slip and that could be it which does knock your confidence slightly when up a ladder, the heights are still not an issue its more of feeling uncomfortable when using them ..for me anyway.
paul

[ant french]

theres just no need to climb ladders in 99% of cases these days for window cleaning so why do some of you guys do?do you enjoy doing it??

for some of us starting out its the only option coz funs are low to be waterfed poles etc etc. but i plan on going wfp by spring.

[Londoner]

I'm an adrenalin junkie. I just love that buttock clenching moment when ladder moves unexpectedly and you are out at full stretch.

No seriously its WFP for me. Mind you I have had a few falls with WFP, usually when walking backwards looking up at the pole. Feel such a fool! However, thats the worst it can get. No broken legs or fractured sculls. Just bruised pride.

[Llaaww]

I had a close call last month.

 I was up clearing a gutter and hadn't set the ladder entirely straight. It shifted and I lost balance, making a desperate grab for the rungs I managed to hang on and ended up climbing down the inside.

I worked with ladders for years before going wfp, some of them huge and never had so much as a near miss. I put this one down to lack of practice as a result of going wfp for a few years.

I am not one to condemn ladders, but certainly if you have been off them for a couple of years you should take extra care.

[dazmond]

i still use ladders for the odd flat roof and opening gates.i even trad 4 accounts as its easier and faster than wfp but ive fell off twice and had a few "heart in the mouth" moments where ladders slipped an inch backwards so i dont use them every day anymore.

i see some windys with ladders on their own in icy weather and think"i used to do that"!! : ::)ive got a bit more sense now so no need to risk it like i used to!


dazmond

[JoeMax]

That "heart in mouth" feeling you describe.. damn that's horrible.. kinda like when you lean back on a chair too much.

[clearlyclean]

saw two windies in high street yesterday 2 nd storey on a busy pavement no one footing the ladder no signs thought only have to have some idiot not looking where there going and BAM accident waiting to happen