[nathankaye]

This is something that I have avoided, but I have been out today to quote some g/f/s cleans but really they could/should be having a roof scrape and clean.
So I'm toying with the idea of adding this to the services.  I know how to do so, but my question of help, is......


I've seen on the net, on other forums ones just chancing it and walking on the roof with no safety measures what so ever....... Crazy in my mind, even if they wanted to keep their prices down.

So, for the ones who tackle roof cleans, do you go to the trouble of erecting a  scaffolding tower or do you hire a cherry picker or a spider lift etc?  What qualifications are required for this, in order to operate it yourself?
I appreciate your advice on this, thanks

[Dave Willis]

Oneself sticks to window cleaning.

[Shrek]

Oneself sticks to window cleaning.

😂

[Smudger]

Cherry picker/spider lift - IPAF required

If bungalow with shallow pitch we rope over and use lanyard

don't scrape - takes forever and quite honestly does a poope job - pressure wash and treat with hypo

goto general cleaning and the what have I cleaned today thread to see how its done

Darran

[nathankaye]

Cherry picker/spider lift - IPAF required

If bungalow with shallow pitch we rope over and use lanyard

don't scrape - takes forever and quite honestly does a poope job - pressure wash and treat with hypo

goto general cleaning and the what have I cleaned today thread to see how its done

Darran

Cheers Darren, I just wasn't aware of what training I required to use cherry pickers n the like.
I'll look into where I can get IPAF trained.
Cheers

[zesty]

I’ve been using cherry pickers for years, the place I hire them from has never required IPAF. So we’ve never bothered.  We do make sure to be insured to use the cherry picker though.

I would do an IPAF course, but not until it becomes the law. The place we hire from said there is no law needed to hire them, just insurance. I was suprised, but we’ve used them several times over the years. Using a nifty lift 120t. Piece of cake to use. I would not use one if a commercial customer required IPAF though. If something went wrong, that’d be it. But for demostic, no such issue. 

Done a fair few roof cleans, it’s good money, but ridiculously messy. And I mean MESSY.

As of recent I have opted to hypo roofs with my softwash system. I tell the customer it won’t remove the moss, but will kill it.

I find this much less mess and faff, and consequently have been able to do it alone without paying my mate to help (you need two people when using a picker)

If I’m to make a guess Nathan, this is probably another Scotland situation, you’ll never actually do it 😁

[nathankaye]

I’ve been using cherry pickers for years, the place I hire them from has never required IPAF. So we’ve never bothered.  We do make sure to be insured to use the cherry picker though.

I would do an IPAF course, but not until it becomes the law. The place we hire from said there is no law needed to hire them, just insurance. I was suprised, but we’ve used them several times over the years. Using a nifty lift 120t. Piece of cake to use. I would not use one if a commercial customer required IPAF though. If something went wrong, that’d be it. But for demostic, no such issue. 

Done a fair few roof cleans, it’s good money, but ridiculously messy. And I mean MESSY.

As of recent I have opted to hypo roofs with my softwash system. I tell the customer it won’t remove the moss, but will kill it.

I find this much less mess and faff, and consequently have been able to do it alone without paying my mate to help (you need two people when using a picker)

If I’m to make a guess Nathan, this is probably another Scotland situation, you’ll never actually do it 😁

Cheers for info.
Cheeky git 😂.
I have no qualms selling a couple of days of work and replacing with new in order to freshen up my work.
However, to sell it all and start from fresh in a complete new area fills me with dread. Not so much the work as I know u would probably have to get a part time job whilst I spent a lot of time building the round up.  Again no worries on this as such, but my wife suffers from anxiety and depression quite badly and although long term this move will be good for the family, it has to be done much slower at the moment, taking all things into consideration

[Dave Willis]

I think I know the cause. 

[Smudger]

I’ve been using cherry pickers for years, the place I hire them from has never required IPAF. So we’ve never bothered.  We do make sure to be insured to use the cherry picker though.

I would do an IPAF course, but not until it becomes the law. The place we hire from said there is no law needed to hire them, just insurance. I was suprised, but we’ve used them several times over the years. Using a nifty lift 120t. Piece of cake to use. I would not use one if a commercial customer required IPAF though. If something went wrong, that’d be it. But for demostic, no such issue. 

Done a fair few roof cleans, it’s good money, but ridiculously messy. And I mean MESSY.

As of recent I have opted to hypo roofs with my softwash system. I tell the customer it won’t remove the moss, but will kill it.

I find this much less mess and faff, and consequently have been able to do it alone without paying my mate to help (you need two people when using a picker)

If I’m to make a guess Nathan, this is probably another Scotland situation, you’ll never actually do it 😁

I will double check that for you because I understood that if you use one privately no licence is required but as a trade you are required to be trained - you also need to show the insurance company you are trained - I would be concerned that th hire company are putting you down as a private user - you certainly wouldn't get on a commercial site without a card

Darran

[Smudger]

ok - I see we will have a ding dong argument over this

There is no legal requirement for operators to have special qualifications to use Cherry Pickers.  Site operators and employers however, have a legal responsibility to ensure the safety of employees or people working on their site. Obviously if an operator doesn't’t really know what he’s doing (isn’t competent) then accidents are more likely to happen and someone will be liable for letting the operator use that equipment.

For this reason many sites and employers will insist that operators are trained and can prove they how what they are doing. The most widely recognised qualifications are issued by IPAF

so, yes no legal IPAF required - but then legally you need to have taken all the right measures - so no licence maybe something goes wrong ( bearing in mind your on your own worksite ) you could be up the creek without a paddle

Darran

[zesty]

Hi Darren,

You do have to show you’ve been trained, but that’s very hard to prove, I suppose they take your word for it.

Its not obligatory to have IPAF to hire, but can be for some commercial companies. (They obviously want to cover themselves) but as said, I don’t use them for commercial work, although I did once.

The way I see it, we have used them several times, so know exactly how to work them safely.  An IPAF course would benefit me zero in terms of ‘training’ it would, however, benefit me if I wanted to ‘win’ commercial work that required it.

So far I’ve not had a commercial job that needs a cherry picker (other than once, and they didn’t ask nor mention IPAF was needed) but if I did, and they insisted on IPAF I’d probably do the course. Provided it was worth it for the job in hand.

I’m certainly not advocating Nathan goes out and hires a picker without IPAF training, but personally, we’ve never needed it, the first time we used one, the hire company showed us how to use it, and off we went. (Perhaps that’s the training!)

[zesty]

ok - I see we will have a ding dong argument over this

There is no legal requirement for operators to have special qualifications to use Cherry Pickers.  Site operators and employers however, have a legal responsibility to ensure the safety of employees or people working on their site. Obviously if an operator doesn't’t really know what he’s doing (isn’t competent) then accidents are more likely to happen and someone will be liable for letting the operator use that equipment.

For this reason many sites and employers will insist that operators are trained and can prove they how what they are doing. The most widely recognised qualifications are issued by IPAF

so, yes no legal IPAF required - but then legally you need to have taken all the right measures - so no licence maybe something goes wrong ( bearing in mind your on your own worksite ) you could be up the creek without a paddle

Darran

I don’t have employees, so it’s me and good friend who’s also a window cleaner that use the pickers.

If I had employees, no way in a million years would I allow them to use access equipment without IPAF.

I was genuinely suprised when the hire company told us we didn’t need IPAF nor training Darren, that was 5 years ago, and we’ve never really thought about since, we continue to use them to this very day (though rarely).

Insurance however is essential, both for the picker and the building worked on.

Nothing to worry about according to what we have both discovered 👍🏼

[Ralphie]

IPAF is a legal requirement domestic or commercial for cherry pickers, scissor lifts or booms over 3.5 ton.

I use them all of the time and you can get some easy to use booms under 3.5 tons giving a 12 metre reach for 150 a week but it’s 70 delivery.

Group your jobs and you can make it work.

[Smudger]

IPAF is a legal requirement domestic or commercial for cherry pickers, scissor lifts or booms over 3.5 ton.

You can get 23 meter reach under 3.5 tons - where as posted you don't need a licence - the was not the reason for the above posts

I use them all of the time and you can get some easy to use booms under 3.5 tons giving a 12 metre reach for 150 a week but it’s 70 delivery.

Group your jobs and you can make it work.

"Commercial does not mean working on a commercial building - you are a biz so you are cleaning commercially - ie. for money"
so where you pitch up is a commercial site while you work there - agreed it does not need to be ipaf - but any training will have a cert. so easy to prove  - the risk is down to you should the worst ever happen

Darran

[Slacky]

I hired a 15m cherry picker a couple or so weeks ago from Nationwide Platforms. No evidence of IPAF qualification was required or asked for although I am ticketed.

I'd imagine if you hire a machine, have an accident but aren't qualified no insurance company in the world will cover you including the insurance cover supplied as cost by the machine supplier.

[Slacky]

IPAF is a legal requirement domestic or commercial for cherry pickers, scissor lifts or booms over 3.5 ton.

I use them all of the time and you can get some easy to use booms under 3.5 tons giving a 12 metre reach for 150 a week but it’s 70 delivery.

Group your jobs and you can make it work.

Have you got a link to these companies that supply machines at these prices?

[deeege]

I think saying the IPAF course won’t teach you anything is a bit naive tbh. I found the course both informative and interesting and learnt many things other than how to drive a cherry picker/ scissor lift.

A very well spent £250 or so.

[zesty]

I think saying the IPAF course won’t teach you anything is a bit naive tbh. I found the course both informative and interesting and learnt many things other than how to drive a cherry picker/ scissor lift.

A very well spent £250 or so.

Yeah I might learn something, but in terms of the cherry picker use, I don’t think there would be anything else we’d need to know, it’s about as easy as going to the toilet.  If the course was that essential, every member of the public would have to do the course before hiring them. They are so simple to use.

We’ve used them for so many years now, it’s second nature.

I agree IPAF is a good idea, we just never bothered when told we didn’t need it.

If you employ, then by all means, but let’s say Nathan did do a roof clean, I’m sure he’s got the sense to operate a cherry picker without IPAF. (I hope 🤔)

[Ralphie]

IPAF is a legal requirement domestic or commercial for cherry pickers, scissor lifts or booms over 3.5 ton.

You can get 23 meter reach under 3.5 tons - where as posted you don't need a licence - the was not the reason for the above posts

I use them all of the time and you can get some easy to use booms under 3.5 tons giving a 12 metre reach for 150 a week but it’s 70 delivery.

Group your jobs and you can make it work.

"Commercial does not mean working on a commercial building - you are a biz so you are cleaning commercially - ie. for money"
so where you pitch up is a commercial site while you work there - agreed it does not need to be ipaf - but any training will have a cert. so easy to prove  - the risk is down to you should the worst ever happen

Darran

Correct, commercial does not mean working on a commercial building, the point I was making for domestic is that I have also hired a boom to fit a number of velux windows on MY barn conversion, I did not pay myself so therefore using it domestically.

[nathankaye]

So, in essence, I can hire one possibly with a little training from the hire company who will also cover me with insurance!  However, the insurance might need to be checked to ensure that this level of training will be adequate for their insurance to cover.

Provided the mechanical lift/platform is lighter than 3.5tonne then it might not be required and the above is satisfactory.

Higher than 3.5 and commercial purposes etc IPAF is required.
So overall, for future possibilities an IPAF course still looks the best way forward, which ensures I will definitely be covered by insurance either my own or rental companies and gives me the scope of various platforms to use.
Cheers guys