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KS Cleaning

  • Posts: 3952
RIP
« on: June 03, 2021, 04:12:43 pm »
Window cleaner electrocuted after pole hits power lines https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-57344846
In another report it said the guy ran a cleaning business and decided to add  window cleaning to the services he provided. He had  just bought the pole and was trying it out at home when the accident happened.

jk999

  • Posts: 2089
Re: RIP
« Reply #1 on: June 03, 2021, 05:43:55 pm »
Omg 😳😳😳

tom20001

  • Posts: 766
Re: RIP
« Reply #2 on: June 03, 2021, 07:20:35 pm »
Very sad. Rip

Innocence & Experience

  • Posts: 116
Re: RIP
« Reply #3 on: June 03, 2021, 08:15:53 pm »
A lesson to us all  :( RIP Windy

lal

  • Posts: 1112
Re: RIP
« Reply #4 on: June 04, 2021, 09:17:00 am »

 That is so unfortunate,  RIP

M & C Window Cleaning

  • Posts: 1581
Re: RIP
« Reply #5 on: June 04, 2021, 10:38:13 am »
This is very sad. Our sympathies go out to his family and friends.

I remember a window cleaner friend who moved to Scotland before the WFP boom.  It wasn’t long before he had walked under some power cables with his ladder extended as he moved around a property and caught his ladders on them. He was very fortunate to not be seriously hurt but it made a mess of the top of his ladders.

Gringo

  • Posts: 315
Re: RIP
« Reply #6 on: June 04, 2021, 01:36:21 pm »
Poor fella, tragedy for family, bought some equipment to make working life safer and died as a result, think he has kids too

Ortsa

  • Posts: 84
Re: RIP
« Reply #7 on: June 05, 2021, 08:31:42 am »
Are power lines like this common in residential areas? Don't think I've seen them before but feel I need to keep an eye out now!!

tom20001

  • Posts: 766
Re: RIP
« Reply #8 on: June 05, 2021, 08:35:51 am »
Are power lines like this common in residential areas? Don't think I've seen them before but feel I need to keep an eye out now!!

Generally I would have thought not but i done an awkward gutter clean on a house definitely built in last 20 years with power lines way too close to the house for comfort . Was not at all comfortable doing the job even though aware of them

Pete Thompson

  • Posts: 960
Re: RIP
« Reply #9 on: June 05, 2021, 09:31:21 am »
Are power lines like this common in residential areas? Don't think I've seen them before but feel I need to keep an eye out now!!

Pretty sure that’s a stock photo

Slacky

  • Posts: 8278
Re: RIP
« Reply #10 on: June 05, 2021, 09:42:03 am »
What?

Spruce

  • Posts: 8462
Re: RIP
« Reply #11 on: June 05, 2021, 10:14:52 am »
Are power lines like this common in residential areas? Don't think I've seen them before but feel I need to keep an eye out now!!

Pretty sure that’s a stock photo

Most newer residential houses built have underground power supply cables. 

Here is a Google street view of some houses we clean.

The closest pole with the street light is the power cables. Look closely and you will see they run to the houses. 3 cables  - the lower one being an earth cable.

The next pole to the front of the ambulance is for telephones.



We clean the house with the imitation Georgian bedroom windows on the right. The power cable runs close to the window. We need to be careful when cleaning that window. Just about every time we clean our customers on this street I point out the cables as a reminder to both me and my son to be careful.

All the houses on this street are like this.

Success is 1% inspiration, 98% perspiration and 2% attention to detail!

The older I get, the better I was ;)

Spruce

  • Posts: 8462
Re: RIP
« Reply #12 on: June 05, 2021, 10:41:39 am »
Back in the days when I believed I was invincible I took this job on.



I had a small gap between the building and the power lines to work in to clean those upper windows. It was stupid of me even to do this. We wrote a letter to the electricity board and they eventually replaced the cable to ABC (aerial bundled cables) cables which are fully insulated. They have also been mounted higher so there isn't a danger anymore.
Success is 1% inspiration, 98% perspiration and 2% attention to detail!

The older I get, the better I was ;)

dazmond

  • Posts: 23966
Re: RIP
« Reply #13 on: June 05, 2021, 01:39:17 pm »
you dont even need to touch the cables with your pole to get an electric shock either if conditions are right.......which is worrying....  :(

i can honestly say i never even think about cables when im working....i do occasionally touch telephone cables with my pole which is easily done
price higher/work harder!

Ortsa

  • Posts: 84
Re: RIP
« Reply #14 on: June 05, 2021, 03:15:42 pm »
Are power lines like this common in residential areas? Don't think I've seen them before but feel I need to keep an eye out now!!

Pretty sure that’s a stock photo

Most newer residential houses built have underground power supply cables. 

Here is a Google street view of some houses we clean.

The closest pole with the street light is the power cables. Look closely and you will see they run to the houses. 3 cables  - the lower one being an earth cable.

The next pole to the front of the ambulance is for telephones.



We clean the house with the imitation Georgian bedroom windows on the right. The power cable runs close to the window. We need to be careful when cleaning that window. Just about every time we clean our customers on this street I point out the cables as a reminder to both me and my son to be careful.

All the houses on this street are like this.

I'd seriously consider binning those, that's terrifying!

NBwcs

  • Posts: 881
Re: RIP
« Reply #15 on: June 05, 2021, 06:01:18 pm »
you dont even need to touch the cables with your pole to get an electric shock either if conditions are right.......which is worrying....  :(

i can honestly say i never even think about cables when im working....i do occasionally touch telephone cables with my pole which is easily done

So do i Daz but the worrying thing is it could have been an electric cable as each time ive done it ive been totally oblivious to the cables being there. Luckily theres not many round here but are some the further out of town you go. Definately going to have to keep my wits about me after this, so easliy done, RIP .

zesty

  • Posts: 2453
Re: RIP
« Reply #16 on: June 05, 2021, 08:08:34 pm »
I’m certainly not risk averse, but I always keep an eye out for electricity cables, I’ve always been super careful of them.

It is generally older estates, 1930s to 1950’s perhaps.

There should be greater awareness for window cleaners. Such a tragic death.

dd

  • Posts: 2568
Re: RIP
« Reply #17 on: June 06, 2021, 09:22:37 am »
I only have one upstairs window on my round near a power cable. I simply leave that window. Enough work out there to avoid taking unnecessary risks.

NBwcs

  • Posts: 881
Re: RIP
« Reply #18 on: June 07, 2021, 02:11:29 pm »
you dont even need to touch the cables with your pole to get an electric shock either if conditions are right.......which is worrying....  :(

i can honestly say i never even think about cables when im working....i do occasionally touch telephone cables with my pole which is easily done

So do i Daz but the worrying thing is it could have been an electric cable as each time ive done it ive been totally oblivious to the cables being there. Luckily theres not many round here but are some the further out of town you go. Definately going to have to keep my wits about me after this, so easliy done, RIP .

So much for keeping my wits about me, 1st day back to work today after I posted, I've got caught up in a bt wire that I was totally unaware of, I would have been no more aware of it had it have been a power line. Need to open my eyes, it's very easy just to plod on such is the monotonous nature of this job.

zesty

  • Posts: 2453
Re: RIP
« Reply #19 on: June 07, 2021, 06:46:58 pm »
you dont even need to touch the cables with your pole to get an electric shock either if conditions are right.......which is worrying....  :(

i can honestly say i never even think about cables when im working....i do occasionally touch telephone cables with my pole which is easily done

So do i Daz but the worrying thing is it could have been an electric cable as each time ive done it ive been totally oblivious to the cables being there. Luckily theres not many round here but are some the further out of town you go. Definately going to have to keep my wits about me after this, so easliy done, RIP .

So much for keeping my wits about me, 1st day back to work today after I posted, I've got caught up in a bt wire that I was totally unaware of, I would have been no more aware of it had it have been a power line. Need to open my eyes, it's very easy just to plod on such is the monotonous nature of this job.

Make it a habit to check surroundings before moving the pole up. Becomes second nature in the end, to have a quick scan for danger