[matt]

i cleaned 1 of the roads i do most of the houses on, infact today i did number 2 upto 28 ( all of them ) nice 3 / 4 bed semi's and detached

now what did i see today

1 of the houses opposite ( i cleaned that side last wednesday ) was having PVCu fascia's

2 doors down from that house were having the fascias painted

number 16 ( i was due to clean it around lunch time ) were having gutters cleaned ( 2 scruffs arrived in a lorry ) they charged 100 quid for cleaning out the front gutter ( about 4 M of gutter ) and cleaned the rear gutter out and cleaned the outisde of the rear ( about 6 M )

and they were all done off ladders

[Tim82]

 i cant belive someone would pay that for a gutter job. i charge that for emtying gutters and cleaning the upvc!!!! you shoulda kicked their ladder..(only joking admin  )

[L.J.Thorpe]

Are there really people working as window cleaners, where ladders were once, one of the main tools of the trade along side squeegee applicator & bucket.

Can’t even understand the rules regarding ladders, and do they think they are professionals?

Not having a go at you Matt, just your subject heading.

what
what are you trying to say

[tacky]

they were doing it off ladders ,because LADDERS ARE NOT BANNED .

[kris martin]

they were doing it off ladders ,because LADDERS ARE NOT BANNED .

no ladders are not banned...

[geefree]

RESTRICTED.

[Nathanael Jones]

The regulations state that ladders should not be uses when there is a practical alternative. If you have WFP, then this is an alternative.

Fitting PVC isn't possible with a pole, & painting isn't either... so ladders are still allowed.

This "ladders banned" thing is simple,.. I can't understand why there's so much fuss & confusion about it!

[matt]

Fitting PVC isn't possible with a pole, & painting isn't either... so ladders are still allowed.

but shouldnt they use scaffolding

[matt]

the heading is ironic, as people have allways used the excuse that ladders are banned so they have to use WFP

[Nathanael Jones]

6 hours setting up/taking down scaffold for a 2 hour job?

Not "Reasonably practical",...

[pjulk]

As long as they have done a risk assessment ladders are fine

[jeff1]

Fitting PVC isn't possible with a pole, & painting isn't either... so ladders are still allowed.

but shouldnt they use scaffolding

I priced a Job this afternoon where they had just finished putting new guttering up and painting the out side of the house, the bloke told me the Job cost an extra £1,500 because they had to use scaffolding.

[matt]

6 hours setting up/taking down scaffold for a 2 hour job?

Not "Reasonably practical",...

most likely a 2/3 day job if done correctly, i.e old timber off and new ply fitted then PVCu

the thing with "Reasonably practical" is not the cost

i know of FOUR local companies who will not use ladders for painting of any other type of work, they do top end quality jobs and charge for the scaffolding

[windowwashers]

As long as they have done a risk assessment ladders are fine

You will find any big job that can be done wfp will dismiss your quote if you use ladders because of H&S

[pjulk]

This is for gutters though not windows.

[seandyer2003]

Fitting PVC isn't possible with a pole, & painting isn't either... so ladders are still allowed.

but shouldnt they use scaffolding

Thats true, the outlay for a scaffolding tower, or even to hire it is about the same as buying a wfp system!

[tacky]

as matt said .two srcuffs jumped out of lorry .etc put up ladders done the job              .n were down the pub before u or me .got the scaff off the van .these guys dont care about u or me .they dont give a monkeys bout. h s . or the old bill . that is wy these guys will beat our qoutes .at the end of the day most people would rather have a sh ...y cheap job done .

[Kevin R]

Nearly every commercial job I do I use a mixture of wfp and ladders.  Wfp is the best tool for external glass and there is no doubt about this, but internally its a very different matter.  Occasionally ledgers and poles are impractical due to deep sills etc. So a ladder is a necessity if you are to do the job.

I provide my clients with a comprehensive risk assessment and method statement for window cleaning with wfp and by ladder.  Not one client has batted an eyelid as using a cherry picker / scaffolding to clean a few windows (ladders may be used as temporary work stations) would be impractical and I would price myself out of the market. As long a you adopt a safe and practical attitude to window cleaning you will get the job.

It makes me laugh reading some of the posts on this forum as there are several excellent free publications provided by the HSE that take less than 10 mins to read and they are freely available online on the HSE website. If we all read them maybe the ladder versus wfp debate would stop as both are tools used safely by professional window cleaners everywhere. If you clean large commercial properties your have to use both to complete the job in a cost effective manner - if you are domestic you have a choice not to use ladders at all. So if you dont want to use ladders then stay domestic and leave the commercial to professionals that use the armory of tools available including the much maligned ladder, and more importantly stop spreading the ladders are banned rubbish just because you don't like them.

[Scrimble]

thanks for that kevin the first decent post i've read for a long time on this forum

[AuRavelling79]

Window cleaner #1: "Ladders are banned you know!"

Window cleaner #2: "Are they? I never knew that!"

Window cleaner #3: "No, they're not!"

(Malc Gold arrives all cheerful and happy.)

Malc Gold: "Hi guys! Wassup?"

All 3 window cleaners in unison: "We're discussing whether ladders are banned!"

Malc Gold (Running away faster than Usain Boult):

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg
ggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"