21.10.2003

Health and Safety Executive issue new guidance for window cleaners.

The Health and Safety Executive has published new guidance in the form of a series of three free information sheets on safety in window cleaning. The guidance is aimed at window cleaning companies themselves, but will be of relevance to designers, owners and those involved in maintenance of buildings.

Window cleaning is a hazardous activity and the risk of falling from heights is one of HSE's current priority programmes. Every year several window cleaners die at work and many more are seriously injured.

The three sheets set out what both HSE and the industry agree are reasonable standards of control that comply with current legal requirements. All sheets were prepared jointly by representatives of HSE, local authorities and the National Federation of Master Window and General Cleaners. The new guidance includes:

Use of ladders;
Use of cradles and mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPS) - ‘cherry pickers’;
Rope access techniques.

There have been issues raised about the use of rope access techniques for window cleaning, and these have been highlighted by the work to implement new regulations on work at height due out next year. As rope access is a widespread window cleaning practice, with some evidence of poor standards, HSE felt specific guidance was necessary.

Rope access should not however be the automatic first choice of access for cleaning windows in new buildings. Designers and others who specify the method of access, including the client, must consider measures that give collective protection (e.g. cradles). If rope access is selected the designer must be able to demonstrate that this is best solution taking all relevant circumstances into account, including other maintenance or cleaning tasks that require external access at height.

The new guidance emphasises the full and strict training and supervision that must be carried out on every job as well as giving a general overview of the many other factors that must be taken into account.

The sheet on ladders outlines accepted best practice in window cleaning. The use of ladders is a subject that has generated much debate in the work on the forthcoming regulations.

To clarify the situation HSE is not attempting to ban ladders or stepladders, but ladders should not be the automatic first choice of access. They should only be used after a suitable assessment of the alternatives and the prevailing site conditions. The selection process for access equipment is coming under increasing scrutiny at HSE inspections. This guidance clarifies that for short duration work like window cleaning, provided a number of well-recognised precautions are taken, ladders will remain a common tool for many jobs.

Cradles and MEWPs have long been regarded as one of the safer means of access for window cleaning, as they give collective (group) protection, but serious accidents have occurred, for example from failures to maintain such equipment. The information sheet on these is set out as a series of checklists for window cleaners.

It should be read in conjunction with new industry wide guidance from HSE MISC 614 Preventing falls from boom-type mobile elevating work platforms that was published in September.