HOME | WORKING THE NET | JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2011
A window cleaner for over 30 years, Gary Mauer is an industry giant. He is one of the founding fathers of the IWCA, founder and operator of the very popular Window Cleaning Network, relentless champion of the fabricating debris/scratched glass issue, and consultant / contributor to the American Window Cleaner Magazine. In every issue of AWC, Gary’s Safety Check column has proved invaluable to readers, and excerpts from his Window Cleaning Network give a glimpse into what everyone is talking about. Visit http://www.window-cleaning.net/ to get involved!
Question: Why do RDS guys wear helmets? I think I would be more concerned about a helmet falling on someone below.
Tom Stauffer
Squeegieclean Windows LLC - Baden, PA
A person who goes into fall arrest on the side of a building will likely hit their head on the building. A conscious (helmeted) person - trained in self rescue - can easily and quickly be standing on the ground. An unconscious person with a probable head injury must rely on another person on the jobsite who is trained in rescue.
Jeff Scott
Green Window Cleaning, LLC - Sun Prairie, WI
Those would be secured with a chin strap, right? Unlike a common hard hat that merely snugs down like a baseball cap?
Gary Mauer
Window Cleaning Network - Oconomowoc, WI
This subject of chin strapped helmets recently came up on one of our scaffolding job sites in regards to what the safety officer called "work at height". He was claiming that when working at height you are required to wear a hard hat with a chin strap as opposed to just a standard top one.
He cited two reasons: the first was that it could fall down onto someone if you knock it off, the second was that if you were to fall, one of the first things to come off is going to be that non-secured hard hat, thus leaving your head vulnerable.
Dave Webb
Wellbuilt Equipment Inc - Crete, IL
With a chin strap, yes. Petzl and PMI both make great rope access helmets. On a construction site it is up to whoever is in charge of the project. A helmet is not required by OSHA, but it is required for "Rope Access Technicians" certified by either SPRAT or IRATA. Most job sites run by a construction company will require a hard hat.
Ours go on the same time our harnesses do. No exceptions.
Jeff Scott
Green Window Cleaning, LLC - Sun Prairie, WI
Question: Here is a TV news report about a window cleaner who apparently copied a key, then posed as the homeowner in an effort to collect a $500 security deposit from prospective renters.
He wanted only $800/month for a pretty nice house - with no lease required. It all seemed too good to be true. So the renters contacted police, who set up a sting - and as it turns out, it was too good to be true.
At the beginning of the interview the homeowner points to the window cleaner's yellow page listing. You can clearly see her notation - $45.00. Ironically, no one seemed to think that was too good to be true.
Gary Mauer
Window Cleaning Network - Oconomowoc, WI
The homeowner even stated how "hard it is to find a reasonable window cleaner". And she said he did a good job cleaning the windows. (He will need to send her a coupon from jail.)
Mark Reinhart
Award Window Cleaning Services, Inc - Grand Rapids, MI
That's no window cleaner. He's a burglar with a squeegee. Glad they caught him.
Paul LeGrand
Blue Sky Window Cleaning - Stowe, VT
The police are checking the MO to see if he has done before. Too bad it had to be a window cleaner.
Mark Reinhart
Award Window Cleaning Services, Inc - Grand Rapids, MI
Question: The IWCA and GANA went ahead with a bulletin on Jobsite Protection of glass � with lots of information for builders about protecting glass. Unfortunately there are also 350 words on window cleaning, mostly from GANA's point of view.
It says in part "Building owners should ensure that individuals cleaning fenestration materials are well aware of the glazing products in the building and their unique properties and are knowledgeable about and capable of using proper cleaning procedures and practices recommended by the glazing manufacturer and the glass industry."
The bulletin tells readers precisely where to find GANA bulletins on the GANA website - the Tech Center � where GANA's cleaning procedures are featured.
But this "joint" bulletin doesn't even mention the IWCA website Education section - where a reader would find many useful IWCA resources; bulletins and articles on tempered glass quality, scrapers, fabricating debris defects and tempered glass scratch waivers. There isn't a hint the IWCA has any useful information at all.
It I think the IWCA gave up too much to get their name on a bulletin that helps promote GANA positions on window cleaning. Too one sided.
Gary Mauer
Window Cleaning Network - Oconomowoc, WI
Does this mean that the IWCA has now signed-off on a statement that the glass industry's recommendations (no scrapers) are the way to go? That is what I see. This looks like a GANA victory and an IWCA retreat to me.
Tony Cogan
Cogan Window Cleaning - Hutchinson, KS
It seems as though people are skipping over the part about protection. This is for the contractor. "Construction Site Protection and Maintenance of Architectural Glass - Steps Must Be Taken to Avoid Permanent Damage to Glass." Would you go to a building with a coating on the #1 side and use steel wool or a scraper? Some do. If I were a building owner I would want to know the guy cleaning my windows is not using something on my windows that may not be covered on his insurance policy, and he could never afford to replace.
Mark Reinhart
Award Window Cleaning Services, Inc - Grand Rapids, MI
If I were a builder, I would like to be educated on what's really going on here so I could buy a quality product that won't scratch with standard window cleaning tools, which includes razor blades and scrapers. And so would anyone in the window film business that's dealing with the incompetence of these same fabricators. Since when does "Quality" not matter? Why is it acceptable to cover up the defects and avoid the real truth?
Dan Fields
Fields Construction Services Inc. - Livermore, CA
There is a warning about damage to glass caused by aggressive cleaning methods in a GANA bulletin - that means scrapers, and we all know it. The IWCA should have insisted on balance - a statement that scrapers don't scratch glass - a comment on tempered glass surface quality issues. This was supposed to be a joint bulletin, but where is the balance?
Gary Mauer
Window Cleaning Network
Question: Homeowners around here seem to be doing a lot more Halloween lighting. So what about Halloween as part of a holiday light service?
Gary Mauer
Window Cleaning Network - Oconomowoc, WI
I've never had a request to do Halloween decorations, so I am not sure there is a market. But it seems like a good idea to offer Halloween decorations to be installed, then after Halloween to take them down and install Christmas decorations that same day.
The problem I see with Halloween would be storing everybody's ghosts and goblins. It is pretty easy to store lights.
Corey Goforth
A Better View Window Cleaning - Orange County, CA
How about offering a Halloween/Christmas lighting special while the weather is still nice? Install two sets of lights at once; orange for Halloween and red/green for Christmas. The homeowner just flicks a switch for one set or the other. I got a flyer in the mail recently from a company that does this: http://www.hcplights.com. Ground accessories (ghosts, Santas, etc.) could be put up by the homeowner.
Ed Samson
Ameri-Clean Commercial, Inc. - Northbrook, IL
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