Welcome to the UK Window Cleaning Forums

Starting or own a window cleaning business? We're a network of window cleaners sharing advice, tips & experience. Rounds for sale & more. Join us today!

Climbing on roofs

WCF

Help Support WCF:

Nearly all of us at some point are guilty or doing something slightly dodgy and unsafe but the fact is there are now safer ways to do things.
I'm mainly commercial so look at things in a different way but an accident could not just affect your health but your pocket.

Take the commercial job in the picture should you full off that roof the client may notify health and safety to cover himself if they find out your in breach of health and safety they can fine you.

A breach in health and safety can also stop you gaining new work when doing tenders.

The public have been known to report people as well I know a bloke who pulled a ladder up on to a flat roof above some shops to clean some Windows.Cctv saw him and reported it to the council who sent a h&s officer who made him stop straight away ,he got away with a warning but lost the job.

Another well known case happened a couple of years ago a window cleaner was walking around on the ledge cleaning windows a member of the public filmed him and put it on YouTube and it went viral.

H&S found out who he and the hotel was and fined them 2k and 11k.

So it's not just injury that can hurt you.
I had a H&S officer come up to me whilst cleaning DFS facias about 8 years back...he just came walking up, and pulled a camera out, and said "do you mind if I take a pic of you?" I told him to do one, but did go into the store and complain. I didn't lose the job as the ladder job was a one off they asked me to do. wfp now anyway.

 
Poles have reduced our trade into a bunch of risk adverse pansies. Get a grip spotting, scratching sills window squirters. Silicone, bird sh1t, pollen and don't forget air vents! You fail on every count. But you can't see it from down there!Sent using the Window Cleaning Forums app
I agree there's some total Fannie's doing this job nowadays

 
To be honest I looked at it and thought what if I fall off or if I damage the roof. Then I though to get the ladders off will add time to the job. It took me an hour as it was and it was only a 40 quid Job so I came to the conclusion it wasn't worth the extra time or risk.
DoNT get me wrong if you said heres 100 quid jump up and get this windows I would without hesitation.

Not adverse to graft but it has to have reward to motivate me.
Sorry mate but that is a terrible attitude

If your decorator , joiner , mechanic had same approach you would prob get a new one

 
Poles have reduced our trade into a bunch of risk adverse pansies. Get a grip spotting, scratching sills window squirters. Silicone, bird sh1t, pollen and don't forget air vents! You fail on every count. But you can't see it from down there!

Sent using the Window Cleaning Forums app
Just occurred to me - There's also a load of stuck in the mud tight arses who dare not invest in technology !

 
I was one of those once! And resented the wfpolers coz I couldn't afford one. I was literally forced to change over, but once I changed over have never looked back! It turned my working life around for the better in a big way. What a dream bit of kit. Now my neighbour who's also an old fashioned windie who resents me! It's funny to see. When I got the kit he wasn't even interested to see it in action or try it out. Weird behaviour. He even told his customers about me and actually asked them "how would u feel if I suddenly turned up splashing water about and left your windows wet?" He said they wouldn't be happy. Lol talk about shoot yourself in the foot!!! Nutter.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 
not sure what you mean?

which bit is the terrible attitude @Taxlossloz ?

the fact i didnt want to climb on the roof due to possible injury/damge ?

or that i would do it if the price was right?

 
It's either too dangerous for you to risk or it's not

It isn't suddenly safer because someone wants to pay more

 
It's either too dangerous for you to risk or it's notIt isn't suddenly safer because someone wants to pay more
No, youre right its not safer at all. Its definetly a risk.

It called risk/reward

what would it cost for you to take the risk? it can be applied to anything

End of the day its my business, my risk and my choice to make.

 
remember there's people on here looking for work and £40 per hour is excellent money - so I just thought it not great you can't be arsed getting ladder off

Set a good example Elite member!

 
I was one of those once! And resented the wfpolers coz I couldn't afford one. I was literally forced to change over, but once I changed over have never looked back! It turned my working life around for the better in a big way. What a dream bit of kit. Now my neighbour who's also an old fashioned windie who resents me! It's funny to see. When I got the kit he wasn't even interested to see it in action or try it out. Weird behaviour. He even told his customers about me and actually asked them "how would u feel if I suddenly turned up splashing water about and left your windows wet?" He said they wouldn't be happy. Lol talk about shoot yourself in the foot!!! Nutter.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Me too I would not still be window cleaning otherwise

What forced me was two customers in one week saying

' haven't you got that long pole and brush '

 
I dont do ladders though @Taxlossloz , i dont like heights, i dont mind the lower levels but didnt feel safe getting onto the highest level

so yes you are partially correct, i didnt want to do it for £40 when i didnt have to, but i would have had a go for £100

 
plus youve not seen how my ladder is fastened on, its a 10 minute operation to get it off and only do so for low level conny/gutter work, would never get it off for a regular domestic customers windows and only on a commercial if i felt safe and was getting paid what i thought it was worth.

Its not quite £40 per hour when the job is 20 mins out of my way either

 
Me too I would not still be window cleaning otherwise What forced me was two customers in one week saying

' haven't you got that long pole and brush '
Yep. Mine was on offices. Good money, that I couldn't afford to lose at the time. I was literally turning up at Stupid O'clock to avoid certain people seeing me up a ladder! It got that bad. Eventually, I got a call to do a prestigious property development, that I priced and got got good money, and they were only taking on a firm with the WFP system. It was there & then where I put myself in a position to either move forward in the game or remain the stick in the mud I had been for many years. Even got a call yesterday to clean a house in a prestigious area...she said what method do you use?? I cheekily said whatever one you want me to use [emoji3] She replied "I want the pure water one"

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 
I always go up on flats as long as the roof looks in good shape, and I'll also go up on pitched roofs providing they don't slope more than 30 degrees. Guess where I've always done trad up until this year I've always wanted to do as close to 100% of customers windows on each house. Though I have started to (where possible) just use WFP over the roofs now. All depends on whether I can get them from the floor or not.

 
Poles have reduced our trade into a bunch of risk adverse pansies. Get a grip spotting, scratching sills window squirters. Silicone, bird sh1t, pollen and don't forget air vents! You fail on every count. But you can't see it from down there!

Sent using the Window Cleaning Forums app
Behave, how can you have an opinion on something you haven't experienced? Every single point you made is complete baloney and ill informed. I have 400 regular customers + commercial businesses and every single one of them prefers the finish left by WFP to squeegee, even after 12 years of using traditional methods. Whether you like it or not, it is the safest way of moving forward in this industry.

 

Latest Posts

Back
Top