FATAL ACCIDENTS TO WINDOW CLEANERS

Needs a catchphrase.

I don't think “Be careful where you extend your pole” cuts the mustard on this one.

Could also apply to fishermen and radio amateurs. I have an ex military glass fibre mast that I want to work portable with when I get a suitable HF transceiver for portable use, the base station  to heavy. The glass fibre may be OK but the aerial on the mast is copper. Off to a radio amateur rally next Monday  with a pocket full of cash in my anorak with the food stains down the front to see if I can buy a suitable transceiver. 

Very sad for those involved. I wonder how common this is, are we really unlucky in seeing two in a year or is this typical ?

If it is a common accident perhaps a technical solution, such as an insulating break in the pole would be worthwhile promoting to manufacturers of such kit. 

The chaps and chapess that do the windows here actually use de-ionised water, so the water conductivity is quite poor - there is an pump and  ion-exchange resin in the back of their van that softens the tap water - and that indicates the cartridge needs changing, when conductivity exceeds some value in the range around  1.0 µS/cm. Of course they then add detergents to the DI water, so no idea what that does (well some idea… but its not quite that sort of soap of course) .

Oddly I have used kit with an HV power supply that used a window cleaner style  resin cartridge in it to keep the cooling water conductivity down as it  flowed over both metal live bits, as well as metal earthed bits at the other end of long hoses.

The promotion of less conductive tools and detergents cold perhaps be  second claw to the pincer as well as  a simple  “look up - look out” campaign.

Mike

There's two issues:

• Carbon fibre window cleaning poles.
• Poles of extreme lengths become unwieldy.

Unfortunately it's not uncommon to see window cleaners putting themselves and others at risk using these poles, they still need to be careful with relatively short fibreglass poles.

I am seeing lots of posts on here that say there is a link and there isn't one, is it just me. ?

edit.  now it has appeared.   weird

Gary

It seems to be a feature of Apple devices with the latest software. 

Regards,

Alan. 

aligarjon: 
I am seeing lots of posts on here that say there is a link and there isn't one, is it just me. ?

edit.  now it has appeared.   weird

If I click on “Quote”, the image/link appears and remains after I click on “Cancel”.

I hesitate to sound harsh or unsympathetic, but it is a bit Darwinian. The naked supply at my step-daughter's would be very easy to touch with a long brush.

This sounds a bit like the ‘Law of Unintended Consequences’ or Sods Law. As window cleaners had many accidents falling off ladders they were required to use pumped systems from ground level so as not to use ladders. Maybe overhead power cables were not taken into consideration. Where is the risk analysis?

aligarjon: 
 

I am seeing lots of posts on here that say there is a link and there isn't one, is it just me. ?

edit.  now it has appeared.   weird

Gary

You called?…..  :)

Hi Gary, same here, the links posted seem to be invisible whether signed in or not, but seem to appear when I click on the button to reorder the replies to newest first. I would report it as a fault to the IET, but there are and have been for a fair time so many quirks with the forum i can only assume that they are intentional.