New House Anchor Points

[Dean Lofthouse]

I get asked quite a lot to do ivy clearance from the sides of houses etc.

 

It really suprises me that no-one from the HSE has come up with making it compulsory for new builds two storeys and above to build in stainless steel anchor points for ladder anchoring etc for maintinance and window cleaning.

 

I drove past some 3 and 4 storey flats the other day and was suprised not to see any and wondered how such as a window cleaner would go on.

 

So if anyone from HSE is reading this, put the idea forward and earn some Brownie points on me.

 

All buildings should have anchor points and lashing points

[Treeworld]

I think the HSE have now gone down the route that ladders are an unsafe working practice as whilst working you don't have both hands on the ladder, so for you Dean looks like the MEWP will be in more demand. Window cleaners are starting to go down the pole fed cleaning system now.

[Mark Bolam]

Great!

 

Does this mean they will stop our fly tipping friends who do tree work solely from ladders as well?

 

I won't hold my breath...

[detritus21]

The pole system for cleaning windows will be fine till everyone starts getting shoulder injuries from repetitive movements. We had one at an office I've worked at and the contractor dropped the pole on his head. Not all safe afterall. Ended up in A+E with concussion.

[czhey]

The brushes on poles don't clean windows very well....

 

I believe building regs state all new windows have to be reachable from the ground, or have a special opening so you can clean them from the inside.

[Ian Leach]

The windows on my place have a catch that you can turn the window the other way around so you clean from inside the house. You can also buy a special glass that the dirt sits ontop of the glass and when it rains you have perfectly clean windows.

[skyhuck]

My understanding of the working at hight regs is that you cannot carry out work from a ladder, (unless you are secured by other means as well, IE roped in) the only exemptions are window cleaning and painting.

[czhey]

The windows on my place have a catch that you can turn the window the other way around so you clean from inside the house. You can also buy a special glass that the dirt sits ontop of the glass and when it rains you have perfectly clean windows.

 

I used to be a window cleaner, its not perfect but windows definitely need cleaning less often.

 

Skyhuck - I thought you could work at any height on a ladder if its footed? And up to a certain height (2m?) unfooted. not sure

[Dean Lofthouse]

BT engineers have to rope their ladders top and bottom on the pole, how they go about installing the anchor eye on the house I dont know, but they do.

 

The mental Hospital I worked for recently has had ladder lashing eyes installed all the way round the building and at HUGE expense.

 

Took a day and cost thousands, I remember the maintainance guy telling me I was in the wrong job and should go round installing eye anchors.

 

There is a row along the bottom of the building under each window and a row just below the third storey windows.

 

On todays job I tied into an old BT eye bolt as a backup, it certainly makes you feel safer

[tommer9]

As i understand it, you cant be up a ladder for more than 1/2 hour at most, footed or tied or not. Im not sure about this, but like someone said HSE dont like ladders full stop.

 

 

On a lighter note, was listening to the radio a couple of years back, on a fone-in show about stupid HSE signs.....On the top rung of various ladders- "stop when you get to this rung", "do not climb past this rung" and loads of other equally obvious ones:thumbup: