Boatswain and Scaffolding Window-Cleaning Challenges

The typical window cleaning solutions—working alone in a boatswain chair and working with a team that uses scaffolding—require workers to be suspended over the side of a building. Therefore, exercising extreme caution and attention to detail is crucial for a seamless, safe operation, as a single mistake could have potentially deadly consequences. The inherent danger associated with these cleaning solutions mandates that employees be highly trained in order to operate these devices, which can lead to additional expenses and a fewer number of skilled employees available.

Manual window washers are challenged with the fact that each building is different, so they must decide the best course of action for each individual descent. Traditional window washing is a slow, steady process that necessitates precision when adjusting the boatswain’s chair or scaffolding. These adjustments must be made each time workers are ready to move on to the next section, creating additional downtime that reduces productivity. Further, given that their equipment serves as their lifeline, regular inspections and maintenance must be performed to ensure that any and all equipment meets regulation standards, with any repairs or replacement resulting in costly downtime and additional expenses.

When working from extreme heights, injuries are not uncommon, and each incident can result in significant costs for a company from both a workers’ compensation and a labor standpoint. For instance, according to OSHA’s Safety Pays estimator, one work-related fracture can cost a company as much as $93,300 to cover the direct and indirect costs of the injury. This includes hospital bills, paid time off, administrative costs, replacement labor and more. As these expenditures add up, injuries can dramatically diminish the company’s profit margin.

Manual Window Washing: Current Methods

High-rise and skyscraper window washers are required to put themselves in dangerous situations, dangling over the side of buildings via ropes and using abseiling techniques to control their rate of descent. Some work alone using a boatswain’s chair, while others work in teams on scaffolding, but both present similar challenges and safety concerns.

The boatswain’s chair is a device that consists of a small seat that is suspended from a rope that attaches to the roof of a building. By using a seat instead of a climbing harness, workers experience limited range of motion during cleaning, but some boatswain’s chairs also feature a separate harness to protect against falls.

Companies also implement movable scaffolding for exterior cleaning applications. Movable scaffolding is similar to stationary scaffolding but uses a harness system to raise and lower the structure along the side of skyscraper buildings. Since scaffolding holds more than one employee at a time, workers are able to work in unison to complete cleaning jobs.

Safety Standards: ANSI/IWCA I-14 Window Cleaning Safety Standard

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) oversees the creation, promulgation and use of thousands of guidelines that impact businesses in nearly every sector. The International Window Cleaning Association (IWCA) was formed by a group of window cleaners in an effort to promote safety and education, as well as enhance professionalism
throughout the industry.

The ANSI/IWCA I-14 standard is designed to serve as a guide in the formation of safety rules and regulations for the industry. It is to be used as a reference by registered professional engineers and architects as well as by manufacturers of window cleaning equipment and devices. This standard applies to all window cleaning operations performed on the inside and/or outside of any building in which the window cleaner is working from a level that is located more than 48 inches (1200 mm) above grade, or above an adjoining flat roof or other flat surface. Employers must provide safety equipment and devices and maintain this equipment in safe operating conditions at all times.

Safety Standards: Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was established to ensure safe working conditions by creating and enforcing workplace safety standards by providing training, outreach, education and assistance. One of the administration’s many areas of expertise is fall protection. Work-related falls are one of the most common causes of serious injuries and deaths.

For occupations that require workers to perform tasks at high altitudes, such as window cleaning, OSHA requires employers to provide working conditions that prevent employees from falling off overhead platforms and elevated workstations. Each employee
should be protected from falling 6 feet (1.8 meters) or more by guardrail systems or personal fall arrest systems, such as harnesses, safety nets or handrails. Additionally, employers must also select and provide protective equipment at no cost to workers.