Quality Results and Customer Satisfaction

Facility cleanliness impacts a customer or occupant’s impression of management or of the company as a whole. Therefore, keeping a clean facility can improve client retention and improve worker satisfaction within a facility. Automated window cleaning systems are designed to clean not only the windows and glass, but also to scrub the entire exterior of the building for a comprehensive clean. Some machines even offer an optional in-line water heater to deliver hot water for removing stubborn stains and soils. Plus, with a specially engineered, automated device performing cleaning applications, users can benefit from a uniform cleaning result, something that is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve with manual labor.

While no two cleaning applications are the same, most facility managers have similar goals: high-quality results that are achieved safely without impacting productivity. Automated window cleaning systems satisfy these demands without the time-consuming, laborious operation or safety hazards operation associated with traditional cleaning methods. Automated window cleaning expedites cleaning completion, with less labor and a consistent result.

Cost Cuts and Profit Growth with Automated Cleaning

Along with the primary safety benefits of automated window cleaning solutions, it's also worth addressing the cost cutting and profit-growth potential.

In many cleaning applications, the highest cost percentages arise from labor expenses. Manual cleaning operations are time-consuming and labor- intensive, ultimately translating into higher labor costs. Replacing these methods with an automated system can result in as much as 70 to 80 percent in labor savings. Implementing automated window cleaning systems can also cut equipment costs, as companies can avoid purchasing safety equipment, such as guardrails and harnesses, as well as squeegees, buckets and other cleaning supplies. Plus, some automated systems offer water-only cleaning, which also eliminates the additional cost of detergents.

Improving safety has a direct impact on a company’s bottom line, not only by reducing the actual pay-out for work-related injuries, but also from an insurance standpoint. By reducing the risk of window cleaning operations, companies can decrease the cost of required insurance coverage. Typically, insurance rates are directly correlated with how risky or potentially dangerous the specified task is. Therefore, by utilizing technology that eliminates the risk to employees, companies may be eligible to lower their premiums for the mandated liability insurance.

The Increased Safety of Automated Window Washing

When selecting a window cleaning solution, safety is a top priority. As previously discussed, the typical window cleaning solutions require workers to be suspended over the side of a building. The inherent danger associated with a boatswain chair or scaffolding mandates that employees be highly trained. These requirements can lead to additional expenses and a decreased availability of skilled employees.

With automated window cleaning solutions, operators remain firmly planted on the ground or rooftop, and they are not subject to the same safety risks that workers who are suspended in boatswain’s chairs and scaffolds must endure. Workers maintain control over device operation in order to produce the necessary cleaning results, but they are no longer required to put themselves in perilous situations that could result in falling multiple stories and sustaining severe or fatal injuries. By removing workers from harm’s way, companies can easily meet any strict OSHA and other safety guideline without providing additional safety equipment.

The Automated Window-Cleaning Solution

To meet the demand for a safe, effective cleaning solution, automated window cleaning systems have been developed to replace boatswain’s chairs and scaffolds. These units eliminate the need for employees to dangle over the edge of building, and instead, operators can safely control all window- washing activities from the ground or rooftop.

Automated systems offer diverse capabilities and are designed to increase cleaning quality and productivity by completing high-rise cleaning applications faster. Some systems can clean as much as 35 feet per minute and up to 65,000 square feet per day. Additionally, automated systems are engineered to effectively clean flat buildings without window offsets, as well overcome cleaning challenges presented by deep or irregular window offsets, curves, recesses, overhangs, protrusions, inset glass, asymmetrical frames or other obtrusive architectural features require.

With this solution, operators use a wireless remote control to perform and monitor all window-cleaning operations. The system can be easily integrated with existing rigging systems such as davit arms, rail hoists, anchors, outriggers or BMU crane systems. The hoist motor can either be operated from the roof attached to the rigging system, or users can implement a “self climbing” solution, which has the hoist motor and wire winder attached to the device. For flexible cleaning, there are three separate operation methods:

• A motorized roof hoist
• A self-climbing unit that has an integral motor
• A remote controlled unit that has an integral motor

For consistent cleaning results, some systems also feature a counter-balance design that uses dual hyper fans to ensure that the system attaches to the building contour, even when gusts and high winds are present. Further, to satisfy growing “green cleaning” standards, automated devices can utilize filtered, ultra pure water, eliminating spots without the use of harsh chemicals.

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.