WINDOW CLEANING HIGH RISE SAFETY TRAINING
Sufficient safety training is required on all jobs to be compliant with OSHA and keep people safe. But, sometimes, it’s less than clear what training is needed. Fortunately, there are several excellent options for high rise window cleaning safety training!
Rope Descent and Rope Access Training
Until recently, the only comprehensive hands-on training option was rope access training, traditionally through SPRAT. Many view a SPRAT certification as the gold standard, and rightly so. With a week of intensive training followed by written and hands-on tests evaluated by a third party, it is the best of the best. In SPRAT, you’ll learn rope descending and ascending, advanced rescues, and a diversity of other valuable on-rope skills. However, for most highrise window cleaning, this level of training is overkill. It covers many skills that you’ll never use, takes a worker out of service for an entire week, and requires a more specialized set of gear than the average highrise cleaner uses.
Peak Rescue Training
Peak Rescue has put together a window cleaning specific course covering only the sections of rope access that apply to window cleaning. The average window cleaner is performing rope descent where they go down a rope but won’t need to go back up or side to side. The course is only 2-3 days, the content is flexible, and uses gear commonly employed by a highrise technician. For some, this is a great course that will give all of the foundational skills needed. For others, taking this course will be an introduction to rope access which will eventually lead to taking a SPRAT course. Peak Rescue offers their Controlled Descent & Rescue Training course for window cleaners and a SPRAT course for those that want to go further. You can take the course in their Wyoming location or have them travel to you. Contact Peak Rescue to see about pricing and availability.
IWCA Training
Another standard training option for highrise window cleaning is to get trained with the International Window Cleaning Association. Their training includes classroom discussion of highrise and lowrise safety. They recently released a guide for Safe Practices for RDS and training for Authorized & Certified Rope Descent Systems. You can find out more about pricing and availability at the IWCA website.
Images taken of Jimmy Keithley of Outlook Window Cleaning by Jon Vickers
DISCLAIMER
abc Window Cleaning Supply is not affiliated with any training company. Any information provided by abc is intended to help you decide which gear will work for you and is not a substitute for proper training and your evaluation of specific work site conditions. Work at height is inherently dangerous. User accepts full responsibility for the use of this and any other safety equipment. ABC OFFERS NO EXPRESS WARRANTIES AND DENIES THE EXISTENCE OF ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES. ANY WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE PRODUCTS SOLD ARE PROVIDED BY THE MANUFACTURER.