Download Wingate For Windows 10 EXCLUSIVE
Argelia Fernandez
Just like on a house, the windows on skyscrapers, high-rises, and other large office buildings all need to be cleaned as a part of regular maintenance. Businesses that lease office space in a high-rise expect their employees and managers to have clear views out of their offices, which is part of what they are paying for. The men and women who keep these windows clean do so from outside the building, often hundreds of feet up in the air, suspended above the street below.
Different methods are used by window washers to remain suspended outside a building and clean it. Many high-rises have rigging on the roof of the building, which window washers attach to a scaffold on ropes, which is then lowered down from the roof to give the cleaners access to windows. In situations that are not quite so high up, it is not unusual for a window washer to clip onto a bolt driven into the side of a building and remain attached while washing the windows. Safety harnesses, ropes, and belts are all used every day, and the lives of the washers using this equipment are always at stake.