Two essential safety courses for window cleaners and employers
Professional window cleaning can be a risky business. A fall while working at height, unpredictable weather, overhead power lines and slips and trips are all dangers which window cleaners need to watch out for.
Employers in their sector also have legal responsibilities to assess and reduce risk and protect their employees.
In order to stay safe, compliant and competitive, it is a must for anyone working in the window cleaning Industry to attend the relevant training.
Two one-day courses - Cleaning Windows Safely and Risk Assessment (Window Cleaning) - will equip window cleaners and employers with both the know-how and the credentials to mitigate the risks.
Both courses are accredited by the world's leading professional body for safety and health, The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), and are provided by the industry body for the sector, the Federation of Window Cleaners (FWC).
Each course delivers distinct, practical value - from mastering tool safety to mastering foresight and planning. In a profession like window cleaning, they are not just good to have – they are essential.
Please note, all candidates sitting these IOSH courses will need to be able to speak and understand English. Anyone with specific learning needs must contact the FWC in advance to check that arrangements can be put in place to accommodate them.
Fees apply to both courses.
- Cleaning Windows Safely
This health and safety course covers the use of water-fed-poles and portable ladders.
It is designed to provide participants with the necessary foundational and critical knowledge to look after their own safety, the safety of their colleagues and the safety of the general public when cleaning windows using ladders and/or water-fed poles, thereby minimising the risk of slips, falls, and musculoskeletal injuries in a field where working at height is routine.
Written by window cleaners for window cleaners, this no-nonsense, hands-on practical and theory course enables participants to gain an industry-recognised qualification at the end, proving that their organisation complies with legislative training requirements.
This qualification can be used to gain more business especially with public bodies such as local authorities and NHS trusts
- Risk Assessment (Window-Cleaning)
This course is aimed at everyone within the window and specialist cleaning industry, specifically self-employed, employees, supervisors, managers and safety officers.
It is relevant to all employers, whether a big business, small business or a one-person operation.
Risk assessments are mandatory for employers in the UK. If you cannot eliminate all risk, you are still required to reduce risk and protect people as far as ‘reasonably practicable’.
This risk assessment course for cleaning windows, guttering and external facades teaches participants to:
- identify any applicable legislation
- discuss what to look for
- know what controls to put in place
- draft out risk assessments.
Students will learn what could go wrong and how to prevent it, empowering them to systematically identify hazards, evaluate risks, and implement controls, which are musts for any workplace.
Completing this course may count as prior learning toward qualifications like NVQ Level 2.
After completing his course, Ray Newman of Simply Reliable Cleaning Solutions said: “A great day, very educational, relaxed friendly atmosphere and the trainer was great, he explained and broke down everything too. I would recommend this Cleaning Windows Safely course.”
Another attendee said: “The Risk Assessment course covering windows, gutters, and external facades elevates standards and was delivered in a relaxed manner by an experienced tutor. The venue was a comfy work environment.
“The course material and notes were detailed and practical with clear teaching points. The subject can be dry, but the course was presented in a realistic and enthusiastic way, and I was really pleased that it met all course objectives and was much better than I expected.”
To find out more about Cleaning Windows Safely, visit: www.ukcleaning.org.uk/iosh-cleaning-windows-safely/
To find out more about Risk Assessment (Window Cleaning), visit www.ukcleaning.org.uk/iosh-risk-assessment/