Why Ladders Are Not Enough for High-Level Window Cleaning
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance on working at height is clear — ladders should only be used for short-duration, low-risk tasks. High-level window cleaning — anything above first-floor height or requiring extended periods of work at height — demands proper access equipment such as water fed poles, mobile elevated work platforms (cherry pickers) or scaffolding. Using ladders for high-level window cleaning creates significant risks: ladder instability on uneven ground, overreaching causing ladder slip, fatigue from sustained work at height, and the inability to maintain three points of contact while cleaning. Professional high-level window cleaning companies in Liverpool use water fed pole systems that keep operatives safely on the ground — reaching up to 65 feet without a single foot leaving the pavement — or proper cherry picker access with full safety harnesses and IPAF-trained operators.
Any window cleaning company that proposes using ladders for cleaning above second-floor height should be treated with extreme caution. Professional high-level cleaning should always use water fed poles or powered access equipment — not ladders.
Water Fed Pole Systems: The Ground-Level Solution
The water fed pole system has transformed high-level window cleaning safety in Liverpool. An extendable carbon-fibre pole, fed with deionised pure water through a hose system, reaches up to 65 feet vertically — covering up to six storeys from ground level. The operative remains safely on the ground throughout, operating a soft brush head at the top of the pole that agitates dirt while the pure water rinses it away streak-free. This completely eliminates the fall-from-height risk that is the single greatest danger in traditional window cleaning. For Liverpool apartment blocks, commercial buildings and care homes, the water fed pole system is the safest and most efficient method of high-level window cleaning — and it causes zero disruption to residents or building occupants.
Cherry Pickers and IPAF Certification: What Building Managers Should Look For
For buildings taller than 65 feet, or where water fed pole access is restricted by obstacles, cherry pickers — mobile elevated work platforms — are the correct access solution. However, not all cherry picker operators are equal. Under UK law, anyone operating a mobile elevated work platform must hold a valid IPAF (International Powered Access Federation) PAL Card — this is the recognised certification for safe cherry picker operation. Building managers hiring high-level window cleaners in Liverpool should always ask to see the company's IPAF PAL Cards and check they are in date before allowing work to proceed. Under Pressure Exterior Cleaning's entire high-level team hold current IPAF PAL Cards, and we use only properly maintained, regularly inspected cherry pickers — with full safety harnesses and lanyards worn by every operative at all times when working at height.
Ask any high-level window cleaning company to show you their IPAF PAL Cards before work begins. If they cannot produce them — or the cards are expired — do not let them start work on your building. Your building insurance may not cover incidents involving uncertified operatives.
The Insurance You Must Verify Before Any High-Level Clean
Insurance is not optional for high-level window cleaning — it is essential. Your building manager or property owner should verify that any high-level window cleaning contractor carries at minimum £5 million public liability insurance, specifically covering work at height. Many standard cleaning company policies exclude working above a certain height — and this is a detail that building managers often overlook until it is too late. Employers' liability insurance is also mandatory for any company employing staff. Under Pressure Exterior Cleaning carries full public liability insurance of £10 million — double the minimum requirement — specifically inclusive of all work at height. We are always happy to provide insurance certificates for building managers to verify before any high-level cleaning work begins.
Risk Assessments: Not Just Paperwork
A proper risk assessment before any high-level window cleaning job is not just ticking a box — it is the most important part of the entire process. A competent risk assessment for high-level work should identify: all fall-from-height risks specific to the building, ground conditions for cherry picker positioning and outrigger stability, overhead obstructions including power lines, tree branches and building projections, public access routes that need temporary closure or cordoning, weather conditions including wind speed limits for cherry picker operation, and emergency rescue procedures should an operative become stranded in a raised platform. Under Pressure Exterior Cleaning produces a full written risk assessment and method statement for every high-level window cleaning job we undertake in Liverpool — and we provide copies to building managers before work begins.