Top of the world

DT News’ Santhosh Rajendran spend a day up in the cloud with window cleaners and came down thrilled and a bit overwhelmed.

Their ‘workstations’ give them a bird’s-eye-view of the city. Unmindful of the din down below, they go about their business as seasoned professionals, hidden from public glares or general recognition, rising up a level to complete another task. And they do their jobs every day, around the year, come summer or winter. I am not talking about corner offices and the business magnates inhabiting them. This is the story of window cleaners of high-rise building who spend their working hours fighting with the elements, risking their lives to keep all those swanky hotels and business houses clean and tidy.

The person I called to take me up there was Mohammed Omar, the General Manager of Liverpool Window Cleaning Services. After a serious discussion, he agreed to take me atop the Elite Resorts and Spa in Muharraq. As promised, he arrived at the hotel at 9.30am. Bright, vibrant and full of energy, Mr Omar, a British origin, started his work just as he entered the hotel. After furnishing a couple of formalities at the lobby of the hotel, he called for the service. We rode the elevator to the top most floor of the hotel and opened the door to the roof. The weather was clear and sunny. We were close to 180 feet above the  busy streets, and the rooftop was silent except for the hum of jumbo air- conditioning fans. Mr Omar’s team had already reached the spot and started the preparations for the day.

Early Start

Even though automated robots were introduced for cleaning the New York’s World Trade Centre way back in 1973, they were not fully effective. Robots would clean the windows, but it was difficult to clean the corners and would get stuck. Despite the advancement in technology, skyscrapers are too complicated for robots and across the world, window cleaning is done by men like Mr Omar and his team.

“Window washing in high rise buildings has to begin early in the morning to avoid disturbing the tenants. An early start also helps us during summer when the temperature can hit the 50 degree Celsius mark,” Mr Omar said. He then turned to his team leader Raju, and passed on some instructions regarding my visit and strict commands were given to him concerning my safety on the roof during the day. Mr Raju, a retired military personal from Nepal, has been working as a window cleaner for the past six years at Liverpool. He greeted me with a smile and promptly went back to his work.

The weather was bright and pleasant. “This is the perfect weather condition do our work, but as per the weather forecast the wind could reach a top speed of 40 kmph,” he said, giving me a glimpse of his working environment. “We do our work on a shift basis and in two stages. The first stage is washing with water.  For this, we use a brush with pipe that pumps water. In the next stage, we use chemical and other cleaning agents on the glass window to make them shine and dust free”.

Window cleaning is scheduled floor by floor, and at times it may take weeks to complete a project.  They maintain a strict routine.

Safety checks

Even while talking to me, Mr Raju was busy at the final preparation. He gave the team, now divided into two, the tools needed for the day and checked on the safety harness of his colleagues. He said that the safety checks and delicate operating of the machines and tools take almost half-an-hour each morning before they finalize their positions and begin washing the windows and walls of the buildings. 

He said that they double check on the safety harnesses and use the top quality products. “We work according to the specified quality standards and we prioritize our safety more than anything,” he said.

On Top

Recounting his first day as a window cleaner, Mr Raju said it was completely different experience. “Since I had worked in the military, I have the courage to do odd jobs. But window cleaning was new to me. I underwent the training for three days.  People may find it very easy, but to get access on a rope and to manoeuvre is a skill, which can only be attained through thorough training. “Even after the training, we don’t start-off with high rises. We are given initial training on small buildings. We are taught how to manage our body weight and control ourselves when there is wind.”

Out of body experience

I was forced to remove my blazer because of the scorching heat, but what surprised me was the physical strength of the workers.  They were all in their uniforms, wearing safety harnesses, carrying tools and safety helmets. I literally felt my energy level falling.

It was the turn of Mr Raju to take over the next level of cleaning.  He started his preps for the work. I saw Kamaludeen, who cleaned the windows with water, fully drenched in water. But he looked happy. With the sun beaten down on us, it was respite for him. “This is the second time we are cleaning this hotel. It is so silent here. Far removed from the din of the street, here it is just me and my tools. I can talk to myself… sometime, I take decisions from here which are important to my life,” said Mr Kamaludeen, who has completed three years as a window cleaner.

Far hidden from the public gaze, these window cleaners go about their duties with clock-work precision, weathering the harshest elements.