05.04.2022 | Windows and wall openings

Safe, practical, aesthetic

Even though window fall protection systems are in the first place designed for the safety of the cleaning and repair employees, there are also other aspects beyond this, which may be very significant from the employer’s viewpoint. Below you will find a comparison of two fall protection systems which are very popular, and are therefore frequently deployed.

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Specialist series: Fall prevention for windows

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Checklist - Regulations for facility managers

Safety when cleaning windows. Employers are therefore legally obliged to keep the numerous risks related to window cleaning, for example, to as low a level as possible, in order to protect their personnel appropriately. As a facility manager, you therefore bear a huge responsibility with respect to your employees.

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Various professional safety solutions for window cleaning

Certified window safety system for your cleaners. There are strict regulations and legal ordinances when it comes to the topic of window fall protection. And from a technical point of view too, safety equipment and protection options for window cleaners have evolved enormously. In this blog post, we want to introduce to you two systems which are very simple to implement in practice, without great expenditure of time.

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Special cases require particular safety solutions

Which special cases can arise in practice when cleaning windows? Because of their magnificent stylish buildings from very different periods of history, European cities and metropolitan areas in particular are favourite travel destinations. Not surprising, because in most cases they are also very well maintained, and also regularly serviced and cleaned. However, apart from the safety aspect, there is another significant challenge for facility managers and their cleaning teams. In most cases, the old building structures are listed, and they therefore require extreme care in the course of cleaning work on windows. Damage to such buildings can be an expensive matter.

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Benefits for facility managers/responsible persons

Loyal and motivated employees through a well-founded safety concept. Hand on heart. At the end of the day, when it comes to the safety of your own employees, it’s not just a matter of complying with all the legally imposed regulations and standards. Instead, it’s a case of really protecting them – in every potential working area – and also of giving them the feeling that everything humanly possible has been done in this regard. After all, the employees need to be not just ready for work, i.e. healthy and in good health, but also 100% eager to work and fully motivated.

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Field report from someone who knows

Fall protection systems for windows save lives. No statistics in the world can tell you what such an industrial accident means for those affected and their families. Within fractions of a second, the world is changed for ever for the victims of these accidents. Often they can no longer remember at all how the accident happened, but they suffer the consequences every day – often for a very long time. Roger Neuenschwander, field sales for central Switzerland at INNOTECH Arbeitsschutz AG, therefore spoke with Pirmin Heer, manager of the caretaking team of Eschenbach school in Switzerland. He knows exactly what falling from a window means.

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What makes a window fall protection system SAFE

This is how your cleaning team is always on the safe side. For more than 20 years, the INNOTECH industrial safety experts have devoted themselves to the ongoing further development and improvement of the fall protection systems manufactured by the family company from Upper Austria. The latest product in the area of fall protection for windows is the modular fall protection system for windows(MFS), which is easy and quick to mount in the window frame as safety railings, and thus ideally protects cleaning personnel from falls.

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Fall prevention for windows - training creates SAFETY

Prevent personal suffering. In addition to the legal obligations of employers to their employees which overall shape working conditions in such a way that the life and health of all employees are protected in the best possible way, the importance of employee training takes on a very particular role. Above all it helps to make internal processes and activities significantly more efficient, and to increase the quality of the products and services.

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Safe, practical, aesthetic

Even though window fall protection systems are in the first place designed for the safety of the cleaning and repair employees, there are also other aspects beyond this, which may be very significant from the employer’s viewpoint. Below you will find a comparison of two fall protection systems which are very popular, and are therefore frequently deployed.

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Fall protection at windows

Falls, such as those arising when maintaining or cleaning windows, are amongst the most frequent and dangerous industrial accidents, because these very often result in death. Apart from the legal obligation, employers also have a moral responsibility for the safety of their employees during high-risk activities of this type.

Because of its slender and modular structure, this system gives the users the greatest possible freedom of movement at the same time as maximum safety.

Manuel Weber

First and foremost it is naturally essential that all safety-relevant details comply with the legal standards, and that the fall protection system is accordingly certified to the latest state of the art. Next, the amount of space required by the system can also matter – and not just in its assembled and installed state, but also when it has to be stowed awaiting its next deployment. Finally, it is essential that installing the fall protection system does not impede the operational activities of other employees, because working time would then be lost. Below you will find a comparison of two fall protection systems which are very popular, and are therefore frequently deployed: The door traverse with safety solution for the window, and the Modular Fall Prevention System for Windows (MFS) from INNOTECH.

 

The door traverse as a window fall protection system

Both systems are used in order to protect window cleaners from a fall. As the name indeed indicates, the door traverse is clamped in a door frame close to the window to be cleaned. However, this means that the retention device sometimes runs right across the room, which can massively disrupt the office working day. It should also be noted that this fall protection system can be fastened only to load-bearing walls. If all preconditions are fulfilled, then this system can be used to secure up to two persons simultaneously, using personal protective equipment (PPE).

 6 facts about professional window fall protection systems

The Modular Fall Prevention System for Windows by INNOTECH

In contrast, the MFS Modular Fall Prevention System for Windows by INNOTECH is inserted directly into the respective window frame by means of retractable telescopic rods. Because of its slender and modular structure, this system gives the users the greatest possible freedom of movement at the same time as maximum safety. MFS is classified as collective protection, and for this reason the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is not necessary. The blog post “Special cases require special safety solutions” tells you about the specific circumstances in which MFS is suitable, and how the two fastening options differ. After use, the system is removed just as simply and quickly from the window frame as it was installed. Because of the clamped fastening, the fall protection system leaves no trace whatsoever behind, nor any of the visual irritations caused by modules or anchor points which are permanently installed. Such is the case with another common fall protection system, window bars. In contrast, MFS from INNOTECH ensures optimum safety, and the architects’ concepts of building aesthetics are retained in their entirety.

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The benefits of MFS

  • No impairment of the office working day:
    When MFS is used, safety is created directly at the window. This has the benefit that it is unnecessary to deploy a safety connection right across the room. The working activities of the other occupants therefore remain undisturbed. In addition, the Modular Fall Prevention System for Windows is very flexible and can be used for all current window frames. MFS is simple to handle, and installation takes a few simple steps, so the user is immediately protected for activities at an open window. Once the system is no longer in use, it can be removed quickly, and takes up very little space when dismantled. 

 

  • High-quality materials:
    MFS consists solely of high-quality materials (aluminium), has a very low intrinsic weight, and is state of the art. In addition, this fall protection system does not disrupt the basic architectural concept in any way, because no components or modules have to be permanently attached to the building (clamped fastening is used). Once MFS is installed, an unimpeded view from inside to the outside is even possible, and this is sure to please the other occupants, because they can now and again still maintain contact with the outside world, at least visually.

 

  • No training required: In contrast to the use of SINGLE ANCHOR POINTS in combination with personal protective equipment (PPE), no training whatsoever is prescribed for MFS. Nevertheless, we still recommend a training session for the MFS safety system.

 

Summary

It’s obvious! Safety always has priority! But all the same, an unsuitable window fall protection system can sometimes seriously disturb the office working day. MFS from INNOTECH provides a positive solution for this problem. And: After use, the system is simply removed from the window frame and, through the use of clamped fastening, it leaves no visible trace whatsoever to detract from the building’s aesthetics.

Contact us immediately for further information! Our experts will be delighted to assist you in selecting the optimum window fall protection system for your operation. Here’s the link to our factsheet. You’ll find all relevant facts there about window fall protection, summarised compactly.

 6 facts about professional window fall protection systems