Proposed Safety Standards Unsafe For Window Cleaners

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

Testifying last week at an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) hearing on window cleaners’ safety, SEIU Local 32BJ – the largest building service workers union in the country, including about 16,500 workers in the metro Washington area – sounded an alarm over the possible easing of safety standards in the window cleaning industry. “Forcing window cleaners to rely on a dangerous system that has been banned in most of the industrialized world could have tragic consequences,” said Hector Figueroa, 32BJ Secretary Treasurer. “Consideration of such a reckless measure runs counter to OSHA’s mission of setting and maintaining the highest possible safety standards.” The controversial measure, which is opposed by many in the industry, would open the door for unrestricted use of the risky Rope Descent Systems (RDS) – a window cleaning method banned in New York State and California. Because workers are hanging by a rope hundreds of feet above the ground with RDS, safety experts consider this method to be significantly more dangerous than scaffolding, which is generally used on New York’s skyscrapers. Click here to read the full story on SEIU 32BJ’s website. - photo by Francois Schnell