- City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
- Dubai 04:31 05:49 12:21 15:48 18:47 20:05
It is not a job for the faint-hearted, despite the fantastic view on offer.
In fact, the spectacular view from the top of the world’s tallest residential tower, the Princess Tower, in Dubai is the last thing on the mind of these three men.
They have the dizzying task of hand cleaning the façade of the 414-metre high tower in Dubai Marina, which takes three operatives almost four months to finish their chore.
Every morning, except on Fridays, Mohandas, Pallamvelu and Rajesh Rajan put on their safety harnesses, as they step into a cradle — hundreds of metres above the ground.
Mohandas and Pallamvelu (in pic here), hail from Indian state of Kerala and each claim to have 15 years of experience cleaning high-rises. “It is our job and we love it. We have no fear of starting our day, every day, at a height of over 400 metres above ground,” is how they view things from the top.
Rajan, however, is a novice compared to his other colleagues.
“I have just four years’ experience. Initially, it was scary… but now I have no fear. As my friends said: ‘it is our job and we do it full dedication,” he says.
So do they get a chance to eat and rest in the cradle?
“No we don’t eat in the cradle. We have a one-hour lunch break. When in the cradle we concentrate on our work,” Mohandas and Pallamvelu, say.
Asked if the residents ever chat with them whilst they clean the windows, Mohandas says: “Yes, they do talk to us from their balconies and sometimes do point us to remove some particular stains from their window panes.”
Cleaning the exterior of the tower, done only thrice in a year, is necessary as the windows and façade are constantly exposed to abrasive weather conditions.
The second cleaning cycle is currently underway since Tameer, the real estate developer, handing over of units in September 2012.
Cleaners carry no other tool other than applicators, squeegees, scrappers and a bucket that is filled concoction of water and environment-friendly chemicals in the “mechanical” cradle to gently sweep off the dirt.
Julian Khalil, Division Manager – Cleaning, Farnek Services, the company in charge of cleaning the exterior of Princess Towers, says: “One cleaning cycle for the windows and the façade takes around four months. The exact duration might vary due to weather conditions. In the end that would mean by operating just one cradle, the building can be cleaned three times a year.”
The job is fraught with dangers and much care has to be taken to ensure the safety of the cleaners.
Extreme weather is a concern and so proper planning is necessary with operatives having to ensure they are not working in direct sunlight.
Khalil reveals: “The major challenge to work at such heights is always the weather. That means that the operators and the supervisors will always work from the side of the tower, which is less affected by wind.
“Usually we try to avoid cleaning when the sun is shining directly on to the glass, (the exterior can get extremely hot and the cleaning fluid can smear the glass) so to maximise our time we will rotate around the building as the position of the sun moves.”
Undoubtedly, the company’s emphasis is to provide a safe working environment for its workers. At the height they work, safety is paramount.
Cleaners have to wear harnesses at all-times when operating from the cradle as standard personal protective equipment. Other mandatory equipment’s include safety helmets, safety shoes and communication devices.
“The cradle needs to have a third-party safety certificate that is renewed regularly in order to ensure that it is fit for purpose - operating safely.”
A maximum of three operators are allowed to be in the cradle at any one time so that it is not overloaded. In case of overload, the cradle has an in-built technology that warns of excess weight. It doesn’t move until the load is bought to the prescribed limit. Besides, at every 20 metres the cradle is secured to the locks fixed on the tower’s edges that keeps the cradle steady and reduces the swing factor.
Mark Maynard, Owners’ Association Services Manager, Princess Tower, states: “We had a number of days in December and January particularly when the cradle was not used because of the wind was far too severe and naturally we are not going to put anyone’s live on risk.
“There are some opportunities to work in high wind conditions because you can move to different side of the tower. During winter, the cycle takes full four months, but the sun can affect as well. Working in direct sunlight means the operatives will have to be careful as the chemicals can sometimes smear due to pure heat that’s created because of the sun blasting of the glass surface.”
Farnek Services has over 30 specialist operators to work at height who are trained by Dubai Municipality’s certified third parties. All operators undergo a third party training for cradles and are certificated that allows them to work at heights.
Cleaning of the windows and the façade is important as it maintains or even helps in appreciating asset value.
“If they are not maintained and cleaned they will get damaged and have to be replaced. While cleaning the façade the operators will also report any faults or damage they notice, immediately to the building maintenance team. Also we have to consider that an iconic building such as the Princess Tower has an enviable reputation and therefore, has to be kept in pristine condition,” asserts Khalil.
The world’s tallest residential tower has 13 elevators, with the elevator speed at six metres per second. It has indoor and outdoor swimming pools, gymnasium, sauna, billiards room, table-tennis room, a multifunction room on the 97th floor, children’s play area and car parking space for 957 vehicles.
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