"The service we receive from General Safety Services is always excellent. Work is scheduled and done as planned, in the few instances where there was a problem with the schedule, GSS has always advised us of any changes. I've gotten comments
from my customers
about the courtesy and professionalism of the
GSS crew and their representatives.
In short, it is a pleasure
to work with such an accommodating company, and one that is so willing to help us out on short notice (which happens more often than not!). We appreciate all your efforts."
Carole
Suburban Companies |
The Critical things you need to know about ANSI/IWCA
I-14.1 Window Washing Standard
What is it?
ANSI/IWCA I-14.1 window washing safety is a set of national standards and regulations approved by the American National Standards, Institute (ANSI) passed on October 25, 2001, requiring building owners to provide a safe building. The law mandates that all buildings three stories or higher, where work is performed using suspended equipment, require safety arrest roof anchors to protect workers in the event of a fall.
Existing buildings without the means to provide a safe work environment, must be retrofitted with safety arrest roof anchors. New buildings over three stories high must have the anchors in the design stage.
What is the Plan of Service?
The Plan of Service is a written plan developed by the window cleaning company, engineer or consultant that provides important information, assuring the building owner/manager that the contractor will conduct their operation within specific safe guidelines. The plan also includes identifying hazardous areas, drop zones, safety features, areas requiring public protection, and an emergency recovery plan. What are the responsibilities of the building owner/manager to
the contractors?
Under the I-14.1 standard, the building owner/manager shall provide certain written assurances to the window cleaning contractor including:
Written documentation, from a registered professional structural engineer, that the roof anchors used by the cleaning contractor have been certified to withstand the loads necessary to safely complete their tasks. Who should perform the initial certification?
To best protect a building owner/property manager, the inspections and certifications should be done by a registered professional engineer. One that is familiar with suspended access and associated regulations.
What is the time frame of ANSI/IWCA I-14.1?
The appendix of the I-14.1 states that building owners/managers and window cleaning contractors shall develop a mutual understanding of responsibilities and awareness to this Standard with a year of its first publication (10/25/01). Final implementation of methods, techniques, and equipment described in the document should be accomplished in a period not to exceed five (5) years for the date of the first publication of the Standard.
The GSS Approach (Philosophy) We applaud the ANSI/IWCA window washing safety standards and believe it’s a long-overdue standard for safety. The new standards agree with our overall corporate philosophy on the importance of safety. We are the experts at designing and installing safe, efficient, cost-effective safety fall arrest systems. We only use state-of-art Thaler Metal Industries Ltd. fall arrest roof anchors. Since their inception in 1969, Thaler’s business philosophy has been to “research, design, and produce a range of roofing products that will outperform and provide longer life than any similar products being offered to the building industry.”
For more information about Thaler Metal Industries Ltd. you can visit their website at www.thalermetal.com.
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When cross-bracing is necessary, certified welders from General Safety Services can handle the job in the most congested retro-fit. |
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Under the watchful eye of the fire watch, from the local fire department, GSS Corp always maintains the highest regard
for safety. |
Don’t Trust Installation of Your Roof Anchors to Any Company without the Expertise to Handle the Job
We use a Five-Point PROTECTION Process customized to the requirements of the building owner that include:
- Assessment
- Design
- Installation
- Testing
- Training
This process guarantees that you will experience a professional approach to determining your needs, by a group of professional, dedicated employees with over 90 years of comprehensive experience. Assessment
We provide you with a FREE Site visit, by a Fall Protection Specialist, to evaluate your current protection systems or to assess what is required to meet the ANSI/IWCA standards. A written report is generated outlining our recommendations. Design
Our engineers will design a custom cost-effective safety fall protection system to meet your requirements and budget. Additionally, we will provide you with a written quote outlining the scope of the work performed and the time requirements involved.
Installation
Our installation technicians follow the engineers design and specifications to ensure proper location and installation of the fall protection system.
Testing
After an installation is complete, all fall arrest components are visually inspected, then load tested in accordance with our strict testing procedures. Training
Training is crucial to make sure the safety fall arrest system is properly used. User training is available to thoroughly train people on site so that they can train new workers and to re-train workers as necessary. You can trust our expertise to identify the correct anchor points on roofs and walls and to securely install the highest quality products.
Some of the services we can provide include: Safety Fall Arrest System Installations
Boston MA Window Washing
Pressure Washing
Metal Cleaning & Restoration
Welding
Engineering |
