This is one that the people involved will be telling the grandchildren about. The Abu Dhabi Police done a sterling job when they heard a window cleaner was in danger whilst washing windows – thinking on their feet, the sent a drone to rescue him.
The worker of Asian origin was stuck on level 10, I’d estimate that to be about 50 meters in the air. He was stuck on a cradle, which all those that know The Clean Team will know, is a dangerous method of cleaning. He was washing glass of a tower block on Sheikh Rashed bin Saeed Al Maktoum Road.
Both the Police and civil defense were called to the scene as the emergency services tried to get the cleaner down.
We were informed that the man had tried to leave the scaffold and was clinging to one of the windows, fearing that the scaffold might collapse.
Police took appropriate action and cordoned off the area in case part of the platform fell. They then brought in a drone belonging to Abu Dhabi Police Security Media.
“The hi-tech device was flown to the man’s help,” the Police official said.
Using the drone’s audio and visual capabilities, the official added, we were able to “calm down the cleaner and instruct him on how to deal with the situation”.
Police said that after the fault in the cleaning platform was identified using the drone’s cameras and microphone, emergency services were able to instruct the man on how to fix it and get him down safety.
Police said the individual was taken for a medical review and despite the obvious shock, he was found to be in good health.
Abu Dhabi Police have long urged relevant organizations to perform regular checks and maintenance on window-cleaning platforms and cradles.
“These checks will ensure the device’s durability, which is essential to avoid accidents,” a Police officer commented.
Cleaning firms were also told to provide training to staff on how to deal with such situations.
Drones are increasingly being used in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and across the UAE. The fact that the man was brought down safely was a brilliant result.
The Clean Team have long been against the use of cradles and platforms, preferring to use rope access cleaning for high rise buildings. This is proven to be a safer method of cleaning. Fact.
Window Cleaners Dubai, Abu Dhabi and across the world, please be safe.
