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The Edge Of Their Seats

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By KEITH MORELLI, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 7, 2007

TAMPA - There's every reason to feel fear while working 450 feet up, dropping down from the edge of a skyscraper roof while suspended by only a thin length of rope and a narrow swing seat.

Still, nearly a dozen window washers took the chance early Thursday, swinging their legs over the Bank of America building downtown during a whirlwind, two- or three-day window-cleaning session.

"It's a nice view," said Anthony Holland, 27, of Brandon, who has been using a squeegee on high-rise windows for seven years. "It's the best I've ever seen."

All the cleaners have at least two years' experience, said Bay Area Window Cleaning manager Dave Brockway. One has more than 20 years. "They have to have experience before I put them on a building like this. These are the elite."

A window cleaner needs an appreciation of heights.

"There are two kinds of people who do this," Brockway said, "those who grew up with it in their families and climbers who love to be outside rappelling. In the mornings up there, it's awesome. It's quiet and peaceful."

Normally, just a couple of cleaners would be put on a job such as the Bank of America building and it could take weeks to finish. But Bay Area Window Cleaning managers decided to put the whole crew to work instead to finish by the weekend.

It's unusual to see so many dangling by ropes from above so downtown walkers turned faces to the sky all day long, watching the washers scrub, squeegee and drop; scrub, squeegee and drop.

Brockway insists that the work isn't very dangerous. Safety devices provide protection. Each washer has $1,600 worth of equipment, he said, including 600-foot lengths of rope that cost $500 each and last no longer than a year. Much of the equipment is owned by the washer.

"The equipment is set up not to fail, ever," he said. "Driving a mail truck is more dangerous than this."

Workers worked quickly in the brisk early morning air. Every move was economical and strategic. Every swipe with the squeegee was calculated. No spot was cleaned twice.

They sat in seats more commonly used by boatswains on a marine vessel, swaying back and forth, a bucket of water mixed with Dawn dish soap dangling beneath them.

The dish soap works on the thin coat of jet fuel exhaust that builds up on high windows, Brockway said.

Keeping the washers working on a level line is also critical, he said. Otherwise, soapy water can splash onto windows that have been cleaned.

Bay Area Window Cleaning bids on high rises all across the area, he said. Cleaning windows in buildings such as the Bank of America costs $5,000 to $12,000, depending on the size of the building, the windows and how difficult it is to get to them.

Workers spend no longer than six hours strapped to a seat because after that, their concentration may lag.

Each worker makes two drops a day from the roof along the sides of the building. Depending on experience, they can make up to $75 a drop, said company general manager Brett Hemphill, watching the crew from the roof of the Sykes Building across the street.

He fidgets watching a worker with a little less experience than the others climb over the roof railing.

"This makes me nervous, even now," Hemphill said.

The company is about 25 years old and has never lost anyone. But there have been times when workers froze halfway down, he said. And inexperienced washers can lose their focus if they're not careful. The reflection of the horizon on the window in front of them can be disorienting.

Tony Bennington was stationed on the ground Thursday, making sure pedestrians didn't walk beneath the window washers. He didn't want anyone to get wet or bonked on the head by a dropped squeegee.

"I'm in training," he said. Bennington hopes to be up in the seat on future jobs. He said he thinks he has mastered the technique.

"It's just getting used to the feeling of just hanging by a rope," he said. That, and to, "just look straight ahead."

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.

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