An exterior cleaning business washes facades, tanks, driveways and glass at height, outdoors and by the season. Work at height, early starts and weather-cancelled days all land on the same small crew, so a clear routine protects them and your clients' property.
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Share your requirementsA pressure washing and exterior cleaning business cleans what the weather and traffic have dirtied: building facades, glass, compound walls, parking areas, water tanks, signage and solar panels. Work runs in crews of three to six, often with one working at height on a rope, a cradle or a ladder while another handles the pump and water supply. Demand follows the seasons, with a rush before festivals, after the monsoon and before building handovers, and thins in between. Contracts are by site or by square foot, and work is done early in the morning or on weekends so as not to disturb the occupants. The risk is physical, and it is carried by a small group of people. See also HR for facility management.
Who does the work
Work at height with informal training
Rope, cradle and ladder work is taught by watching, and the person tying the knot may never have been checked by anyone.
Seasonal peaks drain the bench
Weeks of heavy work are followed by slack weeks, so skilled people drift to other employers and the next peak finds the crew short.
Early and weekend starts hit attendance
Starting at five in the morning or on a Sunday suits the client, and it also makes lateness and absence hard to manage.
Equipment needs trained hands
Pressure pumps, hoses and water supplies cause injury and damage when misused, and not everyone who operates them has been shown properly.
Weather cancels the day
Rain or wind stops the work, and the question of pay for a cancelled shift is rarely settled in advance.
Supervisors are the best worker
The crew chief is promoted for skill at the work, and has to learn to plan, check safety and handle the client without help.
Damage to the client's property
A cracked window, a stripped paint or a wet electrical box leaves the crew and the owner arguing about what happened.
Sites change every day
Each job has different access, anchor points and water, so nothing is routine and a briefing is easy to skip.
Check and record height-work competence
A practical assessment of each person who works on rope, cradle or ladder, with a named assessor and a repeat on a fixed cycle. The health, safety and wellbeing work builds the routine.
Brief every site before the crew starts
A short pre-work briefing covering access, anchor points, water, hazards and weather limits, led by the supervisor and noted.
Agree weather-day pay in advance
A written rule for what a cancelled or shortened day pays, so crews do not turn up to an argument. The compensation and rewards strategy covers it.
Keep a seasonal bench
A pool of trained part-time and recalled workers for peaks, with contact and availability kept up to date. The recruitment process keeps it topped up.
Prepare crew chiefs for the job
Short training on planning a day, checking safety, talking to the client and writing up a job, so the best worker becomes a decent supervisor. The leadership programme fits here.
Record equipment issue and condition
Who took which pump or harness, in what state, and when it was returned, linked to a person.
Confirm with a qualified professional. What applies to you depends on your business, your state and your arrangements, and it changes. This page describes practice. It does not state a legal position.
A height-work and equipment routine that is checked, recorded and repeated, not just taught once.
A seasonal bench of trained people to call back before each peak.
Clear pay rules for weather days, early starts and weekend work.
Crew chiefs who can plan, check safety and speak to the client.
Every engagement starts by recording where you stand, and every later report compares against that. We do not promise outcomes. Start with a free conversation, or see the paid HR Diagnostic.
From the GullyHR blog: one on HR in facility management, and one on each of the topics this page points to.
Housekeeping, technician and security staff at client sites leave for reasons head office rarely hears. How to ask, what to look for and how to act on it.
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A laminated notice, an annual drill, and an incident register with three entries in two years. What workplace health and safety looks like when it is real.
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Hiring decisions made one request at a time, in the month the pain is worst. What a workforce plan contains and why a twelve-month view changes what you hire.
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Most salary structures grew one negotiation at a time. How to build grades and bands from what you already pay, without repricing everybody at once.
8 min readRead articleMore on the GullyHR blog.
Have a competent person assess each one in practice, record the result and repeat it on a set cycle. Ask a qualified professional which standards and certificates apply to you.
Offer predictable minimum work, cross-train for other jobs such as interior cleaning, or agree a retainer for core crew. Ask what would keep them rather than guessing.
Decide before the season and write it down, whether it is a reduced rate, a partial day or rescheduled work. Surprises feed resentment.
Fix the schedule a day ahead, arrange transport or a meeting point where it helps, and treat repeated lateness as a conversation, not just a deduction.
Someone who is competent, calm with the client and willing to be responsible for safety. The best operator is not always the best supervisor, so prepare the person for it.
We would list everyone working at height and when a competent person last checked them, find out what a rained-off day pays, and ask how many of last peak season's people you could recall today. A good first job is a height-work competence record and a seasonal bench. Scope is put in writing afterwards.
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