WashDrones: Preventing The Risks Associated with Exterior Cleaning
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Exterior cleaning and window washing remain highly risky tasks. In fact, falls from height are responsible for 9% of workplace fatalities and for 3.5% of injuries (according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics). With the introduction of new manslaughter laws that penalise businesses for neglecting to safeguard employees, companies cannot afford not to invest in solutions that keep workers out of harm’s way.
WashDrones (an Australian supplier of wash drone systems and services) presents a solution, with a specially designed drone that takes a hose to height and carries out washing and cleaning – more safely and efficiently than other methods. The wash drones are rated and able to carry out high pressure washing, using pressure of up to 3500 PSI, and lower for softwash applications. The drone’s ability to handle the recoil of the PSI fluctuation as the solution or the water, or a combination of the two is delivered at height, is the engineering wizardry of this tech.
Besides making regulatory compliance easier, WashDrones also address other workplace health and safety challenges, including the shortage of staff with the appropriate working at heights tickets, as well as the costs associated with traditional heights cleaning.
A simple but effective solution for a multitude of applications
Paul New, Managing Director of WashDrones, emphasizes that an Elevating Work Platform (EWP) or scissor lifts as a tool have a maximum wind speed rating of 10km/h (2.5 m/s) is allowed at its highest operational point. In the rope access industry, standard practice dictates no climbing and staying below wind speeds of 18km/h (5 m/s) for sector-specific activities. On the other hand, a drone can be monitored to operate in winds up to 30 km/h, with the ability to handle gusts up to 45 km/h, though careful monitoring is crucial in such conditions and dependent on assets/location.
Ambient temperatures are also a consideration. In outside temperatures of 35 degrees, human-enabled methodologies must be shut down. A drone can carry on working, making it an amazing tool to minimise downtime.
The WashDrones solution is 85% faster than any other methodology on the market. It takes care of the riskiest task. All the cleaning gets done, but no one leaves the ground. This makes the WashDrones proposition attractive to sectors like manufacturing, mining and other heavy industries, where the reduction of downtime is a significant factor.
WashDrones offer benefits to businesses across industries, as all sectors have some form of height cleaning requirement. Their drones are ideal for cleaning of facades and externals, ranging from viticulture vats and balconies to maritime vessels, bridges, microwave towers and airport control towers as well as signs at servos, shopping centers, mining structures and more. Regular cleaning extends the life of valuable assets.
Complete service and support
WashDrones caters to contractors and outsourced cleaning operators, as well as companies needing to train their own maintenance and cleaning staff. The company provides everything drones - consultation, training, equipment, insurance, service and even financing.
The WashDrone comes with a 2-year warranty – one from the manufacturer and one from WashDrones itself. An annual service is required to extend the second year of warranty.
Workplace Health & Safety Show Exclusive: Drones to Clean The Dome at Sydney Showground
Between 23 and 24 October 2024, Workplace Health & Safety Show Sydney attendees will get an exclusive opportunity to view WashDrones cleaning the 30-foot Dome at Sydney Showground.
The demonstration is a first for Workplace Health & Safety Show and it’ll be the only live demo of this technology in Australia.
In addition, WashDrones will be at stand B02 in the Show exhibition area, where their team will chat to attendees.