Powered access is today the access solution of first choice for an ever-increasing number of cleaning contractors. It is now widely recognised as the safest and most efficient option for cleaning medium and high-rise domestic and commercial windows and fenestrations, atriums and canopies, graffiti removal and clearing away the corrosive mess left by roosting and nesting birds.

By far and away the UK's leading powered access rental operation is Nationwide Access, with a hire fleet - currently around 6,000 machines - that is well in excess of twice the size of its nearest competitor. With 50 hire depots spread throughout the country, the company offers a broad selection of well-maintained self-propelled booms and scissor lifts, along with truck mounted booms in the Nationwide Skylift range.

Recent applications in the cleaning sector have included the cleaning of Manchester's Urbis building, a new, shimmering, glass structure rising high above the city's Millennium Quarter. Specialist contractor, Manchester-based Tudor Contract Cleaners, is using Nationwide Skylift truck-mounts with 35-metre and 50-metre working height platforms to carry out the quarterly cleaning of the 2,200 glazed panels of the double-height foyer, six- storey building.

But, having such a range of equipment does raise the question: how do you choose the right machine for the job; the one that will get the job done quickly, cost effectively and safely? Fortunately, there is a very simple solution that is available to contractors from their nearest Nationwide depot - a free on-site survey.

But it does help to first have some idea of what the main differences are between the three types of machine - truck mounts, booms and scissor lifts.

First, Skylift truck-mounts, arguably cleaning contractors' most popular solution. As the name implies, these are mounted on the back of trucks, some of which are all-terrain, four-wheel-drive vehicles. They are able to move on and off site quickly and efficiently and be fully operational within minutes of arrival on site. Most Skylift booms are able to rotate a full 360 degrees and are manipulated via controls located on the work platform. As with self-propelled booms, the outreach capabilities mean that movement is not restricted to vertical elevation.

Skylift machines range from 14-metre working height units, all the way up to a colossal 72 metres and every machine is supplied with a fully qualified and experienced Nationwide operator.

Turning to Nationwide's self-propelled booms, much of their popularity has to be attributed to their versatility. For, in addition to providing the essential vertical lift, they too offer an outreach capability, which enables the boom's work platform to reach over walls, trees and buildings, gaining access to areas that would be inaccessible to equipment where the operation is limited to vertical elevation. Again the height options are considerable, from just eight metres to an impressive 40.1 metres.

Finally, scissor lifts, which are limited to vertical elevation only. However, they provide safe and reliable access for working heights between 6.4 metres and 28.3 metres, with plenty of room on the stable and secure platform for tools and cleaning equipment. Three power options are available; diesel, which is popular for external use, electric, for indoor use where emissions are unacceptable, and bi-powered.

They can be used for a host of cleaning applications and are particularly popular - especially the electric and bi-powered models - for indoor use. Typical applications include atrium and shopping mall cleaning, because the machines are compact, fume and noise free, and cause the minimum disruption and inconvenience to employees and shoppers alike.

Nationwide's website, which was recently judged to be the best of its kind in Europe, is a good starting point to gauge precisely which machine is the right one for the job. It can be found at www.nationwideaccess.com. In addition to detailing all of the machines available for hire, the site assists with the selection of the most appropriate piece of equipment. However, for those without easy access to the Internet, Nationwide overcomes this by offering a quick-response free site survey service, where an expert from the nearest depot will visit and recommend the most suitable machine. For connection to the nearest Nationwide depot, telephone free on 0845 745 0000. There is also a special Lo-Call number that connects callers to the nearest Skylift depot - 0845 850 8888.

Nationwide is owned by Lavendon plc, which also has operations in Germany - where it is also the market leader - France, Spain, and Austria, trading under the name Zooom, plus a number of Rapid Access operations in the Middle East. Indeed, a recently published league table confirms the group to be the largest powered access company in Europe and the sixth largest in the world.

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March 2003 Nat3.081a