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The Age, Sat 25 May, 2002:

Sean Campbell's day at work starts like many others. He goes into the office building, up in the lift and walks to his work station. But then he ties himself to the roof and goes over the edge.

If mountaineering or scaling tall buildings is your idea of fun, maybe should consider industrial window cleaning as an occupation.

If you look up a high-rise block and see what appears to be an insect on the top levels, there's a chance its Sean Campbell quietly going about his work.

His lifeline is a double rope system that takes him from the top to the bottom of Melbourne's highest towers, and he sings as he goes.

Softly spoken Mr Campbell, 32, cut his teeth on one of the world's tallest buildings - the 553.33metre CN Tower in Toronto. Early in his career, he came to Australia on a working visa.

"I had a couple of contacts in the industrial window-cleaning game here," he says. "There was virtually no knowledge of the abseil method of high-rise cleaning, so I was sponsored to come back on a permanent basis and teach."

Now he heads Vertical High Access, specialists in twin rope, or abseil, window cleaning and spends his working life working at terrifying heights - with the nearest toilet way, way down there.

Mr Campbell was attracted to the high life by friends who were already working in the industry back in Canada. He saw dangling over buildings as a symbol of freedom.

"In Canada I'd work job by job. You could work for three months, then go travelling. There's always work around for experienced industrial abseilers - it's a good line to get into.

"Pay is not all that great, though - average $20 an hour, tops around $40 an hour.

"People ask me if it's a dangerous job. Well, the work isn't dangerous, but people are. I have never heard of anyone dying following the rules. In every accident I read about, someone was cutting corners on safety.

"I've been in two tight spots in 16 years on the job. Both were caused by wind. that' the thing we fear most. Sometimes wind just hits you. It can be a perfectly fine day and the next thing you know the wind picks you up and slams you into the building.

"The first time the wind got me, my ropes were blown around a tree and I couldn't untangle them. I had to wait for my co-worker to climb the tree and free the ropes.

"The second time, a 100kmh wind came out of nowhere, picked me up and swung me around the building. Luckily for me, it blew me on to a balcony.

"There is the occasional accident. A friend of mine fell 13 floors and lived. It took the better part of a year for him to learn to walk again, but he's fine now. He wasn't following the rules.

The tools of the trade are ropes, harness, lanyard, safety grab, descender, chair, helmet, karabiners and cleaning equipment. Buckets must be securely fixed to the rest of the equipment, as they make a mess if they fall from the 40th storey.

From time to time Mr Campbell sees some strange sights on the other side of the window, particularly when he's cleaning an apartment block or a hotel. It all helps pass the time, he says.

Scrabbling down the side of buildings is not a male-only occupation. Mr Campbell says two of the best operators he knows are women. Skill, rather than great strength and fitness, he says, is what is needed for this job.

"Age is not a major issue, either. When I first started out I had the pleasure of working with a 54-year-old. Mind you, he was in better shape than most 30-year-olds. I can't see myself still going at that age - I'd like to get out when I'm 45."

Window cleaners also have fun. Once in a while they get together for window-cleaning contests, rate on speed and efficiency.

Window cleaning is not covered by any union, and the Occupational Health and Safety guidelines are a bit fuzzy. Self-regulation is the name of the game, and although no abseiling window cleaner has been killed here, Sean Campbell is surprised that hasn't happened.

"It's getting better, though. Abseiling is recognized as the best way of getting the job done, and there are some very professional people among the 300 twin-rope ticket-holders in Victoria. There are still no formal entry qualifications, but I'd recommend a good head for heights and an industrial rope ticket from Holmesglen TAFE."

Vertical Access has four fulltime staff and up to five casuals for big jobs, such as 161 Collins Street, which is cleaned three times a year. Five-star hotels get a wash four times a year, most buildings just twice.

Abseil window cleaners turn their hands to many other tasks - water pressure cleaning, waterproofing, leak detection and caulking, facade inspection and repair, banner and sign installation, painting and promotional work.

People have tried to develop machines to do the job, but they work only on flat surfaces and are ruinously expensive to buy and operate. So the future looks secure for rope people.

When Sean Campbell reveals what he does for a living there are tow inevitable questions. One concerns the gravity control, the other bladder control - what with all that cold water around.

Regarding the first: "I'm not scared of heights but I am scared of falling. That's why I follow every safety rule and then some."

And the second:"Most of the time you simply abseil to the ground and use a toilet in the building, but when you're working on a suspended platform you can get stuck.

"If this happens it can be hours before the mechanics can get the unit working again, so we always take an extra bucket."

That's another one of life's little mysteries explained.