The Story of a Skyscraper Window Cleaner: Relying on Ropes, Risking Life for a Living

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The job of cleaning high-rise building glass is not just about cleaning the building’s surfaces. Behind the gleaming façades of tall buildings, there are workers who daily rely on safety ropes at heights of tens to hundreds of metres. For some people, the job sounds frightening. Yet for rope-access workers or skyscraper window cleaners, fear is something that must be controlled every time they descend from the top of a building. ‘In the past it was also about the money. I used to work in a workshop. Then a friend invited me,’ Rizki said when Kompas.com spoke to him at the BPH Migas Building, Tandean, South Jakarta, on Wednesday (20/5/2026). Although interested, that does not mean he immediately dared to face the heights. Rizki admitted he turned pale when he first had to descend using the rope on the side of the building. ‘It’s what you call starting to work at height,’ he said. The first building he worked on was in Cilangkap, East Jakarta. At that time, he wasn’t really working alone because he was still accompanied by a senior who taught him how to use the equipment and how to descend using the rope. The greatest fear arose when he first looked down from the top of the building. ‘At first I was scared to look down. But because I was continually accompanied by a senior, I felt calmer,’ Rizki said. According to him, the adaptation process did not last long. In two to three days, his body and mind began to get used to the height situation. Nevertheless, becoming a rope-access worker is not a job that can be done carelessly. Rizki said he had to undergo a long training and schooling process before he could really work in the field. ‘In the past it took around three to four years before I could truly obtain a licence and be able to work down below,’ he said. In this profession, technical ability and understanding of safety equipment are the main things. Because the workers not only clean glass, but also perform other tasks, including painting up to coating the building’s exterior. He said the work system he follows is freelance with profit-sharing based on the projects worked on with the team. ‘If there is a project, the result is shared evenly according to the team that goes down,’ he said. Because it is freelance work, most of the work equipment also has to be bought by themselves. For a full set of safety equipment, the cost is not small. ‘One set of equipment can cost around Rp 25 million,’ Rizki said. The cost includes a harness, rope, carabiners, and various other safety-support tools. Rizki said he bought the equipment gradually from the projects he obtained. Besides equipment, the biggest challenge when working, according to Rizki, is the weather conditions, especially the wind. ‘In tall buildings, the wind can suddenly pick up,’ he said. Because of that, he must stay focused and avoid panic when on top of the building. ‘The important thing is not to panic. If you panic you can go blank,’ he said. The same story was experienced by Fajar Maulana (27). He said he initially never imagined working as a skyscraper window cleaner. ‘At first I worked in another field before becoming rope access. I saw this job as more challenging,’ Fajar said.