Jonathan Ellis
moderator
Yes, it cost next to nothing, but it will weed out some people that have no business with a pressure washing "business"
Should pressure washing companies be licensed?
- Thread starter Henry Bockman
- Start date
funny how other BBS get different responses?
Jim@Garagecleaning
banned
I see many good points of views on both sides.
But I do have one question for everybody.
If the argument is that having a license dose not do good for various reasons, then why dose the city, state and feds even offer and licenses? We do private schools need license, Why do Hospitals, place of business, restaurants, Doctors, Nurses, Pilots, etc......
The main reason is to show the public that you have been screened or tested in some way, or educated etc, so that you are held accountable for your actions and can be fined or sued more easily.
Is that good? Is that Bad? Dose that justify the industry or give it some type of credibility. I haven't decided yet.
But I do have one question for everybody.
If the argument is that having a license dose not do good for various reasons, then why dose the city, state and feds even offer and licenses? We do private schools need license, Why do Hospitals, place of business, restaurants, Doctors, Nurses, Pilots, etc......
The main reason is to show the public that you have been screened or tested in some way, or educated etc, so that you are held accountable for your actions and can be fined or sued more easily.
Is that good? Is that Bad? Dose that justify the industry or give it some type of credibility. I haven't decided yet.
Tony Shelton
BS Detector, Esquire
You are exactly right Roger. In my opinion there shouldn't be any licensing for any occupation that cannot cause bodily harm, or loss of life or limb.
For example:
Doctors should be licensed. Doctors diagnose illnesses. The wrong diagnosis can cost a person their life. (and does in many cases). Licensing should cost a LOT of money and should be HIGHLY monitored and regulated. Chiropractors should not be licensed. Therapists should not be licensed.
Attorneys should be licensed. A bad a attorney can cost a person their life or their freedom. Again, this should cost a lot of money and be highly regulated for ATTORNEYS that DEFEND life and freedom. NOT for civil attorneys. Most of you know, if you've had any dealings with attorneys at all, the paralegals who are NOT licensed can run circles around the attorneys in the knowledge department. The attorney is just the licensed "figurehead" of the firm in many cases. That is what our current system has degenerated to.
There are few occupations that should be licensed.
Why does one need a contractors license to build? A city inspector has to inspect the work anyway at all the steps along the way. What difference does a license make? A bad or unlearned builder would soon go out of business if he couldn't pass inspections.
Why can't Joe Blow decide he wants to build and just go out and get clients and start doing it? His work has to pass inspection anyway? Especially if Joe Blow never asked for money up front.
Maybe that should be the test. How about licensing for ANY company that asks for money up front and NO LICENSING for ANY companies that receive pay after the work?
Would that work for all you guys who want to "help the consumer"?
jlpressure
JL Pressure Washing
Ya, only people like James Bond should have to be licensed. I wonder how much a License To Kill cost. I got to get me one of those licenses
Does a barber require a license? I think most states require people who cut hair to carry this.
Why because they built a large network of educational training funded by our tax dollars.'
Now this is starting to make me angry.
Henry Bockman
Maryland Pressure Washing
Well if they offer shaves and cut someone, what about when a hair stylist accidently cuts off part of an ear? I know it sounds stupid but it does happen.
Tony Shelton
BS Detector, Esquire
Almost 300 million people live in the USA. Almost all except Ron, Russ and Terry have to have their hair cut at one time or another. 4 times per year is more than a billion haircuts a year. Surely with that many haircuts the ear mangling must be staggering. Could somebody please look up those stats. That's an absurd line of thought with no factual basis.
Again you are making my point. The GOVERNMENT trains and pays the INSPECTOR to INSPECT the builder's work every step along the way. If a man has to tear down his house it is the fault of the INSPECTOR. It has nothing to do with the contractor. A well-trained inspector would never let a faulty project like that get off the ground. Once again FAILURE OF THE GOVERNMENT.
I can find a list of every single man-lift related (employee) accident causing injury with a few clicks of the mouse. I can even read the circumstances on most of them. If pressure washing accidents are so frequent and devastating let's hear the statistics on them.
1998-2006 we had up to 5 guys in 5 vans running over 50,000 miles per year delivering dry cleaning. We've never had an insurance claim of any sort. (Except quitters trying to file unemployment, but no go.)
2004-2009 - Usually four full timers and a total of about 40 temp guys. On lifts, driving, on ladders (not as often), over rooftops, working around electricity, using STRONG caustics and acids, spraying thousands of gallons of water and never a claim.
Meanwhile I threw away over $91,000 in that time period on insurance. (WC, Liability, Umbrella, Vehicle, Personal Vehicle) Since 1997 I've had one claim of less than $3000 and that was on our personal vehicle. What a racket....and now we want to add the government racket to that. I say it's nuts.
You're grasping at straws to justify the real goal of thinning the competition.
Why not just give up on the moral justification and just own up to the fact that licensing is simply a means of locking up the market?
We are going nuts, you have to have a degree and be certified to rent cars now.
Henry Bockman
Maryland Pressure Washing
Tony, my goal is not to "thin" out the competition. My goal is to raise the bar, protect consumers and make pressure washing more reputable. I help guys every day to work faster, get more clients and make more money. EVERY DAY at least 3 guys call me with questions about pressure washing or how to improve their company. I teach seminars and classes, I write articles and give advice out to local competitors. My companies have provided services for 20 years and over 19,000 customers so I've been established for years. I don't care who starts up, I just think they should start up the right way and that consumers should have some kind of protection from the high pressure blasting newbies.
Tony Shelton
BS Detector, Esquire
Heres the list of licensed US occupations (that's US, all states have some more)
The following professions require US licensure before you are legally allowed to practice it in the US:
medicine
nursing
law
dentistry
teaching
accounting
veterinary medicine
pharmacy
psychology
engineering
architecture
Notice "pressure washer" is no where on the list, nor is "painter", "roofer", etc etc.
Why? Because the US list above is a general cross section of professions that can kill you, harm you physically or take ALL your money.
Even a crossing guard can kill you, but these are the professions that take a LOT of skill and thought to KEEP from killing someone. Sorry to burst the bubble, but pressure washing isn't and shouldn't be on the list.
The following professions require US licensure before you are legally allowed to practice it in the US:
medicine
nursing
law
dentistry
teaching
accounting
veterinary medicine
pharmacy
psychology
engineering
architecture
Notice "pressure washer" is no where on the list, nor is "painter", "roofer", etc etc.
Why? Because the US list above is a general cross section of professions that can kill you, harm you physically or take ALL your money.
Even a crossing guard can kill you, but these are the professions that take a LOT of skill and thought to KEEP from killing someone. Sorry to burst the bubble, but pressure washing isn't and shouldn't be on the list.
RMedbery
banned
I dont know.........I saw a real dirty piece of concrete once............made me barff..........my helper tried to step around the barf............caught his foot on a sprinkler head..........tripped and fell into the street...........car swerved to keep from hitting him...........car hit a telephone pole and busted the wires..........a lady was cut off in the middle of her 911 call about someone breaking into her neighbors house...............thief cut his wrist on the window while breaking it.................bled to death....................if only that concrete cleaner was licensed..............I wouldnt have barfed.
Tony Shelton
BS Detector, Esquire
Ok Roger, you've made a VERY good case. I've changed my mind. Pressure Washers should be licensed! I'm going back to college to get my PwD.
Bringing this one Back up
junker1
Roundtable Host 2009
nothing needed here in maine.
I think they do have issues