Window Cleaning News

Man tries to change window, falls to death: A 58-year-old Saylorsburg-area man has died after falling from a second-floor window he was replacing in a South Side Bethlehem row home, according to authorities. Dominick Ficzko of Ross Township was working for Brian's Professional Cleaning and Restoration of Nazareth when he fell out the window opening around 1:15 p.m. Tuesday at 623 William St., according to the Lehigh County coroner's office. He died at 7 p.m. in St. Luke's Hospital-Fountain Hill, said the coroner's office. The death was ruled an accident today following an autopsy that showed multiple blunt force trauma, the coroner said. Brian Schmidt, owner of Brian's Professional Cleaning and Restoration, said in a prepared statement that his family and staff are "deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Nick…. His talents, integrity, and work ethic will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends." The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigates all work-related fatalities, and employers are required to report them within eight hours of the accident. OSHA spokeman Mike D'Aquino said the agency is investigating the death, but no information will be released until the final report is completed. OSHA has six months to issue its findings.
Andujar, of Bethlehem, said she was in her attic bedroom Tuesday talking to a workman repairing the window inside when a burned sill that he leaned on gave way, sending him plummeting to the pavement below. The worker, 58-year-old Dominick "Nick" Ficzko of Saylorsburg, Pa., died later that day at St. Luke’s Hospital in Fountain Hill. “I feel so horrible,” said Andujar, 24, who lives with her grandparents at 625 William St. “He just went to work. It was a regular day and he couldn’t make it home to his family. “We just started talking, and all of a sudden it happened. I thought I was going to die, too.”
Andujar said a crew from Brian’s Professional Cleaning & Restoration, of Nazareth, had arrived to fix the window and frame that had burned about two weeks ago from a cigarette butt.
Ficzko was inside and another worker was outside, ascending a ladder propped against the house. Two other workers were on the ground, she said. “He was standing on the floor,” she said. “In front of the window, there’s an old coil heater. When he was leaning forward (on the sill), it broke. He flipped out of the window, hit the ladder and hit the curb.”

Dieter defends window cleaning: Dieter Brummer has defended becoming a window cleaner after leaving Home And Away, revealing he wanted real life experience after becoming an actor so young. The actor was just 15 when he was cast as Shane Parrish in the soap for four years, and though some critics belittled his decision to become a window cleaner when he left in 1996, he insists it is an art in itself. Dieter told TV Tonight: "People say that I'm just a window cleaner, in reality it's substantially more involved than that - working at heights, it's a relatively specialist trade." He added: "I just wanted to get a bit of real life experience under my belt, but I'd always intended on coming back to the acting game at some point. "It was a pretty intense time coming out of high school to receive all this fame and adulation. As great as it was I wanted to prove to myself I could get my hands dirty and sweat for a buck as easily as standing around on set, being primped and preened." The 33-year-old is now returning to acting as Detective Trevor Haken in the second series of Underbelly, after seeing some of his former Home And Away co-stars make acting comebacks.

Michael Jackson baby Lilly-May's a Thriller: Sporting the iconic single white glove, Lilly-May Hickman was a worldwide superstar before she was even born, after the face of Michael Jackson appeared on her scan photo. The ultrasound image was seen by millions around the globe – and now the little Thriller has arrived, leaving proud parents Dawn Kelley and William Hickman singing The Girl is Mine. However, the couple admit Lilly-May looks less like the King of Pop –- and more like her doting dad. Dawn, 34, and William, 29, could not believe their eyes when a 20-week scan of their unborn baby revealed the face of the late pop legend. The family were worried people would think they were mad, but everyone agreed that they could see Jackson in the photo. After being published in the Echo, the story went global and Lilly-May's pictures were posted on websites in China, India, Australia and the U.S.. Window cleaner William said: "We couldn't believe the interest from so many different countries. We were on ABC news in America and if you Google 'Michael Jackson baby scan' you can see how many stories come up."
Michael Jackson Alive! Found By Window Cleaner.

Steve Jamieson may have been one of the finest athletes Stoneham High has ever produced, and despite a series of nagging injuries was able to become an iconic name in SHS sports annals. As a sophomore, Jamieson started as a receiver and filled in at quarterback when senior quarterback John Censullo got injured. In hockey, he was named a Middlesex League All-Star and was an Honorable Mention by the Boston Globe as an All-Scholastic.
In his junior year, he dominated the gridiron running and passing for touchdowns as well as kicking extra points, resulting in him being the highest-scoring quarterback in eastern Massachusetts. Jamieson was the co-winner, along with fellow Hall of Famer, Paul White, of The Marty Jordan Award for his performance against Reading on Thanksgiving Day; but as a junior was not eligible to be selected as a Middlesex League All-Star as only seniors were selected.
In hockey, he was second on the team in scoring which was good enough to once again be selected a Middlesex League All-Star. A shoulder operation delayed his baseball season debut, but he was still able to achieve a varsity letter and finished with a .545 batting average.
A separated shoulder forced Jamieson to miss the first two games of football his senior year, which mandated a switch from quarterback to halfback. After losing two games without Jamieson, the team turned their fortunes around with his return reeling off a series of victories. Game after game Jamieson provided the team with key touchdown runs. Scoring both touchdowns in a 12-8 win over Reading, Jamieson was once again co-winner of the Marty Jordan Award. Finishing sixth in Division I in scoring with 66 points, he was named a Middlesex League All-Star and team MVP.
In hockey, he led the Spartans in scoring with 16 goals and 14 assists for 30 points to be named team MVP and a Middlesex League All-Star, but was unable to participate in the All-Star game due to a separated shoulder. His shoulder injury prevented him from playing baseball his senior year.
Jamieson currently resides in Gloucester with his wife, Chrissy, where he runs a successful window cleaning company. They have five children.

Glazed buildings including the Gherkin could become “pariahs” by 2050 because of their inability to cope with climate change and dwindling resources such as power and water, it was claimed this week. As BD celebrates its 40th anniversary, the former head of architecture at Cambridge University said the next 40 years would see many of today’s architectural landmarks increasingly dismissed as energy-guzzling relics of a bygone age. Alan Short (pictured) said global warming and other factors including the ageing population would result in a huge programme of retrofitting as well as radically different forms of architectural expression. Many of Short’s predictions were echoed by Oxford University professor Steve Rayner, who this week announced details of a major research project into how cities can be adapted over the coming decades. Short said: “There is a huge challenge for the construction industry and designers… the idea of making buildings out of glass is going to become a historical phenomenon. “Buildings that use huge amounts of energy, and big glass office buildings, will be pariah buildings. People won’t want to rent them. Will the Gherkin (pictured right) still be standing? Well, no names, but I do think that is going to be a big issue.”

Friendly wave was trademark of city's ambassador: And Mr. Jones driving past in the trolley, his big smile, always a wave — and if I was lucky, he'd ring the trolley bell for me. Such were the fixtures of downtown Staunton. On Friday, Jerome Jones deftly steered the trolley around the Green Line his last few times. The father of 13, grandfather of two, part-time window washer and full-time minister of the Church of God on West Beverley Street was retiring from his 40-hour job. I managed to catch him late in the day on Friday. I slipped into the seat directly behind him and asked him a few questions. He answered them politely, and then glancing back to me said, "What are you doing, taking notes?" Not much gets by Mr. Jones, I answered. "No, nothing goes over my head but birds and airplanes," he said, then laughed. Mr. Jones began driving the trolley in April 2002. The trolleys offer free rides around the city, and their riders come from all walks of life. Tourists and people without transportation share the wooden seats. No matter where they come from, and no matter where they're going, they received the same big grin when they boarded and the same respect when they departed.

HENRY 'THE BUG MAN' People are always unloading various animals on Henry Michaloski, from turtles to rabbits to spiders--and his most recent acquisition: two snakes. "They just know I'll take care of them," said Michal-oski. Indeed, his profession, and passion, is teaching kids about animals by traveling all over the country in his RV, and toting about a dozen animals along for the ride. For the past 20 years Michaloski has studied nature and thought of new and interesting ways to present that information to kids, in an educational yet fun way. "Kids are curious and kids enjoy my sense of humor," Michaloski. "When we sing 'Itsy Bitsy Spider,' I do my tarantula dance and they laugh with me." Michaloski does indeed have a tarantula that he regularly brings out during lectures, as well as snakes, a rabbit and a duck, which is the personal favorite among children. With these live props he teaches everything from habitats to food chains to ecosystems. Michaloski travels to Fredericksburg to do shows about twice a year. Before he became a roving nature teacher, though, he owned a window washing business in Fredericksburg. He decided to sell the business and start a new one after an unexpected family interruption.

Does the Cook County Sheriff’s Department actually employ 15 elevator operators? If you were to look at the department’s 2010 budget, you’d see that more than $527,000 went to pay elevator operators at various county locations. You’d also see that more than $119,000 is reserved for two marble polishers. And more than $800,000 goes to pay 17 window washers. Some might call it typical county waste. Not exactly.
While the sheriff’s department does indeed employ people whose jobs are described as “elevator operator,” “elevator starter” and “marble washer,” the titles are leftover from a bygone era, says Steve Patterson, spokesman for Sheriff Tom Dart. “Those are all unionized custodial employees. They’re job titles historically were elevator operator, marble polisher, window washer. The job responsibilities are far greater than they were,” Patterson says. “The unionized position still says 'elevator operator.' That is part of the title, but not completely.”
As for the 17 window washers that cost the county more than $800,000 a year, they indeed are charged with cleaning every window at county buildings. The sheriff’s department is in charge of county custodial services, which is why these non-law enforcement positions fall under Dart’s budget. Patterson says Dart’s office is hoping to eliminate the misleading job titles, converting all the titles to custodial positions.

Confessions from Gozo: Robin Askwith is selling his flat on Malta's peaceful, rural neighbour. If Gozo, Malta's smaller sibling, is stuck in the Seventies, as visitors say, that suits at least one local resident right down to the ground. This was the decade that Robin Askwith, 59, became a star in the cheap and cheerful British film industry, turning out a string of sex comedies such as Confessions Of A Window Cleaner. None was exactly Bafta material, with Robin playing a young, guileless, cheeky chappy seduced by a succession of suburban vamps. 'I was a familiar face - and a familiar backside - but the money was awful,' recalls Robin, who had a good run on ITV's Benidorm last year and is still a regular in Christmas pantos. The first Confessions film paid me £2,000 and the fourth and last £8,000. But I still get the occasional performance fee.' For Robin, Malta has long been his favourite place abroad. It was the first warm destination he visited. Aged 19, he arrived in 1969 to make a package tour TV advert under the direction of Ridley and Tony Scott, now Hollywood A-listers.

City election is Tomorrow: The election for the next mayor of Gainesville and the newest District 4 city of Gainesville commissioner will end Tuesday in a runoff election. Polls will open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m., and at the end of the night, either veteran two-term District 4 city Commissioner Craig Lowe, who abandoned the seat to run for mayor, or political newcomer window cleaner Don Marsh will become the next mayor of Gainesville, and either local political veteran Penny Wheat or newcomer Randy Wells will become the new District 4 commissioner.

Attendees of a tea party rally at Centre Church in Windham on Saturday listen to Billy Martin, a U.S. Navy veteran and former New York City firefighter. “When I joined the Navy, I took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against enemies, both foreign and domestic,” said Billy Martin, owner of Wee Willie’s Window Washing in Maplecrest. “I got the foreign out of the way in the first Gulf War. Now I’m here to fight the domestic enemies in our government.” “For the first time in my adult life, I’m concerned about the future of my country,” said Tom Hitchcock, a vice president on the Ulster-Greene ARC Board of Directors, and former Windham town justice, town board member, and Windham-Ashland-Jewett school board member. “I’m here today because I am angry and fearful that my children and grandchildren are not going to be able to enjoy the freedom and opportunities that former generations and mine have enjoyed.”

CATERHAM racer Jay Gardner is moving up a league this season. Gardner, who won the Academy title last year in his first season of racing, is making the move into the Roadsport B class. And the Barrowford 28-year-old has one aim at this weekend’s Silverstone opener – to stay out of trouble. “Of course, I’d like to win but realistically, I’d be very happy just to get to the finish in one piece,” said Gardner, who runs his own window cleaning business. “Each race is 20 minutes long, and a lot can happen in that space of time. It would be fantastic to win, but I’d be happy to a top five to start with – and the car in one piece!” Gardner is looking for sponsorship for this season. Anyone interested can contact him via email at jay.gardner@hotmail.co.uk. Most of the races will be shown on the satellite Motors TV channel.

£5,500 fine after window cleaner falls from roof: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted a Lincoln firm after one of its workers fell from a roof, breaking eight ribs and sustaining a back injury. The employee, also from Lincoln was employed to clean windows at a local college when the incident happened on 4 November 2008. The employee had climbed up on a flat roof at the college to clean the windows of a neighbouring building, he fell when he over reached. His employer recently pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 for failing to ensure cleaning work was properly planned and supervised. The company was fined £2,500 and ordered to pay £2,948.20p in costs by Lincoln Magistrates' Court. A HSE Inspector said: "More than 3,200 employees suffer from major injuries as a result of falls from height in the workplace each year. "These injuries can shatter lives. It is crucial to remember that even when a risk assessment has taken place, it is only effective if the information is passed onto staff and supervision ensures that they undertake the work safely."

Double-pane glass variants and thicker aluminum profiles are being adopted to improve acoustic insulation ratings. China suppliers of windows and skylights are gearing product development toward sound reduction, now one of the line’s key selling points. Effective acoustic insulation has emerged as a key buyer concern following studies linking loud noise to stress, nervousness, insomnia, poor concentration and even cardiovascular ailments. More architects, in fact, are being required to incorporate sound control elements in building design.
To meet demand, manufacturers are combining different forms of acoustic treatments. Double-pane solutions are the priority since the degree of noise attenuation depends mainly on the type of glass used. Most companies are tapping laminated variants made of polyvinyl butyral or PVB film sandwiched between two glass sheets. Owing to its viscoelastic property, the interlayer is able to absorb sound waves that penetrate through the first ply of glass. Only minimum noise, as a result, is transmitted to the second pane.
Commonly used in midrange models, PVB glass provides 28 to 34dB of acoustic insulation. For the high-end segment, enterprises turn to resin-laminated counterparts with a sound protection level of more than 35dB. Another alternative gaining popularity is insulating glass. Rated at 35 to 60dB, this is preferred in designs meant to reduce high-frequency noise such as those from conversations and amplified music. Insulating glass similarly adopts two sheets, except the gap is filled with air or gas. The structure prevents sound vibrations from resonating through both panes. Low-frequency noise, however, is not filtered.

Van driver sacked after CCTV shows him swerve into cyclist: A van driver who deliberately swerved into a cyclist was sacked after his boss found evidence of his bad driving on the vehicle's CCTV camera system. Cyclist James Hoggarth, 35, complained to the window-cleaning firm, NCPM247.com, after almost being knocked off his bike and subjected to a torrent of abuse by the driver in Pall Mall. The firm, which portrays itself as “London's finest window cleaning company”, checked video and audio footage from the van and found it substantiated Mr Hoggarth's allegations. It suspended the contractor immediately and said he would no longer work for the firm. The confrontation happened last month as Mr Hoggarth, a civil servant, cycled from Trafalgar Square towards Pall Mall. He was in the right-hand lane because a bus was in the left-hand lane but the van repeatedly sounded its horn in an attempt to force him out of the way. When he passed the bus, the van undertook Mr Hoggarth and came within a fraction of hitting him. When the cyclist pulled up to the van at traffic lights, the driver swerved into him and screamed obscenities. Mr Hoggarth, a member of the London Cycling Campaign, noted the registration number and name of the firm. He reported the abuse to the company and to the Met police's Roadsafe London website, which gathers evidence of bad driving. The firm, based in Isleworth, had fitted internal recording equipment to six vans it uses in central London, primarily for insurance purposes.

Rain barrel use increasing in Knox Co. - Either as a way of saving green or going green, more Knox County residents are relying on the weather to get water, according to the Knox County Stormwater Management group. Parci Gibson from the organization said nearly 2,000 people in the last two years have bought rain barrels. These containers collect water from the home's gutters. This water is used mostly outside, for lawns or window cleaning, said Gibson.

Nuclear waste has nowhere to go but into glass: SEATTLE — The tanks are still there, 177 in all, packed with 53 million gallons of radioactive waste. One million gallons have leached into the desert soil. A decade from now, this byproduct of the atomic age at Hanford nuclear reservation was to be turned into 14-foot-long glass rods, loaded in steel canisters and shipped to Nevada, where it could sit forever beneath a mountain. An additional 2,300 tons of spent nuclear fuel would go with it. But now the worst waste from the country’s most polluted place has nowhere to go. Construction of a treatment plant to turn Hanford’s poisons into glass is designed to meet standards appropriate for Yucca. The point of turning waste into glass is to neutralize the radioactive materials so they can’t ever leach into the ground again. After that, he’s less concerned about where it goes, even if it winds up being stored on Hanford’s plateau.

Tecate, cerveza con caracter, announced today the launch of its "Anthem 3" campaign. The integrated advertising program depicts the journey of Mexican men trying to establish a new life in the U.S., and toasts to their character, which is imperative to their success. This campaign is a natural evolution from previous creative and elevates the "Con Caracter" or "With Character" positioning launched two years ago.
Created by Adrenalina, Tecate's New York City-based advertising agency, "Anthem 3" is comprised of three 30-second spots featuring everyday characters such as Ezequiel Pena, a construction worker; Tomas Ortega, a window washer; and Jose Dominguez, a truck driver. Each storyline is carefully crafted to showcase the individual boldness, masculinity, and character each man needs to face everyday challenges. Additionally, the ads are set in U.S. cities like New York and Los Angeles, making it easier for consumers to relate to these situations. At the end of each Spanish-language commercial, the characters toast to their accomplishments with a Tecate, thereby ensuring the brand's presence in their celebration.