World Cup Fever, Scaffold Accidents + More Window Cleaning News

Jeff Astle (13 May 1942 – 19 January 2002) was an English footballer. He played 361 games for West Bromwich Albion, scoring 174 goals, and was one of the most iconic players in the history of the club. He also won five caps for England, but did not score any goals. After his retirement Astle launched an industrial cleaning business. He was an iconic figure among Albion fans, who nicknamed him 'The King'. 1970 World Cup striker Jeff Astle later worked as window cleaner and had a sign saying "He misses no corners." Weird World Cup - 66 Amazing England Facts.

City of York Council bans staff from flying England flags from its vehicles - Council workers in York have been banned from flying the flag from their vehicles when the World Cup kicks off. The move will also prevent City of York Council employees placing stickers on the side of vans and trucks to show their support for their countries during the world’s biggest football showcase, which starts tomorrow in South Africa. About 200 vehicles, including waste collection lorries, will be covered by the rule.
A spokesman for the Football Supporters’ Federation said: “There is nothing wrong with a bit of patriotism when the World Cup is being staged and it’s quite natural that people would want to show a bit of national pride. “Allowing flags and stickers does no harm to morale and creates a sense of excitement. It would be nice to see the council reverse its decision.” “We have already noticed an increase in the number of these flags at the roadside and we have a duty to prevent litter and not encourage it. “Staff can display flags inside their vehicle as long as they do not obstruct any vision for the driver through the windscreen, side windows or rear window.”
Larry Taylor, the joint owner of York-based Six Five Nine private hire firm, said none of his drivers were allowed to fly the England flag, but this was a year-round policy and not just targeted at flags, with the aim being to avoid confrontation or causing offence. “We don’t allow any sort of identification like T-shirts and flags,” he said. “If we ban everything, we avoid everything. If we say ‘no religion, sex, politics or sport in the car’ we won’t get into trouble with anybody.”
Jon Prankitt, transport manager at A Rhodes Haulage, which operates from Stockton-on-the-Forest, said the firm did not have a policy on flying flags from its 24 commercial vehicles, adding: “We’ve got more important things to think about.”

Mike's Hard (Truth) Lemonade: Summer is here. I’d like to share some dead-on accurate predictions for your summer. Yes, you with the flip-flops, Buddy’s baseball cap and skeptical glare… You’ll experience a random act of soccer hooliganism.
The World Cup begins this weekend. Beware head butts from your British friends.
You’ll see Jesus rise! Jesus Ramirez is a friendly downtown window washer (and part-time soccer hooligan) who likes to surprise cubicle workers at the Dominion building by wearing a white robe and rubber make-up stigmata marks. What a gas…

Cleaning the gutters and windows can be a tricky and dangerous task best left to professionals. However, clearing debris from gutters is mandatory to prevent water from leaking onto the roof and into one's home, causing major damage to walls and ceilings or rotting the roof and eaves. Randy Mills owns and operates Pioneer Services in Sunnyvale and offers professional window, gutter and skylight cleaning to homeowners in Silicon Valley. Mills suggests cleaning the gutters once a year if trees or other greenery are present near one's house. Citing that approximately half a million homeowners are hurt on ladders each year, Mills advises using a ladder stand-off to lean the ladder against the roof without touching the gutters or creating a precarious situation where the ladder can slide off. Two smart investments are screens to place in the gutter downspouts to prevent them from clogging, Mills said, and gutter covers, which go over the top of or inside gutters to prevent leaves from falling in them. "If homeowners determine they want gutter covers, they need to make sure they get the right cover for the job," he said. "A professional should determine the gutter cover type a home requires."
An expert at double-pane window cleaning and repair, Mills said a leading mistake homeowners make with windows is failing to paint and caulk them properly, reducing the windows' ability to properly insulate. Mills suggests inspecting windows, doors with windows, and window and door screens each year, looking for holes in the screen and rotting or poor caulking. While cleaning windows is not a necessity but more of a luxury, he said, it does add to the appearance of one's home.

In Pictures: 'Gulf Oil Spill June 9th' - A BP worker uses a window squeege to remove oil from the BP oil spill from the beach in Grand Isle, Louisiana, USA, 09 June 2010. The oil spill is the largest in U.S. history and continues to threaten wildlife, the ecosystem and the economy of the Gulf Coast as BP and government officials attemmpt to stop the flow and remove what has already been released

Madison house sale to be sold for Alzheimer's Assn. - Every 70 seconds, someone in America develops Alzheimer's, a disease that robs people of their memory, takes them mentally and emotionally from their family, and eventually causes death. An estimated 5.3 million people in this country have Alzheimer's, the majority of which are over the age of 65. More than 200,000 Alzheimer's victims, however, are under 65. Thanks to an anonymous Lawrence County donor, a home at 324 N. Blanche in Madison will be sold with proceeds benefiting the South Dakota Alzheimer's Association. An open house will be held on Sunday. "We are absolutely thrilled to receive this wonderful gift," said Jane Aspaas, RN, executive director of the state Alzheimer's Association. Several companies have donated services to prepare this home for sale, including Intek whole house cleaning and the Jeff Stone family of Squeegee Clean Window cleaning. "We truly thank them for their wonderful contributions," she said.

Bank commits to spend $10 billion at small biz: Bank of America has promised to increase its purchases of products and services from small to mid-sized businesses and with those with diverse ownership. BofA, one of the world’s largest financial institutions, said it is committed to spending $10 billion over five years. It spent $1.9 billion with this group of suppliers in 2009, said spokesman Jefferson George, and will increase spending by about 5.6% a year so that by 2014 it will spend $2.5 billion. The bank defines small and mid-sized businesses as those with annual revenues of less than $50 million. Diverse businesses are those owned by women, minorities, military veterans or the disabled. The vast majority of the bank’s procurement spending will still be with large corporations, George said. The spending will be nationwide and for all sorts of products and services, including window cleaning, George said. The best place to start the process of winning some of that business, he said, is to go to the bank’s supplier website.

Paedophile murderers had history of depravity: Charles O'Neill and William Lauchlan (pictured) are not unknown in the Scottish courts and were once described by a judge as "evil, determined and manipulative". They are not only killers, but predatory paedophiles who have convictions dating back 12 years. These include crimes such as serious sexual assault and raping children. As the pair begin life sentences for killing Allison McGarrigle their previous dealings with the Scottish legal system can be revealed. O'Neill and Lauchlan, who were partners, killed Mrs McGarrigle in 1997 to stop her reporting the abuse of a young boy. They then put the 39-year-old's body in a bin and disposed of it at sea. O'Neill joined Lauchlan in Spain where they set up a window cleaning business. They then befriended a family in a karaoke bar near Benidorm and lured two English brothers, aged 15 and 18, on a camping trip under the pretext of giving them a job. When the older brother left, O'Neill and Lauchlan abducted the 15-year-old for three nights in April 2004 and attempted to drug and sexually assault him. They were arrested but not prosecuted for the attack and were later deported to Scotland where they were returned to jail for breaching parole.

Orinda CA Workplace Accident: Window-washers shocked,burned by high-voltage wire - On Saturday morning, June 5, 2010, the patrons of the Orinda Farmers Market watched in horror as two window-washers were electrocuted and set on fire some 30-feet above the Vintage Office Building parking. The two men, who suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns to 95 percent of their bodies, are fighting for their lives while others criticize the rescue efforts of the emergency crews, as reported by the San Jose Mercury News and ABC Local. Two men were reportedly pressure-washing the windows of a three-story building on Orinda Way in a cherry picker bucket, not far from the entrance to the farmer’s market. Just before 10 a.m., two explosions and an arc of fire erupted as a high-voltage transmission line electrocuted the workers. The transmission line apparently carries over 150,000 volts. One witness stated, “One guy was slumped over the controls, unconscious and on fire. The other guy was on his back on fire.” Chief Darrell Lee of the Moraga–Orinda Fire District said, “Their clothes burned off.” The workers were knocked unconscious from the blast. Witnesses began screaming at the men in hopes of waking them up. Once they regained consciousness, the men began frantically putting the fire out with their hands and by taking off their clothes.
The workers were then airlifted to the burn center at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center for treatment of 2nd and 3rd degree burns across their entire bodies. They are reportedly in very critical condition. Numerous witness and bystanders were reportedly very critical of the emergency crews, because they allegedly took too long to get to the scene and then waited for some time before rescuing the badly injured workers. Fire officials rebutted by stating it was “challenging” to rescue the men without causing additional injuries to others. One live wire was reportedly still lying on the cherry picker while another was on the ground. They apparently had to wait for PG&E to shut off the power before they could safely rescue the men. Although the accident took place at 10 a.m., the rescue effort didn’t begin till 30 minutes later. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) will be investigating the accident.

More Details Released On Scaffold Collapse; Still No Cause Determined - Still no word on what caused scaffolding to collapse on a building at Binghamton University Wednesday, injuring six people, but more details emerged Thursday on the incident. According to a statement released today by contractor LeChase Construction, three of the six people injured are still in the hospital, but the company will not say what their conditions are. All of the injured workers were employees of Apple Roofing, a subcontractor on the East Campus Housing Project. LeChase says the cause is being investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, and could take several months. "Under the law itself, OSHA has up to six months to complete any investigation. In an accident as serious as this, they will certainly be very thorough and painstaking. I won't say it will take the full six months, but it could take a few months at least,"said John Chavez Regional Public Affairs Director US Dept. of Labor in Boston.
LeChase maintains the integrity of its work sites saying in its statement: "The personal safety and health of each employee of our team is of primary importance. The prevention of injuries will be given precedence over operating productivity whenever necessary." But it's up to OSHA to decide whether or not all parties involved were following its guidelines when the workers fell about 60 feet. "If any of OSHA's safety or health standards were violated, by whichever responsible employer, then OSHA would issue citations with proposed penalties to that employer," Chavez said.

Scaffold collapse injures workers: The Health and Safety Executive has successfully prosecuted Sohail Hussain after he injured himself and another person while undertaking work repairing a sign. Teesside Magistrates Court heard how the manager of the Metro Inn, Stockton had hired Sohail Hussain, trading as Haris Signs to carry out repairs to a wind-damaged sign which was handing above the entrance to the hotel on 19 November 2009. The sign hung at 8.62 metres off the ground and in order to complete the work, Mr Hussain erected a 4.5 metres tall scaffolding platform, with an extension ladder placed on top of the scaffoling to reach the sign. Helped by another man, Mr Hussain carried out the repair work from the ladder while the other man stood at the top of the platform. There were no guards in place to prevent the man from falling from the scaffold. A combination of high winds and an unstable platform caused both men to fall onto the hotel car park below. Mr Hussain suffered injuries to his knee while the other man suffered a fractured right wrist and a dislocated right elbow. Mr Hussain was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,000 after pleading guilty to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations.
After the case, HSE Inspector Jonathan Wills said: "Both Mr Hussain and the other man are lucky to be alive. The platform erected by Mr Hussain bore no resemblance to the correct standard. This incident was entirely avoidable and should not have happened. Working at height is one of the most obvious and well-known dangers for those involved in the repair or maintenance of buildings. Not only was the scaffold unstable due to its height to base ratio, but it also did not include anything to prevent workers falling from its edge, such as guard rails." Inspector Wills concluded: "The decision by Mr Hussain to support the ladder on top of the platform was ridiculous and utterly unacceptable. Had he used mobile elevated work equipment, such as a scissor lift, or a tied in scaffold, then this potentially fatal incident could have been avoided."

Scaffold falls, leaving two men stranded (Cayman Islands): In 30 years of construction work here, the Hurlstone Construction company had never had an on-site accident—until 8:30am on Friday, 4 June, when fifth-floor scaffolding broke loose and fell from the side of a building on Shedden Road in central George Town. No one was injured. The two men left stranded were unhurt, as well as others on the ground. Part of the debris, however, fell onto the hydraulic lift that was in the process of bringing two company employees to the ground from the top floor to escape an approaching squall. The entanglement prevented further operation of the lift, leaving the two men stranded in the air—attracting onlookers and tying up traffic below. “The Cayman Islands Fire and Emergency Services attended,” the statement stated, “and assisted in lowering our personnel to the ground. Cayman Islands safety inspectors also attended the site.” At the time of the incident, the company reported, the squall had been recorded by the weather service as having wind gusts of 30 mph. The accident currently is under investigation.

Burns & Harris Secures $12.5 Million Verdict for Worker Injured in 2006 New York Scaffold Accident: As other workers dismantled a scaffold from the building frame, Griffin was cleaning the area beneath. While doing so, a side H-Frame from the scaffold, weighing approximately 40 pounds, fell 14 feet and struck Griffin in the back. He suffered a large lumbar disc herniation in his back that required surgery, and permanent nerve damage as a result of the injury, with numbing, tingling and pain radiating down to his legs. Griffin has been unable to return to work in the five years since the personal injury and has surviving on workers compensation. Griffin filed a lawsuit against the owning and managing entities of the property, as well as the general contractor entities for the project, on the grounds that they were in violation of Labor Law 240(1). On his behalf, attorney Harris argued that the defendants failed to provide proper protection, which could have prevented the accident, and that the scaffold should have been secured and tied off.