Cataloque of Shame

Today a list of working at height accidents is cataloqued & are listed as "recent construction accidents in New York." You have to ask yourself just what OSHA are doing about this & if, as I suspect, most of the accidents are caused by poor training and perhaps getting the job done cheaper at the expense of peoples lives. Some of the accidents are window cleaners working at height, the last story posted was also to do with a window cleaner dropping 60 feet & without recompensense. Perhaps OSHA could do with some reforms in the law, as they must be reeling at the moment from the weekly events that occur. Many of the working at height related accidents in Europe do not only carry a heavy fine but also come with some prison time for the companys responsible. Whatever the solution, this safety record can't go on for much longer & something needs to be done now before it escalates further.

After yesterdays story on the recent misfortune of Forrest Stockman, those nice guys at the window cleaning resource have made a new website for appeals.

Sharing the Pain

Forrest Stockman only wanted to be one thing when he grew up, a window washer. The excitement of being high in the sky was not a new thing to him. His father was a window washer and so was Stockman's brother, in fact it’s how Stockman lost his brother. Stockman was 18-years-old when his brother fell from the sky in a work accident when the equipment broke. Now, at 41-years-old Stockman suffered his own fall. On January 18, 2008 Stockman was on his third window about 60 feet in the air in downtown Glendale when his equipment failed and he fell from the sky, breaking several bones. “I broke 7 bones in my back, all of my ribs and both of my shoulders,” Stockman says, “my right leg is almost paralyzed, I just don't have control of my bowels.” Details difficult to share, but he says even worse is that he worries he won't be able to provide for his 15-year -old son who he supports and raises alone. Stockman has no income. At the time of the accident Stockman was a contracted employee so workers compensation has denied him benefits and he’s left to find how he’ll manage to support his family. If you’d like to help Forrest Stockman, you can donate at any Wells Fargo Bank or if you’d like to help in any other way, you can contact a family friend at: peterh@jhg-cpa.com.

See here for video.