A Window Washer 3x Quicker - Makes Debut In NZ

Jimmy Haugen, JT Property Wash's business partner, was very happy with how the demo of a robotic window washer went.

Lower Hutt company demonstrates robotic window washer in Wellington: A Lower Hutt company's robotic window washer has been demonstrated in Wellington. The idea by JT Property Wash was to create a machine that could clean the entire facade of appropriate buildings including mullions, seals, facade and windows about three times quicker than traditional abseilers.

The SkyPro Building Wash machine with its automated cleaning technology meant the machines could be remotely controlled and operated safely from the roof and the ground. The machine's brush and spray system did not need chemicals and used water which had been stripped of ions, leaving windows streak free. 

Business partner Jimmy Haugen said that to go up and down a 22-storey building would take 18 minutes. "The main advantages we know this SkyPro machine will deliver are a total building clean done in less time, with more privacy and less intrusion for tenants, giving a much better overall result with increased ease, efficiency, and most importantly safety by reducing the need for abseiling."

The robot, which was imported from America, was weather dependent.  A planned earlier demonstration had to be cancelled because of high winds. The company, which worked all around the country, would use the robot around Wellington.

JT Property Wash account manager Robin Kennedy-Moffat said giving a figure on how much the machine cost was commercially sensitive. "It is a long term investment and partnership with VIU Global that we are very confident will provide many benefits to our customers and our business," Kennedy-Moffat said. 

The machine was very portable and setting up and running the machine could be completed by a team of two people. "We set up a suitable rigging system on the top of the building and at the bottom, if required for added stability, utilising existing features on the building." The rigging system is generally portable unless a building owner invests in a rig that can then stay on the roof of that building. 

Set up time could vary depending on the features present on the roof and the variables we need to work with. "As a general rule the whole rigging system and getting the machine ready to start washing takes less than half a day to set up. If we have the appropriate rigging infrastructure on the roof it can take less than an hour to set up."

JT Property Wash started in 1985 as a division of J.Tomlinson & Co. Ltd, which was a painting company. The washing company had ten gangs as they had had to take on more workers to operate the robot.

Window Cleaner Vs Truck Vs Bullets

St. George Police officers respond to a vehicle-versus-window cleaner accident at a Maverik gas station, St. George, Utah, 

Man hit by truck, injured while washing windows at gas station (St. George, Utah) – A man was taken to the hospital, and officers are still trying to piece together exactly what happened following a vehicle-versus-person accident at a Maverik gas station in St. George Tuesday evening. Shortly before 6:30 p.m., emergency responders were dispatched on reports of an accident in the Maverik gas station at 1860 W. Sunset Blvd. “We’re still trying to figure out what happened,” St. George Police Sgt. Wade Johnson said.

From what officers have been able to deduce so far, Johnson said, a man in a Budget rental box truck was parked at a gas pump washing the windows. Somehow, the man ended up being struck by a red pickup truck that was driving around the front of the box truck. “I think the (man washing the window) took a step back into the path of the truck’s rear tire,” Johnson said. “I’m not a hundred percent sure on that because we haven’t had a chance to talk to the victim,” he added.

The incident occurred at a time of day when the sun was low in the sky, potentially causing visibility issues. “I think the guy (in the pickup) just didn’t see him,” Johnson said. The man who was hit was transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George for observation. At the time of this publication, Johnson said he did not know the extent of the man’s injuries. “It looked like his leg got hit,” Johnson said, “and I’m not sure on anything else.”

Officers went to the hospital to try and speak with the man who was hit, but he was undergoing tests at that time. “We were not able to get in there and talk to him,” Johnson said. Though the full scope of what happened has not yet been established, Johnson said it appears this was just an unfortunate accident, and no citations will be given to either party. “We couldn’t see that anybody was negligent or committed any violations, and so we’re not going to issue any citations,” he said.

The man hit was the only person injured in the incident, though the man driving the pickup truck was visibly shaken afterward. “He was very, very shaken up,” Johnson said, “and rightfully so.” In addition to the St. George Police Department, the St. George Fire Department and Gold Cross Ambulance responded to the scene. Gold Cross transported the injured man to the hospital.

Window cleaner, Ian Simonsen was having a snooze in his car when it was shot twice.

Being shot at is all in a day's work (New Zealand): Ian Simonsen is taking being shot at in his stride. The 64-year-old was abruptly woken from his roadside nap to the noise of shots entering the back of his car. He brushed it off and drove home, not realising until the next day what the sound really was. "I thought it might have been water from an irrigation sprinkler, I just didn't worry about it at all."

Mr Simonsen is the owner of commercial cleaning company Te Mata Services (Translation in Spanish - It/he kills you!). Due to the erratic working hours, he often pulls over for a cat-nap. He has done this for the past 20 years without incident. That all changed last Friday night. He stopped on the Hawke's Bay expressway near the Links Rd intersection after he felt himself nodding off. He chose a brightly lit area to park and even thought to himself , "I'll be safe here."

About 11.30pm, two shots - believed to be from a .22 rifle, smashed through the back window and a back panel, just centimetres from where he lay. "I can't feel lucky because I was totally ignorant to what happened." "Everyone seems to be taking it very seriously, though," he said. "I wasn't hurt so how can I really be upset?"

Police are puzzled by the shots. They do not know who fired them or why. "He was lucky he wasn't seriously injured," Detective Sergeant Jason Crowe said. The shots could have been fired by someone hunting possums or rabbits, Mr Crowe said: "It was an unusual event."

Mr Simonsen harbours no ill feelings towards whoever it was that pulled the trigger. He believes the shooter thought the car was abandoned and must have got the "fright of his life" when it started to be driven away. As a "clean Christian," Mr Simonsen said he did not have an enemy in the world.

A police officer suggested Mr Simonsen buy a Lotto ticket, to which he replied: "It was God looking after me." He said he did hope the person responsible came forward even if it was just to receive a "whack" around the backside. Mr Crowe urged those responsible for Friday's incident to contact police.

It's Just Too Dirty - Political Window Cleaning

Angry protesters say they are trying to highlight the need for transparency over the trade deal.

'It's just too dirty' - TPP protesters wash minister's windows: Anti-TPP protesters have taken their plea to see the details of the trans Pacific trade deal to a whole new level, washing the windows of the Trade Minister's office to highlight the need for transparency. About a dozen protesters kitted out in yellow and orange jackets and wielding window mops gathered outside Tim Groser's New Lynn office in Auckland and took to the front window with buckets of soapy water.

"It's just too dirty," a male protester is heard to say in a video captured by ONE News. But was he talking about the window, the trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement - or both? "We want more transparency with the TPPA. So we're trying to highlight the need for transparency," a female protester explained, as she reached to clean the top of the window.

All the while, Tim Groser's picture on the window smiled out at the unhappy protesters. "Hon Tim Groser National MP", the accompanying sign for the National List MP explains. A woman waved a banner at passing motorists which showed "TPPA" written in a magnifying glass and demanded "Show us ya text".

Trade ministers failed at the start of the month to reach agreement on the proposed free trade agreement between 12 Pacific rim nations including the US and New Zealand which has been under secret negotiation for several years. Opponents of the deal say if New Zealand signs we risk damage to our economy, environment, health and ability to shape our own future, and the details of the agreement should be made public now.

Window Cleaning Companies Fined & About to Be Fined

Unconscious, Kuypers was rushed to Auckland City Hospital's intensive care unit. She had five dislocated ribs, a hairline fracture in her eye socket and broken bones in her neck, ankle, shoulder and collarbone.

Companies fined over window cleaner's fall: Two companies found to be responsible for a teenage window cleaner falling four storeys have been sentenced in Auckland District Court. Louisa Kuypers, 18, plunged 30 metres while scaling an office building in the Auckland suburb of Newmarket last year. The company she worked for - At Height Ltd - was today fined $9,000 while the company it contracted to - Building Wash Services - was fined more than $20,000.

Judge Emma Aitken said At Height Ltd was more responsible for the accident and originally allocated it a fine of more than $46,000. However, the fine was discounted as Aitken said the fine would effectively bankrupt the company. The 18-year-old made what doctors describe as a remarkable recovery after falling from the top of the Lion Breweries building. An emergency department clinician who helped save Kuypers said he believes wearing a helmet "helped immensely". Kuypers received compensation of $40,000 for the debilitating injuries she sustained during the fall. "Anything's fine. I wasn't really expecting to see more than $5000 so I'm quite happy with it," she said outside court.

Kuypers said her fall was "just an accident". "I was friends with all those guys and I didn't want to see them go down and I didn't want to see the company get hurt. In fact if I'd had it my way nothing would have happened. She is aiming to train as a nurse.

Thrill-seeking teen: For the thrill-seeking teen abseil window-washing was a natural career choice and her father Gilbert Kuypers told ONE News she was so happy in the job she "would have done it almost for nothing". But Kuypers worried about his daughter's safety. "I just dropped her off before the accident and I said, you know, be careful. And she's 'oh yeah, always do that'. And all of a sudden, bang, you know, she's in hospital, and all we're looking at is just a nose and a pair of eyes sticking out of bandages." He still wants answers about how the accident happened. Previous stories here.

Two companies have been fined almost $30,000 and ordered to pay $40,000 in reparation after an abseiling window cleaner suffered serious injuries in a 15-metre fall. The 18-year-old woman, who was employed by At Height Limited, was lucky to survive the fall from the Lion House building in Newmarket in February last year, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said. The company was sentenced alongside Building Wash Services, which had contracted it for the work, in Auckland District Court on Friday.

The court was told that the victim was told to attach her sling and ropes to air-conditioning ducting brackets on the roof of the building - but the brackets were not fixed to the roof. In the fall, she suffered fractures to her skull, face, collarbone, lower legs and neck, and pulmonary contusions and lacerations to her liver. She spent nearly a fortnight in hospital.

Sentencing the company on Friday, Judge Emma Aitken said the appropriate starting point for a fine was $100,000. However, taking into account At Height's limited finances and other discounts, she reduced the fine to $9000, and ordered it to pay $32,000 to the injured worker. Building Wash Services was fined $20,800 and ordered to pay $8000 in reparation. Both companies had earlier pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety in Employment Act.

In a startling workplace accident earlier this year Louisa Kuypers, 18, fell from a 30-meter height while abseiling as part of her job, industrial window cleaning. Kuypers was washing windows at Lion Nathan offices in New Market, Auckland when she fell and realised immediately that something was wrong when she launched off the roof. The rope, usually meant to tighten up, kept releasing, letting her fall four stories onto concrete. She was taken to Auckland City Hospital’s intensive care unit unconscious and suffering from five dislocated ribs, a fractured eye socket and broken bones in her neck, ankle, shoulder and collarbone. Kuypers was lucky to survive the fall, and is especially lucky she isn’t permanently impaired by her injuries.  She was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, likely saving her from brain injury.

The building she was working on didn’t have the eyebolts that are usually used to thread abseiling ropes through so another form of anchorage was used. Kuypers said of her co-worker, a more experience rope-access worker, “[He] isn’t coping too well. There’s no blame, but he blames himself”. Rope Access Industry standards require two forms of anchorage to be used in this type of work, in case the first anchor fails. In a compliant set-up both anchors would have had to fail – in Kuyper’s case bystanders said only one metal anchor had fallen from the roof with her. The cause of the accident is still being investigated; this accident was the third of its kind in eight months in New Zealand.

The city distanced itself from the situation saying it wasn’t their employee. “The person in the picture you provided is an employee of Citywide Professional Window Cleaning, contracted to clean the windows of the building.”

Man on a ledge worries downtown workers (ALBUQUERQUE) - A worker standing on a ledge above the eighth floor at City Hall had people doing double-takes Wednesday. That is because by all appearances he wasn’t wearing a harness. The man was rigging up a platform to clean the windows on a high-rise 107 feet up. Now investigators want to know if he was wearing anything to keep him from plummeting to his death. The city distanced itself from the situation saying it wasn’t their employee. “The person in the picture you provided is an employee of Citywide Professional Window Cleaning, contracted to clean the windows of the building,” said Breanna Anderson, deputy communications director for the city of Albuquerque. “As such, the city is not liable.”

The owner of Citywide Professional Window Cleaning told KRQE News 13 the employee was wearing a harness. He called it a half harness and said it went around the waist and thighs. A photo was sent to KRQE News 13 that appeared to show a worker with nothing around his thighs. That’s when the company declined to comment further. Now OSHA , the government agency in charge of investigating workplace safety issues, is looking into the matter. “The photo that was provided to us indicated the potential for a high gravity hazard. A fall from that height would obviously be very severe,” said Bob Genoway, bureau chief for New Mexico OSHA. OSHA says it is possible the city is not off the hook. “When OSHA does inspections, we look at all employers on site to determine who has responsibility for different aspects of safety,” Genoway said. Multiple sources say the city’s risk management group has already met with the window cleaning company. OSHA says if it finds wrongdoing, the penalties can be up to $70,000 per violation.

Life Falling Through the Cracks: An employee of the Greek Parliament hangs after falling through the glass roof over the Greek Parliament Hall, in her efforts to prevent rain water from entering the building, in Athens, Greece, on Feb. 22. A heavy storm of rain and sleet in the greater Athens region created problems with transportation, flooding streets and interrupting sea transport.

New Window Cleaning High-Rise Guide Lines & Peeping Tom

New Zealand's rope access industry is growing quickly.

New safety guidelines for rope workers: A run of accidents in the rope industry over the past year has prompted officials to set out a new set of safety guidelines. The Department of Labour and the Industrial Rope Access Association of New Zealand (IRAANZ) have today released new Best Practice Guidelines for industry rope access in New Zealand. The guidelines come in response to three non-fatal incidents in the last 12 months. In February this year, 18-year old Louisa Kuypers fell about 30m to the ground while suspended from a building in Newmarket, Auckland, cleaning windows. This followed an accident in December, when acrobatic abseiler Mikaela Blayney plunged 20m to the ground while performing above Aotea Square. An abseiling window cleaner was seriously injured after falling at least five stories in central Wellington last June. Today's guidelines will give both rope access operators and building managers a shared understanding of what acceptable standard practice is within the industry, said IRAANZ President David Karam.

"This document will set a benchmark for rope access operations and promote a safer and more professional service throughout New Zealand," he said. Department of Labour's Brett Murray said any work involving rope access carried a level of risk but correct procedures needed to be followed to minimise that risk as much as possible.  "It is essential that the correct design and installation procedures are carried out where rope access is required," Murray said. "Everyone working in the industry needs to understand the dangers and these new guidelines provide the advice they need to operate safely." 

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A Filipina told Dubai Court how she thought a window cleaner was watching her while she showered at her flat in Bur Dubai.

Window cleaner accused of watching woman shower: A cleaner is accused of watching a woman take a shower while he was cleaning her bathroom window. The woman, a 38-year-old Filipina, told Dubai Court of First Instance the incident happened at her flat in Bur Dubai last month. She said: “I noticed the window was open so I closed it and then took off my clothes and started having my shower. I then noticed the window was open again and realised someone watching me.” She added: “I closed the window again and covered my body. I then watched the window until I saw the suspect open it again and I yelled at him and called Dubai Police.” Police arrested the 28-year-old Bangladeshi defendant, who denied the accusation. “He claimed that he wasn’t looking at her and was only cleaning the window from outside,” a policeman said in official records. The defendant has pleaded not guilty to molestation and trial has been adjourned to next month to prepare the defence.

Window cleaner 'peeped at showering woman' - A woman who was taking a shower looked up to see a window cleaner peeking at her, the Dubai Criminal Court heard today. Prosecutors said that JJ, a 38-year-old Filipina interior designer, had shut the bathroom window before getting into the shower on April 16. But halfway through her shower she noticed the window was open again. "I realised that someone was looking at me," said the woman. She then crossed the bathroom to shut the window once more before returning to her shower. She said she kept an eye on the window and after a short while noticed MJ, a 28-year-old window cleaner from Bangladesh, trying to open it. "I screamed at him and then called police," she said. The window cleaner denied a charge of sexual assault. "No this did not happen, I was just cleaning the glass windows of the building at Dubai Sports City," he said. A verdict was scheduled for June 11.

Cleaner peeps through bathroom window to see bathing Filipina: A Bangladeshi cleaner, MJM, 28, allegedly peeped into the window of a bathroom while a Filipina, JJ, 38, designer, was taking a bath, the Dubai Criminal Court heard. JJ testified that she went into the bathroom of her house to take a bath. “I noticed that the window was slightly open so I closed it… I took off my dress and got into the tub. While taking a bath I noticed that the window was re-opened. I suspected that there was someone peeping through the window. I covered myself with the towel and closed the window. I left the bathroom shouting and called the police,” she testified. Corporal Khalid Salem testified that he was rushed to the Sports City following the woman’s complaint. Checking with the building’s watchman, police found that MJM was assigned to clean the building’s glass. MJM denied peeping at the woman and claimed that he was only busy cleaning the window. The court adjourned the case for verdict till June 11.

Women Window Cleaners

WindoWoman Ltd in Christchurch, New Zealand was started in 2002 offering mainly window cleaning. Owner operator, Mary Macharper had returned from Australia where she had been residing for 9 years running a successful cinema cleaning business. Mary’s focus back then was attention to detail through listening to client needs and delivering more than expected. The focus remains the same but, now includes outstanding customer service along with critical staff selection & appropriate training with regular skill updates and ongoing performance reviews.  To date Mary has over 20 years cleaning experience and is well networked with experts in a range of specialty areas regarding property maintenance and care.

WindoWoman Ltd has since expanded to include more services such as housewashing, office cleaning, mattress sanitising, ceiling cleaning, tenancy cleaning and builders’s cleans. “Our philosophy remains the same: friendly, professional service with attention to detail, not the exaggerated cost.” The average 3 bedroom house can be cleaned inside & out including channels & sills as well as bottom of exterior frames from as little as $45 +gst.

Mary understands that it’s a privilege to be invited into your home or business – so respect and care along with reliable service goes a long way. “It is important to leave someones’ home the way you found it – along with sparkling windows.  Businesses along with the general public are more conscious of security and privacy issues so the company recently became security licensed, with staff applying for a certificate of approval each year. ”

Unsolicited testimonials will reinforce how efficient, professional and responsive our window cleaners are, and on the high standard of work carried out that our regular clients take for granted. WindoWoman knows what it means to feel safe and confident with people around home and family. WindoWoman is an equal opportunity employer and has both genders working in the team.   There are at present, 7 on the team, 5 staff and 2 contractors.

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Women Of Achievement: (Columbus, Ohio) - Lynn Elliott comes from a long line of entrepreneurs. "My grandmother was very cool. She started this beauty salon. It was the war effort, so her part was to keep the women looking good," said Elliott. Elliott owns her own business like her grandmother and both of her parents. Hers is the Columbus Window Cleaning Company. "I can tell you, the hardest thing I've ever done is run this business. I learned this business from the ground up, the same way any rookie would, because the truth of the matter is, I had never walked in the front door before.  So I came in, I put on my boots, my jeans, got my hard hat and I rode in the trucks with the supervisors," Elliott said.

Elliott decided to take the plunge as a first time business owner after her boyfriend, Neil Schultz, died of a heart attack. After encouragement from his family, customers and their friends, she purchased the company from Schultz's remaining partner. "I'm a female business owner in a business that is dominated by men. Of my 25 employees, two are women," said Elliott.

Elliot was first a teacher and then took a one year leave of absence to help at 'Action For Children', but when her time was up, she couldn't leave. "The project itself was very exciting and the people I was working with were terrific. I was hooked.  I was hooked," said Elliot. Elliot said that her first role model also hooked her on to helping the less fortunate early on. "I grew up watching my mother juggle work and family and she always had time to volunteer," Elliott said.

Elliot now uses her love of the Arts and Music, along with her business expertise, to support the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra and the Columbus Housing Partnership. She said philanthropy is easy for anyone. "In truth, the word actually means the love of human kind.  So anyone, if you have 10 cents or 10 million can be a philanthropist. It's about giving of your time, your talent and your treasure in the community. Whether that means money that translates to dollars or it means volunteerism," Elliott said.

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The first woman high rise woman window cleaner on Youtube!

The NZ Window Washer Who Survived

Giant fall but she's fearless: The teenager who miraculously survived a 30m fall on to concrete can't wait to get back into abseiling. For the first time, 18-year-old Louisa Kuypers, a window washer, has spoken about what happened last Friday afternoon, after she launched herself off the roof of an office building in Auckland's Newmarket. "The rope was meant to stretch then tighten up, but I could feel it had gone further. "I don't remember the fall exactly, but apparently people in the office heard me scream."

Unconscious, Kuypers was rushed to Auckland City Hospital's intensive care unit. She had five dislocated ribs, a hairline fracture in her eye socket and broken bones in her neck, ankle, shoulder and collarbone. "There's a pretty small chance of surviving a fall from that height," Kuypers said from her hospital bed yesterday. The roof did not have "eye bolts" where the abseiling ropes would usually be attached, she said. "The guy I was working with isn't coping too well. There's no blame, but he blames himself."

It was the second miraculous escape from abseiling in three months. Mikaela Blayney, 20, fell from the Event Cinema building in Aotea Square in December during an acrobatic performance. But both Blayney and Kuypers said they planned to get back into abseiling. "We're always outside, always abseiling. I want to get back to work," Kuypers said.

Broken Back, Ribs, Ankle, Collarbone, Bruising & A Punctured Lung

Abseiler remembers 'quick drop' - The 18-year-old abseiling window-cleaner who fell four storeys remembers a sense of weightlessness as she plummeted about 30m to the ground. Louisa Kuypers was taken to Auckland City Hospital in a critical condition after falling from the roof of a Lion Breweries building in Newmarket around 2.30pm on Friday. Her condition has since improved to stable, although she remains in hospital with injuries including a broken back, ribs, ankle, collarbone, deep bruising and a punctured lung.

Initial CT scans indicated Ms Kuypers had not suffered brain injuries, and medical experts have labelled her survival extraordinary. Her father, Gilbert Kuypers, spent yesterday morning at the hospital and said because of pain medication his daughter was drowsy and still trying to come to terms with the accident. "She remembered that she just fell off, and it was just a quick drop, and she only remembers the weightlessness feeling of it, and that was the end of it. She just went blank after that."

Ms Kuypers' colleague had just completed an abseil drop, and when she got over the side of the building and put her weight on the equipment, "the whole lot let go". Mr Kuypers said, "I'm very confident when she finally gets a bit more out of the pain management that she will be able to recall more of what's happened." He said only a couple of weeks ago she had to be rescued after a piece of her gear malfunctioned and she became stuck mid-abseil.

Since then she had used brand-new equipment, so Mr Kuypers felt the fall was unlikely to have been caused by a gear malfunction. "Maybe the procedures weren't done properly ... the only thing we can say is something obviously has gone wrong. "Whether it's a systematic error, or a gear failure ..." A witness to the accident told the Herald a metal anchor which attached Ms Kuypers to the building fell to the ground with her. The Department of Labour is investigating with the help of Ms Kuypers' employers, At Height, who could not be reached for comment yesterday. 

The accident is the third industrial-rope accident in eight months. A Wellington window washer fell from a building last June and a woman abseiling performance artist plunged 14m down a wall in Auckland's Aotea Square in December. Mr Kuypers said he would be encouraging his daughter to find a new career. But he said she was naturally adventurous and credited her fitness from activities such as kayaking and motocross as helping to save her life. "She's been over the Huka Falls [kayaking] already, twice. So she pushes it a bit." Ms Kuypers has also landed small parts in television shows including Shortland Street and Go Girls.

Her father said he would eventually visit the Lion building to see just how far Ms Kuypers had fallen, but was amazed she had survived the plunge. "There must be a lot of angels out there. And I'm sure they work hard." St John medical director Tony Smith said for Ms Kuypers to survive a four-storey fall was extraordinary. He said sometimes a harness could slow a fall down, as opposed to an unsupported free fall. "I don't know whether that was the case or not, but we can say that her survival in terms of the height she fell was extraordinary. And she's a very, very lucky young woman."

Dr Smith said the fact that Ms Kuypers fell in a way that protected her head from major injury was crucial. An American study of 200 falls showed a person is just as likely to survive a five-storey fall landing feet-first as they are a one-storey fall head-first. A New York doctor who had dealt with a high number of falls said in 2008 that the death rate from a three-storey fall was about 50 per cent.

Dad wants answers over window cleaning accident: The father of a teenage window cleaner who survived a four-storey fall wants answers on how the accident happened. Louisa Kuypers plunged 30 metres while scaling an office building in the Auckland suburb of Newmarket. For the thrill-seeking 18-year-old abseil window-washing was a natural career choice and her father Gilbert Kuypers told ONE News she was so happy in the job she "would have done it almost for nothing".

But Gilbert worried about his daughter's safety. "I just dropped her off before the accident and I said, you know, be careful. And she's 'oh yeah, always do that'. And all of a sudden, bang, you know, she's in hospital, and all we're looking at is just a nose and a pair of eyes sticking out of bandages." After falling from the top of the Lion Breweries building on Friday, the teen is making a remarkable recovery. She is in a stable condition, and talking. But her dad still wants answers about how the accident happened. He says Louisa was working with another window washer at the time of the accident - a more experienced man.

"If the person is senior he should know stuff and if he isn't then he should have been trained. Somewhere, something isn't quite right," Gilbert said. Louisa's employer, a company called At Height, has not responded to calls from ONE New. The Labour Department is investigating the accident - the third industrial rope fall in just eight months, although none were fatal. An emergency department clinician who helped save Louisa says hers is a remarkable case and he believes wearing a helmet "helped immensely". "I don't recall seeing anyone who's fallen quite so far and who has come out so relatively unscathed," Dr Mike Nichols said. It may be another six months before the cause of the accident is fully known.

Man seriously injured after roof fall: A man has been taken to hospital in a serious condition after he fell through the roof of a building early this morning. The man, who is around 20-years-old, fell through the roof behind the Dick Smith building on Karangahape Rd in Ponsonby. Auckland Central acting inspector Danny Meade said one police car was sent to the incident at 4.42am. ''We had been sent by ambulance after a man had fallen through the roof of a building behind the Dick Smith building,'' he said. It is unclear what the man was doing on top of the building. Meanwhile, an Auckland woman who fell 30m while suspended off the side of the Lion Nathan Building in Newmarket earlier this week is in a stable condition. Louisa Kuypers, 18, was abseiling down the building on Carlton Gore Rd when the metal anchor she was attached to is believed to have broken off, sending her plummeting three storeys. The window cleaner was taken to Auckland City Hospital in a critical condition.

NZ Window Cleaner Stable After Fall

Stable: Louisa Kuypers.

Condition improves for four-storey fall victim: An 18-year-old abseiling window cleaner who fell four storeys off an Auckland building has improved overnight, according to her mother. Window cleaner Louisa Kuypers was suspended off the side of a Lion Breweries building in Newmarket when she fell about 30m to the ground around 2.30pm yesterday. An ambulance took her to Auckland City Hospital in a critical condition. She has improved in hospital overnight, and was today in a stable condition, a hospital spokesman said. Her mother, Josie Kuypers, was working a 12-hour shift at Waitakere Hospital when she was phoned with news of the accident. She taxied to Auckland City Hospital still in her uniform to see how her daughter was. "Going in the taxi, I had no idea what was happening. I'd just heard that she'd had an accident, so that was a bit freaky. I was trying not to panic.''

When she arrived, the teenager appeared to be in pain and could only moan, she said: "She wasn't really with it. I think she knew we were there, but she was pretty out of it still.'' After falling an estimated four storeys, Louisa has fractured ribs and a suspected fractured collarbone. She has large bruises across parts of her body where she landed, Ms Kuypers said. A laceration on her head appeared to be only superficial, and doctors said Louisa had no brain injuries, she said. "To think she fell all that way and only fractured a few bones.''

Louisa's father Gilbert, two brothers Michael and Chris, and boyfriend Nick Son gathered with Ms Kuypers at the patient's bedside last night. Ms Kuypers and Louisa's boyfriend were going to stay all night, but decided she was just sleeping. She said her daughter was still too "out of it'' to talk when she left last night, and could only make noises. It was still not clear what happened before the fall, she said. "Hopefully today we'll find out a bit more.'' Ms Kuypers woke at 5.30 this morning to phone in and check on her daughter after the night. After the good news today, Ms Kuypers is getting ready to pick up Lousia's boyfriend and grandmother, Lois, to spend the day in hospital.

She has been fielding non-stop texts and phone calls from family and friends eager to see how Louisa was, with one friend offering to fly up from Wanganui yesterday. Ms Kuypers credited her daughter's fitness and strength from outdoor activities as aiding her recovery. Witnesses were "horrified'' and left shaken after seeing the window cleaner fall while on the job yesterday. The Department of Labour is investigating.

Cleaner's plunge shock for mother: It was second time unlucky for the mother of a young abseiling window cleaner who survived a four-storey plummet on Friday. Louisa Kuypers, 18, had been suspended off the side of a building tenanted by Lion in Newmarket, Auckland, when she fell about 30m to the ground. She is in Auckland City Hospital in a stable condition, improving from critical on Friday. Her mother, Josie Kuypers, said yesterday it was the second fall involving a young female abseiler inside two months and she had assumed it was her daughter both times. The first time, at the Metro Centre in early December, it turned about to be another woman.

She said Louisa was one of only a few women her age who abseiled as part of their profession, so friends and family always worried when they heard there had been an accident. "She's always done lots of crazy things, kayaking and caving." When Kuypers first saw her daughter after the accident on Friday, she appeared to be in a lot of pain and could only moan. The teenager managed to sleep on Friday night, and woke in an improved state. She has broken ribs and a suspected broken collarbone. She has large bruises across parts of her body where she landed, Kuypers said. A laceration on her head appeared to be only superficial, and doctors said Louisa had no brain injuries, she said.

"To think she fell all that way and only fractured a few bones." Meanwhile, the accident brought back memories for the woman who survived in December, Mikaela Blayney. "I thought 'oh no, not another one'. And she's so young as well, I felt so sorry for her." Blayney is making a steady recovery and will this week "learn how to walk again". She has been seeing a physio after breaking a metatarsal bone in a foot. She will also begin dental work this week to place crowns and one implant on all of her back teeth. Meanwhile, Lion staff have been offered counselling after the "disturbing" event on Friday, said external relations director Liz Read.

Repeated industrial rope falls 'not good enough': Safety standards are being examined after a teenage window cleaner survived a four-storey fall from an Auckland building yesterday. Eighteen year-old Louisa Kuypers was cleaning windows at the Lion Nathan Building in Newmarket yesterday afternoon when she fell 30 metres from the roof of the building. She was admitted to Auckland Hospital with severe injuries and is now in stable condition. The accident is the third industrial rope accident in eight months and has prompted the industry to ask whether safety standards are being followed well enough.

A Wellington window washer fell from the fifth floor of a building last June and an abseiling performance artist plunged 14 metres down a wall in Auckland's Aotea Square in December. The industry needs to sharpen up its act, ONE News heard from Thomas Croft, an industrial rope expert. "We're happy because nobody's died but it's getting a little bit close at the moment. Three in a short time period, it's just not good enough," he said. Newmarket office workers say Kuypers had just started scaling the top of the Lion Breweries building when she dropped, along with a metal anchor used to attach herself to the roof.

Industry standards require anyone doing this work to use two anchors or two lines - one as a backup in case the first fails - and the farthest a person should fall is 60 centimetres. "For somebody to fall that far in a compliant system means that both anchors would have had to fail, which is highly unlikely," said Croft.

Auckland Window Cleaner Falls Four Storeys

Woman critical after four-storey fall: A woman who witnessed a teenage window cleaner plummet four storeys in Auckland this afternoon is struggling to come to terms with what she saw. The 18-year-old was abseiling on the side of a Lion Breweries building on Carlton Gore Rd, Newmarket, when something went wrong at about 2.30pm. Lion external relations director Liz Read said the incident was "incredibly disturbing'' for everyone at the scene. "It was incredibly shocking and we just can't believe that the woman has survived the fall. It's just devastating. "We're just focusing on supporting our workers now, and we're obviously very keen to know about her condition as well.'' Ms Read said Lion did not own the building but leased it from another company, which had hired the window cleaner. The Department of Labour is investigating. One witness, who did not wish to be identified, said it appeared a metal anchor at the top of the building, which the girl's rope was attached to, had broken.

CRITICALLY HURT: A teenage girl is helped into an ambulance after falling three storeys from an Auckland building today.

Teenager critical after fall: An Auckland office worker has told of the horror of seeing a teenager falling three storeys to the ground in front of her eyes. The Diners Club call centre manager, who only wanted to be known as Theresa, was on the fourth floor of her Newmarket office when she heard a colleague gasp around 2.30pm and turned to witness the accident. "I was talking to a colleague and she went 'oh my God', and I turned around and we saw her falling," the 30-year-old mother of four said.

The 18-year-old was abseiling down the Lion Nathen Building on Carlton Gore Rd when the metal anchor she was attached to is believed to have broken off, sending her plummeting about 30m to the ground. Theresa said she ran to the window where she saw a witness walk up to the young woman's body then leave. "I ran down there to see if she was breathing. There were a few people standing around her doing nothing.

They were saying, 'don't touch her'... I thought, 'God she might be dead', but I had to check to see if she was breathing so I kneeled down beside her and felt for a pulse on her arm," she recalled. "I couldn't feel one, but two others starting rubbing her back and we could see she was breathing. "She didn't gain consciousness but started to try and move herself. "She started making noises so we knew she was alive."

Louisa Kuypers, 18, is in a critical condition after falling four storeys in Newmarket today.

Another man had called 111 and Theresa spoke to emergency services who told her to make sure the young woman wasn't moved. They arrived about 10 minutes later. Theresa said it was a long wait and she initially feared they had gone to the wrong address. "I was quite worried, her breathing was becoming more shallow and she was changing colour." Theresa said the young woman had serious head injuries and "serious bleeding". She was taken by ambulance to Auckland Hospital and has critical injuries.

Another witness Wi Bian Goh, an IT Operations & project Co-ordinator at Diners Club, said staff rushed to the window after the young woman fell. He said the young woman appeared to have had her teeth smashed out, as "her mouth was full of blood" and blood was also gushing from a head wound under her helmet. A Department of Labour spokeswoman said they had been notified of the incident and would be making enquiries.

Lion leases the four-storey building. Lion external relations director Liz Read said staff rushed to her aid. "We were there helping until emergency services arrived," She said. "It's obviously a terrible accident and people are extremely concerned for her condition." Police attended the scene and described the young woman's injuries as severe. "There will obviously be an investigation and we'll contribute what we can based on what people see, however I can not comment on what may have caused the fall."

Jones Lang Lasalle own the building. No one from the real estate company was available to comment at this stage. It is the third serious fall by an abseiler in nine months. A performer miraculously survived a 14-metre fall in central Auckland in December. Mikaela Blayney, 20, was abseiling during a Vertical Pedestrians show in Aotea Square when she fell to the ground while hanging from the side of the Metro Centre. She suffered fractures in her jaw, cheek bone, and leg.

A parked car broke the fall of an abseiling window cleaner who fell several stories from a building in central Wellington in June. The man, in his 30s, fell from the 5th floor of an office building from the rope where he was working at 12.18pm. He suffered leg and lower back injuries.

Poor Knot Tying Blamed For Window Cleaners Fall

VERY LUCKY: The man, put in a neck brace on a rigid stretcher, was later found to have only minor injuries.

Poor knot tying blamed for cleaner's fall: A window cleaner who fell five storeys was to blame for his fall, a Labour Department investigation has found. The man had been cleaning windows five floors up on Mayfair House in central Wellington in July last year when his rope failed and he fell on to a parked car below. He was taken to Wellington Hospital but found to have only a dislocated toe.

The Window Cleaning Contractors worker had completed his training and certification late in May. The descent was his third of the day. "The victim had attached a rope guard on the main rope but the knot was very rudimentary," the investigation found. Also, he had attached a short lanyard to his emergency rope shunt. The investigation found the climber's inexperience had contributed to the accident, as had a lack of knot-tying ability.

The news as it broke last year... (Previous related blog here & here).

EMERGENCY SCENE: The scene of the fall, from approximately five storeys up.

Abseiling window cleaner hurt in fall: A parked car broke the fall of an abseiling window cleaner who fell several stories from a building on the Terrace in Central Wellington today. The man, in his 30s, fell from approximately the 5th floor of a high rise office building from the rope where he was working at 12.18pm. He landed in Bolton St, adjacent to The Terrace. He received emergency treatment at the scene and was transferred to Wellington Hospital with leg and lower back injuries. Wellington Free Ambulance Team Manager Kate Worthington said the incident could have been much more serious if the man's fall was not broken by the parked car. "He is very lucky indeed." A police cordon around the area has now been lifted. Another workman was at the scene but was not injured.

FALL: Emergency services attending an incident on Bolton St in central Wellington, where it appears an abseiling cleaner has been injured.

Dan The Window Man Terrorising New Zealand

Dan the Window Man was also believed to wear a black German Army-style helmet and had an old 10-speed bicycle with turned-down handle bars wrapped in white tape. The police can't find him.

Window cleaner may be preying on elderly: A door-to-door window cleaner may be preying on elderly and vulnerable Christchurch residents for money, police say. Christchurch south police last week received two reports of a window cleaner who demanded money from elderly women for work that was never completed. The man went by the name of "Dan the Window Man". Senior Sergeant Steve Bothamley said in the most recent case the man turned up at the home of an elderly woman in St Martins, claiming she owed him money for having the windows cleaned. "According to the victim, the windows had definitely not been cleaned. "Fortunately the householder's home care worker arrived - just as the window cleaner was about to take the woman to an eftpos machine to withdraw the cash.'' The home-care worker managed to remove "Dan" from the property, but he threatened to return later.

The woman's family suspected she had been targeted previously, Bothamley said. "At this stage we cannot be sure that any criminal activity has taken place, but with more than one report of this nature in the past week we have serious concerns.'' The man was described as a male European, aged 30 to 40, 1.78 metres tall, of slim to skinny build, with a gaunt face and short brown scruffy hair. He was wearing a green jacket, carrying a backpack and had an old 10-speed bicycle with turned-down handle bars wrapped in white tape. He was also believed to wear a black German Army-style helmet while cycling. ''It is of concern to police that this man may be targeting people who are especially vulnerable,'' Bothamley said. Anyone with information should contact Constable Chris Clent at Christchurch south police on (03) 363 2500 or anonymously call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Dan the Window Mans get-away vehicle, too quick for police. Green jacket may have camouflaged him.

Elderly targeted by bogus Christchurch window cleaner: Police are after a man they say is posing as a window cleaner and preying on elderly residents in Christchurch, trying to make them give him money. Police have received two reports about the man who goes by the name "Dan the Window Man". In the latest incident the man turned up at an elderly woman's house and demanded payment for cleaning her windows. "According to the victim, the windows had definitely not been cleaned," Senior Sergeant Steve Bothamley said. "Fortunately the householder's home care worker arrived - just as the window cleaner was about to take the woman to an Eftpos machine to withdraw the cash."

The careworker managed to get rid of the man, but he threatened to come back and get the money from the elderly woman later. He is described as a male Caucasian and aged between 30 and 40, and is about 1.78 metres tall. Police say he has slim build, with a gaunt face, and short brown scruffy hair. He was wearing a green jacket, carrying a backpack and had an old 10-speed bicycle with turned-down handle bars wrapped in white tape. He is also believed to wear a black German Army-style helmet as his cycle helmet. The woman's family believe she may have been targeted by the man before, and police are concerned he may be targeting other vulnerable people.