Window Cleaners Sidewalk Collapse & Scaffold Malfunction

A new danger for window cleaners? Sidewalk collapses.

Sidewalk Collapse Leads to Scare for Window Cleaner at Oneida County Courthouse (Utica, N.Y.) -There was quite a scare outside the Oneida County Courthouse Wednesday morning. A window cleaner was about 30 feet up on a manlift when the sidewalk gave way below him.

A co-worker on the ground called authorities, who arrived shortly after 6 a.m., and firefighters were able to rescue the man. He had been wearing a harness, and walked away with just a few bruises. Crews spent the next few hours trying to safely remove the manlift. There is now a plate over the sidewalk, and it will be blocked off until it is repaired.

Scaffold malfunction in downtown Houston.

Window washers rescued outside of downtown building (Houston) - A couple of window washers had to be rescued Wednesday night after they got stuck six stories up outside a building downtown.

The incident happened just before 7 p.m. Wednesday at One Shell Plaza. Officials say the men were trying to fix the motor on a washing rig that locked up. That’s when they gave up and called the Houston Fire Department.

The workers were rescued by a firefighter who was on his last call, as he was retiring Tuesday after 39 years on the job. “It’s just what we do every day,” firefighter Wade Gillen said. “What other people don’t do all their life we do 10 times a day, you know?” Firefighters were unable to get the rig down, but they secured it to the side of the building for the night.

NY Rescue.. Sort Of

Two window washers are stuck on a scaffold near the top of a Manhattan high-rise building in New York. The workers became trapped near the 62nd floor of the building at West 54th Street and Broadway. Firefighters later cut a hole in a glass window and safely removed the workers from the scaffold.

Firefighters Rescue Window Washers Trapped Outside 65th Floor of Manhattan High Rise: A pair of window washers were trapped on their rig more than 60 stories up outside a high-rise hotel in midtown Manhattan for more than an hour Tuesday afternoon, fire officials said. The washers were working outside Marriott's Courtyard New York Manhattan/Times Square hotel at Broadway and West 54th Street when they became stuck outside the 65th floor at about 1:30 p.m, officials said.

Firefighters were called to the scene and they were able to secure the workers with a rope. They then pulled them to safety at about 2:30 p.m. Video from the scene showed firefighters creating a hole in the window near the scaffolding. Several other firefighters could be seen on the roof of the skyscraper, and they were able to use ropes to pull the rig toward the window. The two workers were then pulled inside. 

Louis Merced, a scaffoldng mechanic who helped firefighters with the rescue described the demeanor of the window washers after the harrowing ordeal. "They came off the rig laughing, joking," Merced said. "To them it's not that serious either. They were not hurt."

Merced, who works for the company that manages the scaffolding, said that the men weren't in any real danger and that he had the scaffolding working again before firefighters cut out the window. An electrical issue was blamed for causing the scaffolding to get stuck. Several streets around the building were cordoned off as crews worked. 

Two workers were rescued Tuesday afternoon after their scaffold stalled outside a Midtown high-rise building. The workers, became stuck outside the 62nd floor of 1717 Broadway, between West 54th and 55th streets, when the scaffolding stopped working around 1:20 p.m. Firefighters said the scaffold was stabilized with fire department ropes, but since mechanics couldn't get the scaffolding moving again, the FDNY had to cut through a pane of glass in order bring the workers inside.

No injuries were reported, and the entire incident lasted just over an hour. Tom Dembinski, the workers' supervisor at Permasteelisa Group, said the pair was done for the day and on their way back up to the roof when the scaffolding stalled. "A malfunction on the scaffold," he said. "The scaffold shut down, and they were stuck out there...it's the nature of the beast."

The operator of the scaffold, however, criticized the FDNY response and called firefighters' actions unnecessary. "There was no need for the fire department at all," Louis Merced said. "This was overdone." He said the FDNY acted too quickly and that he already had the scaffold active again after a breaker problem caused the stall. "They were not in danger," he said. "It's not like the scaffold was falling. Nothing happened. There was no problem where they were in danger." There is no word on whether the conditions played any role in the malfunction.

A Client Talks

David Wright, founder and owner of Mr. Wright’s Window Cleaning LLC. A clients appraisal..

This guy bats a thousand at cleaning windows (by Jerry Zezima) - I do windows. Unfortunately, I do them every couple of years, which gives the windows plenty of time to get dirty, and even then it is clear that I don't do them very well because I have always considered the job a pane in the glass.

This year, I let a professional end my losing streak, which was, of course, in each window. Enter (through the front door, not a window) David Wright, owner of Mr. Wright's Window Cleaning of Centerport, N.Y.

Not to be confused with the New York Mets slugger of the same name ("He doesn't do windows as well as I do, but I can't hit a baseball as well as he can"), Wright was a lawyer, a financial analyst and a monk before devoting his life to letting the sunshine into the lives of others by cleaning their windows.

"I want to make people happy," Wright said. "And a lot of people are happy when their windows are clean."

I knew I would be happy if my windows were clean because it also would give happiness to my wife, Sue, who had been after me for the past two years to use Windex and a roll of paper towels, not to mention a little elbow grease, to clean the windows.

"Elbow grease is a prime source of smudges and streaks," I told her. Sue wasn't buying it, which is why I ended up buying a reasonably priced cleaning package (10 windows for $49) so she could finally meet Mr. Wright. "I'm David," he said, introducing himself to Sue. "I'm here to clean your windows." Sue swooned. "Thank you," she replied. "They could use it."

Wright started on the outside, where he told me that his wife, Joanne, likes the way he does the windows at their house but wishes he would do them more often. "I'm working seven days a week," he said, adding that he started the business last year and will be joined next year by his son Collier, a U.S. Army Ranger who is serving in Iraq. "So I don't have the time to do our windows too often."

"That excuse isn't going to work for me," I said. "You'll have to think of another one," Wright said as he used a water-fed pole with a nylon brush to clean the outside of the windows in the living, dining and family rooms. "Nylon?" I said. "Theoretically, I could clean windows with my wife's stockings."

"Theoretically," Wright responded, "it wouldn't be a good idea." What would be a good idea, he added, is to use resin instead of soap. "I'm using it now," he said. "It's much more effective."

As he worked, Wright, who is 53, told me that he started out as a lawyer ("If you go to the bathroom, bring work with you so you can bill your clients"), then got into financial services before giving up all his material possessions and spending time in a monastery, where he decided he wanted to make people happy for a living.

"I am doing my second-favorite thing," he said, referring to cleaning windows, which allows him to meditate while he works. "What's your favorite thing?" I inquired. "I'd like to be a professional poker player," Wright said. "But my wife doesn't think it's a safe bet."

When we moved inside, Wright said that customers always kid him about having the same name as the Mets star. "They'll say, 'When you finish with my windows, are you going to Citi Field?' Maybe I should give them my autograph," said Wright, who cleaned the windows with a long razor blade encased in a scraper. He also used a squeegee and a scrubber made of lamb's wool and AstroTurf.

"And I use Dawn," he said. "Who's she?" I asked. "The person you can get to clean your windows," said Wright, though he really meant the dishwashing liquid. "Don't tell your wife, but most windows are dirtier on the inside than they are on the outside."

I didn't tell Sue, who was nonetheless amazed when Wright was finished. "Wow!" she squealed. "These windows have never been so clean." "The trick," Wright said, "is to keep them that way." "I'll do my part," I said. "In two years, I'll give you another call."

I’m David Wright, founder and owner of Mr. Wright’s Window Cleaning LLC. We provide professional, hand washed window cleaning services to fine homes and businesses in New York’s Nassau and Suffolk Counties, particularly in the North Shore (“Gold Coast”) area of Long Island.

People often ask me when I’m on a job how long I’ve been cleaning windows. I actually started cleaning windows over 25 years ago to put myself through Indiana Law School. I was raising my family at the time- both my sons were born while I was in Law School. When I graduated, I practiced corporate law in a leading large law firm before eventually becoming an in-house executive and Chief Legal Officer for a financial service firm client. Eventually I started my own financial service firm, which quickly grew into a national company. After the sale of that company, I started a few more ventures before semi-retiring for a number of years. In 2014, my wife and I decided to downsize our home when the last of our combined 6 kids were either married or in college. We sold the home in Manhasset and moved further east to Centerport.

I spent February and March of 2014 developing lists of various business ventures I could pursue. The list was quite long, and, surprisingly, window cleaning was my second choice. Of all the jobs and businesses I’ve had in the past, I enjoyed window cleaning the most. Being in a position to do almost anything I wanted, I chose to do the thing that most appealed to me. When I tell my customers this story, they always want to know what was first on my list of potential things I wanted to do. Actually, it was to become a professional poker player, but my priest advised me that my second choice might be better for me!

I’m building this business now with the intention of having my oldest son join me in it in 2016. Right now he is serving in the US Army, currently deployed throughout most of 2015 in Iraq. When he moves back to Long Island with his wife and my grandson, we intend to grow the business together into the most successful window cleaning and home service company on Long Island.

No other window cleaner on Long Island provides the old fashioned service at a price you can afford like our window cleaning system. Our window cleaners will meticulously clean your windows inside and out using advanced squeegee window techniques and sophisticated water fed pole technology and tools. If I am not doing the service myself, then I am personally supervising another of our window cleaning professionals, all of whom have been trained in our window cleaning system.

Working Through The Heat Wave

Daniel Martinez and Jose Garcia of Ossining Window Cleaners take a quick break from washing windows at the Hastings Library.

Working Through The Greenburgh Heat Wave (Greenburgh, N.Y.) - Window washers Daniel Martinez and Jose Gracia were happy to find a bit of relief from Wednesday's heat wave, ducking under a tree to reach the second floor windows at the Hastings Public Library. "Very hot, all day, all week," said Martinez, who works with Garcia for the Ossining Window Cleaning Co. "We are trying to get the work done in eight hours each day. We do high buildings too. Then you get some breeze." With the National Weather Service predicting at least three more days of plus-90 degree temperatures, the Westchester County Health Department has issued a county-wide heat advisory, which cautions people to drink plenty of water and avoid long periods in the direct heat unless necessary.

Mark Carlson a window cleaner & also a vendor at Target Field, works the crowd.

BEER HERE - The sun begins rising over Minnie and Paul about 5 a.m., arcing high above their center field perch and bathing Target Field in sunshine under a brilliant blue sky. The New York Yankees are in town and the ballpark will soon be buzzing with energy. For the next 14 hours, none of it will involve an actual baseball game. About 1,200 workers are deployed to scrub, stock, prep and prime the stadium, a routine the group performs before each main event -- 81 regular-season games.

Meanwhile, in the service level accessible only to employees, Mark Carlson is readying for battle among his fellow vendors. He stands 6 feet 7, with a reddish goatee and ruddy complexion that bear a striking resemblance to former slugger Mark McGwire. It is 6:20, and Carlson is about to learn what he will be selling and where. The 48-year-old window cleaner from Minnetonka started vending at Met Stadium at age 15 and is one of only six who have sold at all three Twins venues. Carlson said he has vended at more than 25 stadiums and arenas across the country, including Wrigley Field, Dodger Stadium, Lambeau Field and Candlestick Park.

About 100 vendors dressed in fluorescent shirts are milling around the assignment desk strategizing how best to make a buck. Beer generally is the most lucrative product to hawk but it also is the most expensive (typically $7.50 per bottle), sometimes making for less generous customers. Still, the weather is warm, and it is the night before the July 4 holiday. Carlson has no desire to lug Coke and ice cream. Seniority gives him preference, so Carlson opts for beer, peanuts, sunflower seeds and Cracker Jack. He marches toward a dispensary on the main concourse behind Section 121. He derides several colleagues who have dropped anchor and started selling to passers-by.

"This isn't why we're here," Carlson said. "That's like shooting fish in a barrel." Suddenly, Carlson realizes he has forgotten his knee brace at his locker, and he races back to retrieve it. Lugging 40 pounds of ice, snacks and cold beverages for more than 30 years takes its toll. He chooses to work the lower-deck boxes near the visitors' dugout. "The stairs aren't as steep. It's just a lot easier on my knees," he said. Carlson attaches empty beer bottles, his price buttons and several flashing trinkets to his shirt, shoulders his case and walks into his first section at 6:48 p.m. "Cold beer here! Cold beer! Cold beer! Gitchyer cold beer here!"

Jesse Green owner and operator of Sparkle King. Jesse above protecting himself from the sun. Serving the South Shore, South Coast, and Cape Cod Massachusetts.

Give me shelter…. One Window Cleaner’s Flight from the Sun - While cleaning windows in Cape Cod this last year, I have gotten into some risky behavior. You see, the moist salty air coming off the ocean feels so good on my skin that I end up not protecting myself as I should. So while my skin was turning a nice golden brown, I also was getting mildly burnt enough times to warrant a dirty look from any self respecting dermatologist.

Some may say that the solution is as simple as slathering yourself in SPF 50 sunblock. That’s great if you don’t sweat like I do…. buckets. And forget about the waterproof stuff, makes you feel like a cookie sheet getting greased to go in the oven.

Besides half the time, I just plain forget to put the sunblock on.

I needed a solution. My desperation increased as the temps rose into the mid nineties with the humidity to rival an equatorial jungle.

I turned once again to the shadowy world of performance enhancing clothing. I wanted to play it straight, to be all natural… but the lure of SPF rated high performance nylon weaves beckoned to me. “We will protect you, shield you from the molten rays, wick away your foul sweat and launder with relative ease” The fibers seemed to say. Or at least that’s what I heard in my heat stroke hallucination.

Like any junkie switching from one kick to another, I started tentatively and with great care…. first it was a hi-tech fishing shirt, and that seemed like enough. But then after awhile I suddenly needed fancy hiking pants, then somehow I ended up with an African safari hat. I don’t know where it will end. The next time you see me, you may mistake me for a river rafting guide.

I sometimes worry that my customers will panic. That they will assume my prices will start inching up. That I will have to charge double to afford all the swanky performance fibers that drape hang from me like linen on An Egyptian Pharaoh.

Thankfully my habit of not shaving very often keeps my appearance down to earth curbs that sort of panicked thinking.

So here I am writing this article from my hammock after work. I am tick free from my long pants. No scratches from rose bushes as I weasel my way through customer’s back yards. My neck is unscathed from my window cleaning gymnastics during the tropical heat blast, and most importantly, no heat induced hallucinations.

What is heat stress? "Heat stress" is the net (overall) heat burden on the body from the combination of the body heat generated while working, environmental sources (air temperature, humidity, air movement, radiation from the sun or hot surfaces/sources) and clothing requirements. [Reference: 2008 TLVs and BEIs: Threshold Limit Values for Chemical Substances and Physical Agents and Biological Exposure Indices. Cincinnati, Ohio: American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, 2008. p. 217.] Other heat-related terms are at the end of this document in the Glossary of Terms.

In foundries, steel mills, bakeries, smelters, glass factories, and furnaces, extremely hot or molten material is the main source of heat. In outdoor occupations, such as construction, road repair, open-pit mining and agriculture, summer sunshine is the main source of heat. In laundries, restaurant kitchens, and canneries, high humidity adds to the heat burden. In all instances, the cause of heat stress is a working environment which can potentially overwhelm the body's ability to deal with heat.

Most people feel comfortable when the air temperature is between 20°C and 27°C and the when relative humidity ranges from 35 to 60%. When air temperature or humidity is higher, people feel uncomfortable. Such situations do not cause harm as long as the body can adjust and cope with the additional heat. Very hot environments can overwhelm the body's coping mechanisms leading to a variety of serious and possibly fatal conditions.

This OSH Answers document contains information relating to the health effects of hot environments. Please see Working in Hot Environments - Control Measures for information about the prevention and control from heat related illnesses.

How does the human body react to hot environments?

The healthy human body maintains its internal temperature around 37°C. Variations, usually of less than 1°C, occur with the time of the day, level of physical activity or emotional state. A change of body temperature exceeding 1°C occurs only during illness or when environmental conditions surpass the body's ability to cope with extreme temperatures.

As the environment warms-up, the body tends to warm-up as well. The body's internal "thermostat" maintains a constant inner body temperature by pumping more blood to the skin and by increasing sweat production. In this way, the body increases the rate of heat loss to balance the heat burden created by the environment. In a very hot environment, the rate of "heat gain" exceeds the rate of "heat loss" and the body temperature begins to rise. A rise in the body temperature results in heat illnesses.

How does the body control heat gain and heat loss?

The main source of heat gain is the body's own internal heat. Called metabolic heat, it is generated within the body by the biochemical processes that keep us alive and by the energy we use in physical activity. The body exchanges heat with its surroundings mainly through radiation, convection, and evaporation of sweat.

Radiation is the process by which the body gains heat from surrounding hot objects, such as hot metal, furnaces or steam pipes, and loses heat to cold objects, such as chilled metallic surfaces, without contact with them. No radiant heat gain or loss occurs when the temperature of surrounding objects is the same as the skin temperature (about 35°C).

Convection is the process by which the body exchanges heat with the surrounding air. The body gains heat from hot air and loses heat to cold air which comes in contact with the skin. Convective heat exchange increases with increasing air speed and increased differences between air and skin temperature.

Evaporation of sweat from the skin cools the body. Evaporation proceeds more quickly and the cooling effect is more pronounced with high wind speeds and low relative humidity. In hot and humid workplaces, the cooling of the body due to sweat evaporation is limited by the capacity of the ambient air to accept additional moisture. In hot and dry workplaces, the cooling due to sweat evaporation is limited by the amount of sweat produced by the body.

The body also exchanges small amounts of heat by conduction and breathing. By conduction, the body gains or loses heat when it comes into direct contact with hot or cold objects. Breathing exchanges heat because the respiratory system warms the inhaled air. When exhaled, this warmed air carries away some of the body's heat. However, the amount of heat exchanged through conduction and breathing is normally small enough to be ignored in assessing the heat load on the body.

What are the effects of hot environments on the body?

When the air temperature or humidity rises above the optimal ranges for comfort, problems can arise. The first effects are subjective in nature - they relate to how you feel. Exposure to more heat stress can cause physical problems which impair workers' efficiency and may cause adverse health effects. (Short-term exposure / Long-term exposure).

Some of the problems and their symptoms experienced in the temperature range between a comfortable zone (20C - 27°C) and the highest tolerable limits (for most people) are summarized in Table 1.

In moderately hot environments, the body "goes to work" to get rid of excess heat so it can maintain its normal body temperature. The heart rate increases to pump more blood through outer body parts and skin so that excess heat is lost to the environment, and sweating occurs. These changes impose additional demands on the body. Changes in blood flow and excessive sweating reduce a person's ability to do physical and mental work. Manual work produces additional metabolic heat and adds to the body heat burden. When the environmental temperature rises above 30°C, it may interfere with the performance of mental tasks.

Heat can also lead to accidents resulting from the slipperiness of sweaty palms and to accidental contact with hot surfaces. As a worker moves from a cold to a hot environment, fogging of eye glasses can briefly obscure vision, presenting a safety hazard.

Several studies comparing the heat tolerances of men and women have concluded that women are generally less heat tolerant than men. While this difference seems to diminish when such comparisons take into account cardiovascular fitness, body size and acclimatization, women have a lower sweat rate than men of equal fitness, size and acclimatization. Laboratory experiments have shown that women may be more tolerant of heat under humid conditions, but slightly less tolerant than men under dry conditions.

What are the illnesses caused by heat exposure?

The risk of heat-related illness varies from person to person. A person’s general health also influences how well the person adapts to heat (and cold). Those with extra weight often have trouble in hot situations as the body has difficulty maintaining a good heat balance. Age (particularly for people about 45 years and older), poor general health, and a low level of fitness will make people more susceptible to feeling the extremes of heat.

Medical conditions can also increase how susceptible the body is. People with heart disease, high blood pressure, respiratory disease and uncontrolled diabetes may need to take special precautions. In addition, people with skin diseases and rashes may be more susceptible to heat.

Substances -- both prescription or otherwise -- can also have an impact on how people react to heat.

Heat exposure causes the following illnesses:

Heat edema is swelling which generally occurs among people who are not acclimatized to working in hot conditions. Swelling is often most noticeable in the ankles. Recovery occurs after a day or two in a cool environment.

Heat rashes are tiny red spots on the skin which cause a prickling sensation during heat exposure. The spots are the result of inflammation caused when the ducts of sweat glands become plugged.

Heat cramps are sharp pains in the muscles that may occur alone or be combined with one of the other heat stress disorders. The cause is salt imbalance resulting from the failure to replace salt lost with sweat. Cramps most often occur when people drink large amounts of water without sufficient salt (electrolyte) replacement.

Heat exhaustion is caused by loss of body water and salt through excessive sweating. Signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion include: heavy sweating, weakness, dizziness, visual disturbances, intense thirst, nausea, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle cramps, breathlessness, palpitations, tingling and numbness of the hands and feet. Recovery occurs after resting in a cool area and consuming cool salted drinks.

Heat syncope is heat-induced giddiness and fainting induced by temporarily insufficient flow of blood to the brain while a person is standing. It occurs mostly among unacclimatized people. It is caused by the loss of body fluids through sweating, and by lowered blood pressure due to pooling of blood in the legs. Recovery is rapid after rest in a cool area.

Heat stroke and hyperpyrexia (elevated body temperature) are the most serious types of heat illnesses. Signs of heat stroke include body temperature often greater than 41°C, and complete or partial loss of consciousness. The signs of heat hyperpyrexia are similar except that the skin remains moist. Sweating is not a good symptom of heat stress as there are two types of heat stroke – “classical” where there is little or no sweating (usually occurs in children, persons who are chronically ill, and the elderly), and “exertional” where body temperature rises because of strenuous exercise or work and sweating is usually present.

Heat stroke and heat hyperpyrexia require immediate first aid and medical attention. Delayed treatment may result in damage to the brain, kidneys and heart. Treatment may involve removal of the victim's clothing and spraying the body with cold water. Fanning increases evaporation and further cools the body. Immersing the victim in cold water more efficiently cools the body but it can result in harmful overcooling which can interfere with vital brain functions so it must only be done under close medical supervision.

What are the illnesses caused by long-term (chronic) heat exposure?

Certain kidney, liver, heart, digestive system, central nervous system and skin illnesses are thought by some researchers to be linked to long-term heat exposure. However, the evidence supporting these associations is not conclusive.

Chronic heat exhaustion, sleep disturbances and susceptibility to minor injuries and sicknesses have all been attributed to the possible effects of prolonged exposure to heat.

The lens of the eye is particularly vulnerable to radiation produced by red-hot metallic objects (infrared radiation) because it has no heat sensors and lacks blood vessels to carry heat away. Glass blowers and furnace-men have developed cataracts after many years of exposure to radiation from hot objects. Foundry workers, blacksmiths and oven operators are also exposed to possibly eye-damaging infrared radiation.

A possible link between heat exposure and reproductive problems has been suggested. Data from laboratory experiments on animals have shown that heat stress may adversely affect the reproductive function of males and females. Exposure of males resulted in reduced rate of conception. Exposure of females caused disruption of the reproductive cycle until they became acclimatized to heat. When animals are simultaneously exposed to heat and toxic chemicals, the influence of heat exposure seems to accelerate the chemical reactivity.

In men, repeatedly raising testicular temperature 3 to 5°C decreases sperm counts. There is no conclusive evidence of reduced fertility among heat-exposed women. There are no adequate data from which conclusions can be drawn regarding the reproductive effects of occupational heat exposure at currently accepted exposure limits.

Laboratory study of warm-blooded animals has shown that exposure of the pregnant females to hyperthermia may result in a high incidence of embryo deaths and malformations of the head and the central nervous system (CNS). There is no conclusive evidence of teratogenic effects of hyperthermia in humans. The NIOSH criteria document (1986) recommends that a pregnant worker's body temperature should not exceed 39-39.5°C during the first trimester of pregnancy.

(Reference: Occupational exposure to hot environments. Revised Criteria. Cincinnati, Ohio: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1986)

What are some of the terms used in this document (Glossary of Terms)?

 

Acclimatization - Physiological changes which occur in response to several days of heat exposure and make the body accustomed to a hot environment.

Convection - Process of heat exchange between the body and the surrounding air or fluid as a result of bulk flow of that air or fluid.

Dehydration - Loss or deficiency of water in body tissues caused by sweating, vomiting or diarrhea. Symptoms include excessive thirst, nausea, and exhaustion.

Heat cramps - Painful and often incapacitating cramps in muscles. Heat cramps are caused by depletion of salt in the body as a result of heavy sweating, and ingestion of water without replacing salt.

Heat exhaustion - Weakness, lassitude, dizziness, visual disturbance, feeling of intense thirst and heat, nausea, vomiting, palpitations, tingling and numbness of extremities after exposure to a hot environment.

Heat hyperpyrexia - Rise in body temperature with moist skin and mental dysfunction, caused by exposure to an extremely hot environment.

Heat rash (prickly heat or milliaria) - An itchy rash of small raised red spots on the face, neck, back, chest and thighs caused by a hot and moist environment.

Heat strain - Physiological and behavioural responses of the body as a result of heat exposure.

Heat stroke - Acute illness caused by overexposure to heat. Symptoms are dry, hot skin, high body temperature (usually over 105F) and mental dysfunction.

Heat syncope - Temporary loss of consciousness induced by insufficient flow of blood to the brain. Recovery is normally prompt and without any long-term ill effects.

Metabolic rate - Rate of energy (heat) production of the body which varies with the level of activity.

Natural Wet Bulb Temperature - Air temperature measured using a thermometer in which the bulb is covered with wet cotton wick and cooled by the natural movement of air.

Nausea - The feeling that one is about to vomit as experienced in seasickness.

Prickly heat - See Heat rash.

Radiation (heat) - Transfer of heat between hot and cold bodies without contact between them.

Relative humidity - The ratio of the water vapour content of air to the maximum possible water vapour content of air at the same temperature and air pressure.

Dangerous NY Window Cleaner Video Goes Viral

Don't look down: The window cleaner perches on a ledge as he works without a safety harness 100ft above the ground. Click to enlarge.

Living on the ledge: Daredevil window washer pictured working  100ft above Manhattan streets without a safety harness. The unknown workman was pictured with no safety equipment as he cleaned the tenth floor windows . Onlookers saw him shuffle from window to window before casually dropping inside when he was finished.

A window cleaner took his job to extreme levels when he was pictured working ten storys high without a safety harness. The daredevil workman had nothing to stop him falling 100ft to the ground as he shuffled from window to window at the New York office block. Passers-by watched from the Manhattan street below and from neighboring buildings as he fearlessly perched on the ledge with not even a rope to protect him.

Daredevil: The window cleaner was working on the tenth floor of the office block in Manhattan, New York, when he was pictured. Click to enlarge.

The unknown workman was seen climbing out of an open window and holding onto just the wall for support. When he was finished with one window, he shuffled along the outside of the building to wash the next. Once he had moved onto third, he was seen casually dropping his tools back inside before ducking inside and closing the window behind him. People on the street below were seen pointing at the sky as he nervelessly worked.

Disbelief: Onlookers said they were horrified to see him working so high up without a rope and said they feared he was 'pushing his luck' - Click to enlarge.

Death-defying: Witnesses said he moved confidently from window to window before casually dropping back inside when he was finished. Click to enlarge.

His death-defying journey took place on Thursday just yards away from office staff busy at work, completely unaware of what was happening behind them. One onlooker said they were shocked that anyone would risk their life in such a way. They said: 'I was on my way back from a meeting and saw people pointing towards the sky - I couldn't see what was happening at first because the buildings are so tall. 'But through a small gap I could see this guy hanging onto the wall and washing windows, the other people watching told me he didn't have a rope.

Vertigo: Passers-by in Manhattan spotted him from the street and could be seen pointing at the sky in disbelief at how he was working. Click to enlarge.

Quite a drop: The unknown cleaner had no protection if he had slipped while shuffling between the windows ten storeys up. Click to enlarge.

'I have never seen anything like it before. It was actually pretty hard to watch because I was thinking to myself what happens if he slips. 'I'm not sure it's worth it just to finish the job a bit faster. He moved confidently enough so I assume he's done it before - you wonder how long he can keep pushing his luck for.' The management or a health and safety spokesperson for the building was not immediately available for comment.

A daredevil window-cleaner dices with death as he works 100 feet up without a harness. After climbing out of an open window, the foolhardy worker perched himself on a narrow outcrop ten floors above the street below. Clutching the wall, he then shifted between ledges to scrub three different panes at the New York building.

The cleaner’s antics were captured on camera by workers in a neighbouring office block in Manhattan. Despite being just a fraction away from certain death if he fell, the cleaner worked without flinching. As well as his own safety, the foolish scrubber didn’t seem to notice those making their way along the crowded city streets beneath. Having carried out his dangerous cleaning stunt, the unknown man casually dropped his tools back inside. He then headed into the safety of the office block where workers appeared to be carrying on their daily tasks.

A horrified onlooker said they had never seen anything like it. He said: “I was on my way back from a meeting and saw people pointing towards the sky — I couldn’t see what was happening at first because the buildings are so tall. “But through a small gap, I could see this guy hanging onto the wall and washing windows. “I have never seen anything like it before. “I’m not sure it’s worth it just to finish the job a bit faster. “He moved confidently enough so I assume he’s done it before.” His death-defying journey took place on Thursday. The management or a health and safety spokesperson at the New York office block could not be reached for comment.

Man falls 12 stories to his death: Dayton, Ohio - A 65-year-old Dayton man is dead after falling out of a 12th floor window at the Dayton Towers Sunday Afternoon. According to police reports, Stephen B. Ross, was pronounced dead at the scene. Witnesses told officers they were playing cards in their first floor apartment when they heard a loud “thump.” When they looked outside, they saw Ross’ body on the ground.
It appeared Ross was trying to wash one of the windows of his 12th floor apartment. The police report indicates officers found part of a squeegee on the ground as well as a roll of paper towels and glass cleaner on the window sill. The Montgomery County Coroner’s office tells 2 NEWS Ross’ death will be ruled as accidental due to multiple blunt force trauma.