Hong Kong Window Cleaner Death

Window cleaner at work in Shanghai, China. Click to enlarge.

Window cleaner falls to death: A window cleaner died after falling 16 stories from a gondola outside a Tsim Sha Tsui hotel. According to reports, Chan Wai, 38, and a colleague named 'So' boarded the gondola (swinging scaffold) outside the Royal Garden Hotel about 10am. They were preparing to clean the external walls of the hotel, owned by Sun Hung Kai Properties, when the gondola tilted to one side, throwing Chan out. So was able to keep his balance and was not injured. It is suspected that Chan, who was not wearing a helmet, had not yet fastened his harness when the gondola tilted. He fell 16 stories and was certified dead at the scene. An initial investigation showed the cables fitted to the gondola are in good condition.

Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees' General Union chairman Chow Luen-kiu said there should be two bolts to lock the two steel cables on either side of a gondola. It is suspected that Chan may have mistakenly unlocked a bolt, which made the gondola tilt. The Labour and Fire Services departments are looking into the cause of the accident. Chan had been a window cleaner for four years. The widower lived in Tsz Wan Shan with his mother. The hotel has given his family HK$300,000 as consolation money. Meanwhile, the owners of some shops near the hotel voiced dissatisfaction with police investigators. They claimed officers arrived at the scene some time after the fall and left the body of the dead worker exposed for six hours, which affected business. Describing the case as "rare," Chow advised workers to inspect the cables of gondolas before getting into them.

FOCUSED: A woman ate breakfast as a window cleaner worked outside on the 23rd floor of a hotel in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, China. Click to enlarge.

Click to enlarge.