A "Cuppa" Sorts Out Worker In Window Cleaning Cradle

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Shard worker caught in high winds terror went straight back to work after a cuppa: A Shard worker who survived a terrifying tangle at 1,000ft returned to work soon afterwards - after a soothing cup of coffee. Eyewitnesses watched in horror as the cradle dangling outside the 72nd floor of the 1,017ft building twirled wildly in high winds. Thousands more have since watched a YouTube video (below) clip of the drama as the spinning platform was wrestled back under control.

Ten fire fighters and an ambulance were on standby at the foot of the 78-storey building for 45 minutes after being called at 2.15pm yesterday. But today, Milton Keynes-based contractors More Control UK - which was carrying out external safety checks on the skyscraper days before its official opening - said the horrifying incident "looked worse than it was." A spokesman said: "Unfortunately while we were testing software at the top of the Shard a gust of wind caught the cradle. We simply lifted it up to stop it from spinning. "The engineer in the cradle was fine after a nice cup of coffee."

In a later statement the company added: "It is built to withstand wind speeds of up to 32mph and readings, taken throughout, showed that it did not exceed 20mph. "The operative responded with the appropriate conduct during these disturbed wind patterns. On any Mace project, the Health and Safety of all employees is paramount and we are proud of our current record on The Shard where we have recently passed two million man hours without a reportable accident.” Witnesses who watched the drama unfold on the capital's newest landmark were amazed anyone could survive such an ordeal.

A Shard worker told the Standard: "They've got abseilers on ropes cleaning all the windows and at first we though it was one of them, but they weren't out there because it was too windy. It was a company doing something with the metalwork. "One of the cables went and the maintenance unit started whipping round and round. The guy was hanging on up there for at least a minute. "The cables got all twisted up so they couldn’t lift it up or down as normal and had to spin it back to unwind it. It was incredible to watch."

He added: "I've been up to the 71st floor and it's pretty scary looking down from the inside, although the building tapers so it's not a sheer drop. I can't imagine what it would have been like to be out there but the guys who work up there every day are used to it. "I've already had my wife on the phone saying 'it wasn't you was it?'"

A spokeswoman for Mace, the main contractor building architect Renzo Piano's design to life, today said the incident was swiftly and safely brought under control. She said:"We can confirm that the wind speeds were well within safe limits and that the building maintenance unit was operating in the right way. "Nobody was injured and the operatives were able to resume work." A spokesman for London Fire Brigade said the cradle had been made safe within an hour, adding "we can all now breathe a sigh of relief". The Shard, which has 31.4 acres of office, commercial and residential space, will be officially opened by Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabor Al Thani, Qatar's prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, and the Duke of York on Thursday.