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.