Window washers stretch safety rules...

Facing hard-to-clean sliding windows, cleaners on East 44th Street cut corners

In an article by Peter D'Amato which can be found here, a five-man crew from a company called Upgrade Services took turns leaning out and stretching to clean the farthest corners of the windows in a 1950s-era office building. This building was sixty feet above East 44th Street. 

Upgrade Services President John McDermott sent the five men back for retraining once the union had heard the risky maneuvers they attempted to perform their work. The workers were in clear violation of the state's labor law. Laws require that workers use safety harnesses or a scaffold when cleaning the outside of windows. The President of the company also went on to say, "After years on the job, veterans can get overly brave. "You get lulled into a false sense of security that it's OK to take these chances."