High Rise Window Cleaning - Twin Cities Investigation

Green Window Cleaning Services owner Jeff Scott and reporter Trish Van Pilsum descend a 15-story condo building in Madison, Wisconsin.

Investigators: A Window Washer's World: The center of the city shines only because there are a few workers who will brave any height to keep it that way. There are only about 100 high rise window washers in the Twin Cities area, but four have died since 2007. Julie Jennings' son, Jake, is one of those who died in March of 2009. He was working at the Normandale Lakes Office Park in Bloomington and fell after the line tying him to the building he was cleaning slipped from its anchor. Julie feels that her son should have been better trained. She fears for other window washers who are just starting their careers and doesn't want any other famliy to go through what she has in the last two years. " It is the worst thing in the world. I will never get over it," said Julie.

The other 3 fatal accidents:

• Dec. 2007: Fidel Sanchez-Flores fell to his death while cleaning ice from the top of the IDS Crystal Court in Minneapolis.
• Sept. 2009: Bryan Prairie, 24, fell from a roof at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park.
• June 2011: Ryan Shannon, 25, died after falling from Knollwood Place Apartments in St. Louis Park.

"A hundred people and four deaths in four years -- it is an insane number," said Javier Morillo-Alicea, President of SEIU Local 26. "If you applied that to any other industry it would be a scandal." Minnesota OSHA increased the number of inspections on Oct. 1, 2010 due to the deaths. The checks have turned up potentially deadly hazards including:

• Tie backs not being securely fastened to outrigger beams
• Inadequate anchorage systems
• Counterweights not of sufficeient weight
• Washer not protected by a safety belt.

Window Washer Safety Culture in Twin Cities: According to the International Window Cleaning Association, Minnesota has had the highest rate of window washing accidents in the United States since 2007. This fall, the IWCA came to the Twin Cities, hoping to educate fellow washers on safety issues -- but the safety conference was poorly attended. The FOX 9 Investigators called several of the companies that didn't show up. They said they either didn't know about it or were too busy to attend. When asked about training, several window washers told the FOX 9 Investigators they were either trained for only a short amount of time or just had on-the-job training when they began their careers.

Going Over the Wall: FOX 9 Investigator, Trish Van Pilsum wanted to draw attention to the issue of safety, so she found out what it is like to go over the wall -- the parapet wall that is. Jeff Scott, owner of Green Window Cleaning in Madison, Wis., agreed to help Trish experience what window washers go through on a daily basis. He did not train her as he would the cleaners that work for him because that would have taken months of lessons and testing. Instead, he prepared her to repel down the side of a 15-story building in Madison with no cleaning duties. No safety measure was spared. She used a bosun's chair, work line and safety line.

Window washers say the set up for equipment on top of the 31-story Ameriprise Financial Center in downtown Minneapolis is one of the best in Twin Cities.

There are several I-bolt anchors atop the 31-story Ameriprise Financial Center in Minneapolis for window washers to attach their lifelines and work lines.

Two window washers descend down the Federal Bank Reserve in Minneapolis.

Jake Jennings died two years ago in Bloomington after falling from a building where he was washing windows. His mother (pictured with him here) wants to see changes that make window washing jobs safer for all workers. There are been a total of four window washer fatalities since 2007 in the Twin Cities.

There are an estimated 100 high-rise window cleaners in the Twin Cities. They make between $14/hour to $21/hour on average.

Washers in Minneapolis use a suspended scaffold --also known as a swing stage -- to clean windows.

Tony Gesino has been washing windows for the last 8 years.

Window cleaning professional Jeff Scott explains the lifeline and work lines reporter Trish Van Pilsum will be using to scale down a 15-story condo building in Madison, Wis.

Company & Hospital Fined For Window Washer Death

Company, Hospital Fined For Window Washer Death: A window washing company and Park Nicollet have both been fined in connection with the death of a window washer who died after a three-story fall outside Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park last September. Bryan Prairie, 24, of Plymouth died after the fall on Sept. 2, 2009. Prairie and another co-worker were working near the entrance to the emergency room when they fell. Both Consider It Done Services and Park Nicollet were fined by Minnesota OSHA. Consider It Done was fined $28,750 and Park Nicollet was fined $7,000. Both parties have contested the citation and both cases are open. The next step is Minnesota OSHA will have an informal conference with both parties in hopes of trying to settle the case.

Chris Bemis, owner of CID Services, LLC, the company that was cleaning the windows at the hospital issued the following statement from the company after the incident:
"The young man who passed came to our company this year as a friend of many of the guys on our team. He was working with us while he looked for a job as a nurse. We were afforded a great opportunity to have him be a part of our little family, and we are heartbroken that he is gone. He has a wife and a young son, and our deepest sympathies are with his family now and in the future.
My business partner and friend is lying in a hospital bed, being treated for his injuries. He has always maintained a wonderful sense of kindness and love to all those who have had the opportunity to cross his path, especially his friends. And the young man who has passed was his friend. We know that even during his own recovery, our partner is grieving this tragic loss.
I would finally like to personally thank the staff at Park Nicollet for the part they played In bringing so much compassion and understanding to such a dark day in the lives of so many. It was a touching display of humanity that will stay with us forever. I am particularly grateful for the genuine caring they have shown for the families of those impacted by these tragic events. It is a credit to them as a group and as individuals."

Bryan Prairie (pictured) took the window-washing job to support his family, his father said. The window washer who fell three stories to his death at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park had taken the job this summer while looking for work as a nurse, his father said Friday. Bryan Prairie, 24, of Plymouth, was dead by the time rescue personnel arrived after he and a co-worker fell from scaffolding along the 40-foot-tall building about 3 p.m. Thursday. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's office has not released the man's name, but Bill Prairie confirmed Friday that the dead man was his son.
Prairie was working for Consider It Done Cleaning to support his wife and 5-month-old son, his father said. The young man, who graduated from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., had just passed his nursing boards in July after earning degrees in biology and nursing. The other man who fell was alert and talking soon after the accident, and was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.

R.I.P. Bryan Prairie + Window Cleaning News

R.I.P. Bryan Prairie: Man confirms window washer who died was his son: Bryan Prairie took the window-washing job to support his family, his father said. The window washer who fell three stories to his death at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park had taken the job this summer while looking for work as a nurse, his father said Friday. Bryan Prairie, 24, of Plymouth, was dead by the time rescue personnel arrived after he and a co-worker fell from scaffolding along the 40-foot-tall building about 3 p.m. Thursday. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's office has not released the man's name, but Bill Prairie confirmed Friday that the dead man was his son.
Prairie was working for Consider It Done Cleaning to support his wife and 5-month-old son, his father said. The young man, who graduated from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., had just passed his nursing boards in July after earning degrees in biology and nursing. The other man who fell was alert and talking soon after the accident, and was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.
In a statement issued Friday, a co-owner of the New Hope-based window washing company expressed sympathy over Prairie's death. "We were afforded a great opportunity to have him be a part of our little family, and we are heartbroken that he is gone," wrote Chris Bemis, who started the company about 10 years ago when he was in high school. Bemis did not identify the other worker, but said that he was in his 20s and described him as a "dear friend of mine" who has been in the business with him since the start.
The company has a spotless safety record, Bemis said in an interview Friday. "We've never had an incident," he said. "Never had a claim on our general liability. We've never had a broken bone. We've never even had a broken window." Consider It Done has cleaned windows at Park Nicollet for about three years, Bemis said, and "nothing has ever, ever, ever happened." Sign the condolences book here or here.

GANA to Provide Resources to WIndow Cleaners: Window washers should be prepared for a number of new glass resources that may be coming their way. Greg Carney, technical director of the Glass Association of North America (GANA), noted during the GANA Tempering Division Construction Subcommittee that GANA continues to communicate with the International Window Cleaning Association (IWCA). Carney added, “I’d say our discussions today are in a positive light.” This topic was once again under discussion during GANA’s Fall Conference, taking place this week at the Embassy Suites in Kansas City, Mo.
Carney noted that the IWCA has formed a task group for the sole purpose of meeting with GANA to talk about the issues at hand. This spring, Carney met with IWCA representatives and discussed several potential joint activities. Among those activities were: potentially developing a glass information bulletin (GIB) on best practices for fabricating heat strengthened and fully tempered glass; developing requirements for recommended window cleaning program; evaluating alternative cleaning methods jointly; updating the GANA glass cleaning documents to differentiate between using scrapers and using a small razor blade upon glass. I’d like to see us have the first conference call to talk about these issues,” Carney commented to the division members, who seemed to agree on this point. The GANA Fall Conference continues through this afternoon.

Window cleaning uses less water than taking a shower: While the Comox Valley is in Stage 2 water restrictions few residents are aware of how this affects businesses. As stated on the Regional District Website residents cannot wash sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, exterior windows, or exterior building surfaces; however, businesses in the valley are exempt from this bylaw.
Dwayne Robertson, owner of Shine-Eze Window Care, continues to work during this period, but has adjusted his business to restrict his water usage. On average Dwayne's crew of six uses 8 to 10 gallons of water a day - about the same or less than an average shower and far less than what a business such as a restaurant would use in a day. Dwayne also offers siding cleaning as part of his business but suggests customers not to have it cleaned during the summer months when water usage is a concern. In light of the Stage 2 restrictions Dwayne urges you to stick with the professionals when cleaning windows.

Different Angle: Ads are here to stay, like it or not: Sometimes I wonder if the way they advertise on TV bothers anyone else. For example, you’re engrossed in a really good movie and it comes to the most touching part and suddenly a stupid ad comes on. There are a string of ads that seem to last forever, then about five minutes of the movie and then another bunch of ads. What makes it even worse, some channels keep showing the same ones over and over until you want to scream. I’ve started muting the ads and reading the paper or working a crossword puzzle. The worst thing I do is switch over and watch another channel, get interested in that program and miss a crucial part of the movie, or maybe even the end. Even I have to admit they really have variety when it comes to commercials. They have singing ones, dancing ones, talking dogs and cats. There are talking birds for a window cleaning ad and a dog skateboarding for another.

City of Miracles: New Yorkers make comebacks after terrible tragedies -Heavenly recovery: Watching Alcides Moreno's three children gently chase him around his backyard, it's hard to imagine he plunged 47 stories from a Manhattan building less than two years ago.His recovery has been long and painful and might never be complete. But his doctors and family agree: The fact that he has come this far is astonishing. "It can be a lot sometimes, but looking at him, alive with his children, he's still our miracle," said Moreno's wife, Rosario. Moreno and his brother were washing windows along E. 66th St. when their 3-foot platform inexplicably went hurtling 500 feet to the ground.
Edgar Moreno was killed in the accident. But Alcides Moreno, 38, was sitting up and semi-conscious when rescue workers arrived. He suffered injuries to his brain, abdomen and chest, broke both his legs and an arm and fractured his ribs. Doctors at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell performed 16 operations on Moreno during his six weeks there, and many more followed. While he has come so far since the accident, Moreno still struggles.
"He's just trying to live a normal life," said Rosario Moreno, who supports the family with her job as a team leader at Union County Superior Criminal Court. "He has a hard time concentrating. Sometimes, you need to repeat stuff to him and at times he can't say some words."
Moreno takes medication for depression, his wife said, and has temporarily stopped going to physical therapy even though he has more surgeries ahead on his ankle and legs. Still, his wife and kids feel blessed to have him home. "He's not the same person," Rosario Moreno said, "but he has the same determination to keep going."

My journey deep into the heart of Glenn Beck country began when I caught a glimpse of the sobbing commentator on TV while waiting for a plane. I thought he was a televangelist at first, but it seems that he is instead a true patriot who can't suffer the reckless destruction of his beloved country by a racist African American president, among others, without tears.
"Join a Glenn Beck Meetup Group near Los Angeles," said one site, which listed fan clubs and details about tea parties and other gatherings in the name of liberty and freedom. "I'm a hard-working American guy that wants to be able to worship Jesus Christ, go shooting, say what I want and enjoy life," wrote the Santa Clarita group organizer, Jason Hole. "By the way," he added, "our government is preparing for civil unrest right now. I've seen documentation that states people will be considered terrorists if they wear blue jeans and talk excessively about the constitution. You're thinking I'm a kook, right? Look it up and you'll find it to be true."
When I called Hole, who works as a window washer, I could hear his squeegee in the background. "Glenn Beck is expressing what everybody is feeling," he told me. And what is that, exactly? That the country has moved away from the core values of the Founding Fathers. Hole said that he had "studied under" a guy he met at a gym and that this teacher opened his eyes to the abuse of federal authority, which President Obama will only make worse. Hole said Obama has a "socialist, communist, fascist agenda" that must be stopped, because we're headed for tyranny and "fleeing from everything in the Constitution." He also said that when taxes are taken out of his paycheck, "that is stealing."
I pointed out that he had driven to work on roads paid for by those taxes, but he wasn't about to be diverted. He said he opposed a public option as part of healthcare reform, but said he was planning to switch to another private healthcare plan because of disappointment with his current provider, which isn't covering the care he needs. And what about the tears? Does Hole believe Beck is weeping or pandering? "I think you're right about the crying," Hole said. "The guy is an actor." There's another thing Hole doesn't like about Beck, he admitted. "Beck has said that anyone who has questions about 9/11 should be in prison." Beck, he explained, doesn't believe it was an "inside job" involving U.S. agents. And Hole does? "I know it was an inside job," he said.

Arizona: ID theft capital of America - Shawn Dugan, 50, a window washer, ex-convict and methamphetamine addict, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in January for a five-month crime spree, during which he made fake checks using his customers' account information, which he then cashed using false IDs, or simply inflated the amounts of legitimate checks he received.
Dugan, whose plea agreement for fraud included dropping an aggravated ID theft charge, was turned over to police by his employees — whom he paid with fraudulent checks. In Dugan's case, police found false IDs, check stock, checking-making computer software, and other people's bank account information in his home. In the end, Dugan was ordered to pay more than $17,000 in restitution to four individuals, six banks and five businesses. In at least one case, the victim was not only reimbursed for the amount of the fraudulent check, but the $363 in insufficient funds fees the bank charged her.

Window cleaner in insurance claim con: A SCARBOROUGH man made a fraudulent insurance claim for a non-existent burglary at his East Ayton home in a bid to fight the recession, a court heard. Philip Milner, 39, now of Shelton Road, was paid out £3,000 on his insurance policy but police investigations eventually revealed the truth. The self-employed window cleaner, appeared at York Crown Court for sentencing, after he previously admitted a charge of fraud.

9/11: The Twin Towers Friday, BBC Knowledge, 20:30: A powerful two-part documentary about the bombing of the Twin Towers on September 11 2001. The programme, which coincides with the eighth anniversary of this attack, comprises news footage and the stories of the survivors, some of which we have never heard, like the window cleaner who saved people by loading them on his lift. It is compelling stuff, exploring an event that forever altered the way we live.