Safety Alert - BMU's - Suspended Scaffold Cradles

Failed bolt connecting the winch and the cradle.

BUILDING MAINTENANCE UNITS AND SUSPENDED SCAFFOLD CRADLES - Safety Alert | 06/11/2015 - This safety alert reminds owners and users of building maintenance units (BMUs) and suspended scaffolds of the need for ongoing inspection of critical components.

BACKGROUND: Two workers were seriously injured in October 2015 when the BMU cradle they were working in fell 10 storeys onto an awning below.

Initial investigations indicate the cause of the collapse was a failure of the connection between the winch and the cradle. This connection used a single bolt, loaded primarily in tension, at each of the two winches. It is believed one of these bolts failed, causing a sudden transfer of load to the bolt at the other end which then also failed.

The bolts are hidden within the connection and cannot be inspected without the connection being disassembled. Inspections revealed that both bolts show signs of significant fatigue cracking which would have weakened the bolts, resulting eventually in the sudden failure without obvious external warning signs.

In a similar incident in 2009 the failure of a simpler connection on a suspended scaffold cradle was also due to undetected fatigue cracks. It resulted in the death of one worker and serious injury to another.

Suspended scaffold connection bracket failure showing fatigue cracks.

ACTION REQUIRED

BMU and suspended scaffold cradle owners must:

• identify critical components in BMUs or scaffold cradles – eg where failure of a component would risk the safety of anyone in the vicinity of the BMU or suspended scaffold
• assess whether the current inspection and maintenance program adequately deals with these critical components, especially any components that need disassembly to inspect
• upgrade the inspection and maintenance program if necessary
• include non-destructive testing or regular replacement of components as part of the program where visual inspection alone is not adequate to detect potential developing defects, such as fatigue cracks
• carry out a major inspection on any BMU that is over 10 years old and has not yet had a major inspection
• carry out a major inspection on any BMU that has had a major inspection:

but is overdue for its next recommended major inspection, or
five years after the last major inspection where no recommendation was given.

Preliminary findings of window cleaners’ fall in October released: A Sydney window cleaner was injured after falling approximately four floors onto a balcony while cleaning windows on a hotel at Gloucester Street in The Rocks. The window cleaner, who was using rope-style window cleaning equipment, is reported to have suffered leg injuries in the fall.

SafeWork NSW is investigating the incident which comes as they release the preliminary findings of their investigation into an incident where two men fell approximately 10 storeys from a Sydney CBD building on Tuesday, 20 October. The men, who were harnessed, were cleaning windows on a 12 storey building on the corner of Pitt and Bridge Street in the city when the window cleaning cradle that they were working in suddenly fell to the awning below.

SafeWork NSW commenced an investigation into the incident which included sending the window cleaning cradle, known as a building maintenance unit, to SafeWork NSW’s TestSafe facility at Londonderry for testing and analysis.

The initial findings of the investigation indicate that the cause of the collapse was a failure of the connection between the winch and the cradle. The connection used a single bolt, loaded primarily in tension, at each of the two winches. It is believed one of the bolts failed, causing a sudden transfer of the load to the bolt at the other end, which then also failed. The bolts, which are hidden within the connection, cannot be inspected without the connection being disassembled.

Inspections revealed that both bolts showed signs of significant fatigue-related cracking which would have weakened them, resulting eventually in the sudden failure which occurred without warning.

In response to the findings, SafeWork NSW will undertake an awareness program and verification activities in early 2016 on buildings where Building Maintenance Units and Industrial Rope Access are used. SafeWork NSW Executive Director, Peter Dunphy urged all owners and users of building maintenance units and suspended scaffolds to inspect their equipment in the lead up to the verification visits.

“Operators should undertake regular inspections of building maintenance units and suspended scaffolds so that defects such as fatigue cracks are identified,” Mr Dunphy said. “They should also consider whether their current inspection and maintenance programs are adequate to prevent equipment failure in the future.

“A similar incident occurred in 2009 due to undetected fatigue cracks on a suspended scaffold which resulted in the death of one worker and serious injuries to another. “Fortunately, although the workers were seriously injured, they both survived, but the result could have been very different.”

SafeWork NSW has published a safety alert with guidance for owners and users of building maintenance units and suspended scaffolds on how to prevent similar incidents. Operators seeking further information on building maintenance units should refer to the Australian Standard.

Sydney Window Cleaners Will Survive

David Wilson, 56, and Colombian native Edwin Acero-Dastellanos, (pictured) 35, plunged to street level yesterday as they cleaned windows high atop the Australian Stock Exchange building on Pitt Street.

‘They’re not fine but they’ll be OK’ owner of window cleaning business claims of fallen workers: The owner of the window cleaning company two men were working for when they plummeted 12 storeys in the Sydney CBD yesterday said they “will be OK” as they recover in St Vincent’s Hospital.

Ultra Clean Services manager Nick offered a “no comment” over the incident which remains under investigation. “They’re in intensive care,” he said. “They’re not fine but they’ll be OK ... they’re in a stable condition.”

David Wilson, 56, and Colombian native Edwin Acero-Dastellanos, 35, plunged to street level yesterday as they cleaned windows high atop the Australian Stock Exchange building on Pitt Street.

The anchor points of the metal cage the men were in and which gave way.

It is believed a cable holding the metal cage they were working in snapped — sending the pair into a terrifying near free-fall. They suffered extensive injuries and were rushed to St Vincent’s yesterday in a serious but stable condition.

Prior to his miracle survival, Mr Acero-Dastellanos had proudly shared photos of himself up in the clouds above the Harbour City, one he has made home with his young family. In a photo he shared with friends in 2012, Mr Acero-Dastellanos can be seen enjoying the spectacular view over Sydney as he cleaned windows along one of her main streets.

Colombian native Edwin Acero-Dastellanos clearly has a head for heights but was lucky to survive yesterday after he plunged towards the ground when the window cleaning cage he was using gave way.

The thrillseeker loves heights and has also shared photos of himself hang gliding. The lucky window cleaner is also a joyous young father who boasted in 2012 about how his baby daughter had learned to crawl.

The injured window cleaners were taken to St Vincents Hospital and are in a stable but serious condition. A fire Rescue NSW spokesman said both men were conscious and responsive when they were rescued. The accident happened during lunchtime peak-hour, with large crowd gathered in the area. Police had to close Pitt Street as a precautionary measure. 

Sydney Window Cleaners Scaffold Cable Snap Horror

One of the window cleaners is attended to by paramedics as he lays on the roof of a ute.

Morning horror: Window cleaners fall from tower block (Sydney): Two window cleaners were lucky to survive a 12-storey plunge from a high-rise building yesterday after the cable on the metal cage they were working in snapped. Bystanders rushed to help the badly injured men, one aged in his mid-20s and the other in his 50s, who had been cleaning windows on the Australian Stock Exchange in the Sydney CBD.

One of two injured male window cleaners is rescued by emergency services from the scene.

After a dramatic rescue they were taken to St Vincent’s Hospital with leg, back and internal ­injuries. Both were described as “serious but stable”. Witnesses said the pair plummeted from near the top of the 55m-high ASX building at the corner of Pitt and Bridge Sts, with one of the men crashing onto an awning with the cage on top of him while the other was left dangling by his harness from the awning.

The other window cleaner, out of view, is attended to by paramedics as he lies on the awning above the street.

A plumber who wanted to be known only as Matthew said: “I saw a guy hanging close to the ground from his harness, then someone drove a ute (utility vehicle) under the awning to help get him down. “A lot of people tried to help him. They were touching his feet to see if he was OK.”

It is understood that the window cleaners’ platform collapsed, sending them plummeting onto an awning.

One of the cleaners was moved on top of the ute so that he could be stabilised before rescuers arrived, and a ladder was used to reach the older man on the awning. The older man was ­retrieved by a Fire and Rescue NSW cherry picker and stretchered to an ambulance.

Emergency rescue officers remove one of two injured male window cleaners.

Mathew Halpin, who was conducting fire safety maintenance on a nearby building, said there was a huge bang when the men landed. “About an hour before that I saw them cleaning the windows,” he said. “They were about three-quarters of the way up the building.”

Con Triantafillou, who works across the road, said: “We all looked out the window, the cable had snapped and we saw the whole scaffold with two guys plunge straight down. We heard the thump.” The younger man who was dangling by his harness is understood to have back and internal injuries and the older man lower leg injuries.

Members of the public hold ropes to secure the cage that two window workers fell from while emergency services rescue the men.

Another witness said both men were moving after the ­accident but there was a lot of blood on the cage. “If the harness wasn’t there he probably would have died,” he said. “The tough thing was because they were so high up nobody could really help.” 

Police speak to members of the public as they watch the window cleaners being rescued.

NSW Ambulance acting superintendent Brad Goodwin said: “Both men were conscious and responsive when ambulance and emergency services arrived. “They fell from close to the top of the building ... they are very lucky (not to have been killed).” A representative of the cleaning company said he understood both men were “stable” but did not comment further.

Window Cleaning Rescue, Lawsuit, Pigeon Poo & Cross Dresser

Dubai Civil Defence (DCD) and other emergency crew carried out a daring rescue operation today when a cable reportedly snapped on a window cleaning trolley, trapping two men outside the 17th floor façade of a high-rise in Jumeirah Lakes Towers.

Dubai Civil Defence's daring rescue of men dangling from 17th floor: Dubai Civil Defence (DCD) and other emergency crew carried out a daring rescue operation today when a cable reportedly snapped on a window cleaning trolley, trapping two men outside the 17th floor façade of a high-rise in Jumeirah Lakes Towers. While the men have been brought to safety, the surrounding area remains cordoned off to public with some restaurants near the lake area closed according to one proprietor, as emergency crew remain on the scene.

DCD confirmed the incident occurred at Tiffany Tower, located at Cluster W, and a spokesperson told Emirates 24|7: “We received a call at 10.29am and emergency vehicles from Al Barsha Fire Centre were dispatched. There were two men trapped in a window cleaning trolley due to a mechanical issue. “The DCD crew worked quickly and rescued the two men. They are now safe and secured.”

An eyewitness to the incident further said: “I was walking out of the building when I heard the commotion. When I looked up, I could see two men dangling from the ropes as the window trolley had come away from the building façade. Residents are being asked to move their cars, the eyewitness further said, as emergency crew secure the site.

Miracle Fall Survivor Whacked With Lawsuit (SAN FRANCISCO) - A window washer who miraculously survived an 11-story plunge into a car in San Francisco has been sued by the man who was driving the car. Pedro Perez made headlines in November when he fell from a scaffold toward California Street in San Francisco's financial district. As Perez dropped more than 100 feet, Mohammed Alcozai rounded the corner in his Toyota Camry, and Perez smashed into the roof.

Perez, 58, barely survived, breaking his arm and pelvis and suffering severe brain trauma. He was put into a medically induced coma for a week. In is April 9 lawsuit in Superior Court, Alcozai says, "Perez and Century Window Cleaning were negligent in the operation of the window washing equipment, which caused defendant Perez to fall." Alcozai claims the negligence not only damaged his car but injured him too, costing him lost wages, lost earning capacity, personal injuries, pain and suffering and emotional distress. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health investigated the accident but has not yet released its findings. Neither Alcozai's attorney, Andrew Wolff, nor the owner of Century Window Cleaning responded to requests for comment.

David Staneck struggles to see out of his window due to pigeon poo.

Tenants at two public housing blocks in Melbourne are peeved at a pigeon poo infestation that is making a mess of their windows and footpaths. The birds have, quite literally, made their mark on high-rises in South Yarra and St Kilda. David Staneck, who has lived in the Inkerman St flats for the past year, said he couldn’t see out his window due to the amount of pigeon poo glazed over the glass.

The 60-year-old said a Department of Health and Human Services representative told him cleaning the block’s windows would cost $80,000 and couldn’t be done because the department didn’t have the money. “In some places it is quite disgusting,” Mr Staneck said. “I had a cracked window on my floor replaced right after I moved in. When the man came to replace it, he thought all the windows were frosted. “If there was as much filth on the Housing Minister’s window, I am sure he wouldn’t have it.” The birds have, quite literally, made their mark on high-rises in South Yarra and St Kilda.

Pigeon poo builds up outside the high-rise in St Kilda.

The department refused to say whether tenants had been told the windows were too expensive to clean and wouldn’t disclose how many complaints had been received in the past year. “The department acknowledges that from time to time, there is a problem with pigeon waste,” spokeswoman Lisa Massey said. “We look into these matters on a case-by-case basis.”

Prahran state Greens MP Sam Hibbins said the State Government needed to do more than just putting up “don’t feed the pigeons” signs and should invest in a long-term solution. “These conditions would not be allowed with any other public building such as a school or hospital,” Mr Hibbins said. He said he would submit a Freedom of Information request for the cost of cleaning the windows and would raise the matter in Parliament this week. Housing Minister Martin Foley said this was the first he had heard of the issue and promised to “look into it and fix it”.

#onlyinGloucester: A cross-dressing window cleaner - Our city is unique. The people are unique. The things we see are unique. Over the years we've found plenty of quirky stories to entertain you from wildcats in the Forest of Dean to people being invaded by ladybirds, naked Pagan weddings and more. But you've seen some things that have tickled you too. A topless man lying in the middle of the road, a cross dressing window cleaner, a tractor on the pitch at Kingsholm, and a woman carrying a huge lamp down the road at night. We searched for #onlyinGloucester and #only inGlos on social media and this is what we found.

Perhaps he should team up with this guy in New York..