Scaffold Collapses

3 workers rescued after scaffolding collapses outside Duval County Jail.

3 workers rescued after scaffolding collapses outside Duval County Jail (Jacksonville, Fla.): Three workers were rescued Thursday afternoon after the scaffolding they were standing on outside the Duval County Jail collapsed. One of the men was rescued by a co-worker. Jacksonville Fire-Rescue then conducted what they called a high-angle rescue, using ladder trucks and a commercial bucket truck.

"They'll do whatever it takes to get them down," said Randy Wyse, president of the Jacksonville Association of Firefighters. Less than 30 minutes after the initial call, the two other men, contractors cleaning & resealing the windows, were safely on the ground. "Fortunately, all three of the individuals were harnesses with their safety harnesses, which probably saved their lives," said JSO spokeswoman Melissa Bujeda.

Channel 4 chief meteorologist John Gaughan said there were gusts of wind in the area from a brief thunderstorm passing at the time, but the highest was measured about 30 mph. "More weather is supposed to be coming in. We're trying to determine how to secure the scaffold," Bujeda said.

Mozambique: At Least Five Dead in Scaffolding Collapse (Maputo) — At least five building workers died, and a further six were injured in a scaffolding collapse at a building site in downtown Maputo on Tuesday afternoon.

The building where the collapse occurred is owned by the JAT group, and is intended to house the future offices of the National Social Security Institute (INSS). It is 17 storeys high, and most of those who fell to the ground were working at a height of over 30 metres.

When the spokesperson for the fire brigade, David Cumbane, spoke to AIM in the early evening he could confirm three deaths - but at the stage the firemen and other rescue workers were still removing the dead and injured from the debris.

Before the fire brigade arrived, it was the construction workers themselves who began the rescue operations, trying to save the lives of their colleagues trapped under the scaffolding. AIM noted that some of the building workers lacked basic protective clothing. They had no helmets, goggles or boots, which should be routinely supplied by any contractor on a building site.

One worker, speaking to AIM on conditions of anonymity, said that the scaffolding collapsed because of a defect in assembling it. He claimed it was not the first time that an accident of this sort had happened. “The same thing happened last year”, he said, “but that time we were lucky because nobody died”. This worker complained to reporters of the lack of safety equipment on the site.

“There's no safety gear”, he protested. “We're working under inhuman conditions. They treat us as if we were slaves. There are even people on the site working in flip-flops”.

How To Spot Dry Rot Before Standing On A Balcony

The remaining wood from the Library Gardens apartment building balcony that collapsed in Berkeley, California. Make sure you know how to spot dry rot before cleaning windows on a balcony.

Balcony report issues rot warning: New safety rules for buildings in a US university city have been drawn up after investigations found severe dry rot in a balcony that collapsed killing six students a week ago. As the first funerals of the five Irish victims took place on home soil, city officials in California confirmed suspicions that the exterior wooden beams on the fifth-storey apartment had been extensively weather-damaged.

Emergency orders have been set out to enhance the safety of all new and existing buildings in the city, officials said. The Irish students who died were all from south Dublin - medical students and friends Lorcan Miller and Eimear Walsh; Olivia Burke, who went to school with Eimear; Niccolai Schuster, who was at the same college at Lorcan and Eimear, and his friend from school Eoghan Culligan.

Irish-American Ashley Donohoe, who lived in California and was a cousin of Olivia's, also died. Seven others were badly injured, with one of them being released from hospital in the US today and others expected to undergo treatment over the coming weeks.

The City of Berkeley released the findings of dry rot and included a memo by inspectors to senior management. Among the new rules set down are for new balconies and other sealed areas exposed to weather to face stricter regulations on the type of materials which can be used and ventilation.

Regular maintenance inspections all also being ordered. In the memo on the inspections, which began within two hours of the tragedy last Tuesday morning, Alex Roshal, manager of the city's building and safety division, reported dry rot on the joists which propped up the cantilevered balcony. "From this location, the supervising building inspector observed that the joist ends protruding from the exterior wall appeared to be extensively rotted at the failure points," he told director of the city's planning and development department Eric Angstadt.

The City of Berkeley officials remained in contact with investment house Blackrock, which owns the building, property managers Greystar and others involved in removing material and safety checks in the wake of the accident. The new inspection regime will enforce maintenance checks on buildings within six months of the rules coming into effect and then once every five years.

During inspections after the accident a second balcony was found to have suffered dry rot and was declared unsafe and a collapse hazard. City safety officials said the plans for the building, completed in 2007, complied with all requirements in place at the time and inspections of the work were carried out.

Both of these balconies, which showed evidence of dry rot, were removed from Library Gardens last week. Make sure you know how to spot dry rot before cleaning windows on a balcony.

How to Identify Dry Rot: Dry rot, also known as brown rot, is a wood-destroying fungus that affects soft and hard woods. Mostly found in damp and humid conditions, dry rot depletes the moisture from dry wood, sometimes causing extensive structural damage. If not identified early, dry rot seeps through bricks and mortar to wood located in poorly ventilated areas. It cannot affect the masonry but dry rot strands carry the moisture needed to spread.

Signs of Dry Rot How to Stop Dry Rot From Spreading;

• Search for wood that is sunken or shrunken.
• Determine whether the affected area is black and covered in mildew.
• Look for affected wood that has flat "skin-like" growth. The skin may have a mushroom-like growth with shades of silver and gray. It may be patterned with patches of light purple or yellow and peels easily.
• Check wood with damp and musty odors. Watch for white "cottonball" growth on the wood. This is very important if you suspect water damage.
• Examine any dust around the rotted area. Dry rot dust is a rust red color.
• Inspect any area with wide, soft and fleshy wide spores. The spores may have an orange and green surface. Look for thick gray strands, up to three millimeters in diameter, growing within the cracked section of wood. These strands may be found alone with out any other symptoms of dry rot. The strands make the wood brittle and crack easily and can grow over other damp wood, possibly leading to dry rot.
• Verify dry rot with an ice pick inserted in the middle of the affected area. If it goes through the wood easily, you have may have dry rot. If the wood seems solid and dry, you may not have any major problems with the wood. However, you should look for cracks and rips in the wood that are susceptible to water damage.

Recent Scaffold Collapses

Two workers have died following a scaffolding collapse at a construction site in Toronto's west end.

2 dead after scaffolding collapse (Toronto): Two men have died after a scaffolding collapse at a construction site in Toronto’s west end, police say. It happened just after 11 a.m. in the Bloor Street West and Keele Street area. One of the men who died was 51-years-old, according to a colleague and friend on the scene. He had a granddaughter born last week. Paramedics said another man in his 30s was rushed to St. Michael’s Hospital without vital signs, where he later died. A metal and wooden platform collapsed from about six storeys high, one worker at the scene said. It is believed a hydraulic lift may have failed, sending the platform to the ground. The Ministry of Labour has been called to the scene to investigate.

Scaffolding collapse in downtown Raleigh. It could take three to six months for Labor Department investigators to determine what caused the collapse.

A vigil was held Friday at noon at Shaw University's Thomas J. Boyd Chapel to remember the three men who lost their lives in a tragic scaffolding accident in Raleigh on Monday. The scaffolding collapsed shortly before 11 a.m. Monday at the construction site of the Charter Square project on Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh. Anderson Almeida and Jose Erasmo Hernandez of Durham died in the accident, as well as Jose Luis Lopez-Ramirez of Clinton.

Two of the men killed in the accident worked for Concord-based Juba Aluminum Products, which specializes in building exteriors, curtainwalls, storefronts and aluminum panels. The company has not said what role it played in the Charter Square project other than that the men worked on its Jannawall team. According to a U.S. Department of Labor database, Juba Aluminum has been cited for four separate "serious" violations since 1988. The North Carolina Department of Labor said the third man who was killed Monday worked for KEA Contracting, Inc. Elmer Guevara, who was injured in the incident, was employed by Associated Scaffolding Equipment.

Rescuers clear the rubble of a scaffolding that collapsed in the central province of Ha Tinh on March 25, killing 13 and injuring 28.

13 confirmed dead, 28 injured in Vietnam scaffolding collapse as rescue mission ends: Authorities in the central province of Ha Tinh have confirmed that 13 people died and 28 others were injured in a scaffolding collapse on Wednesday, as rescuers finished clearing the massive rubble of the worst construction accident since 2007. In a report to the government, the province’s labor department said the accident at the construction site of a steel plant-port complex invested by Taiwanese-owned Formosa Plastics Group could be caused by some problem in a hydraulic system.

It is still unclear how and by whom the system was operated in the scaffolding, which was part of the construction of a breakwater to protect the port. The province’s authorities are working with government agencies to further investigate the cause of the collapse. Contractor Samsung C&T, a subsidiary of the South Korea's Samsung, in a statement issued on Thursday pledged to take responsibility for the accident, provide support to the victims, and assist authorities during the investigation. 

Early signs ignored: Around 50 workers were working on the scaffolding which was 25 meters high, 40 meters long and 35 meters wide, when it tumbled down on Wednesday night. Some survivors told local media that about 30 minutes before the collapse, the scaffolding shook strongly. Many of them ran away, but a few minutes later their foreign supervisor ordered them to come back to continue working. The most recent catastrophe at this scale took place on September 26, 2007, when two spans of a bridge which was being built in the Mekong Delta collapsed, killing 55 workers and injured 80 others.

Work on Can Tho Bridge, which connects Can Tho City and Vinh Long Province, was completed in 2010. Formosa launched work on the complex in Vung Ang Economic Zone in July 2008 with the initial investment of nearly $10 billion. As of December last year, the project has recruited around 40,000 laborers, nearly 5,700 of whom are Chinese. Early this month the government inspectorate found that managers at the Vung Ang Economic Zone went beyond their authority and broke quite a few rules when offering too many incentives to Formosa. Among the violations, according to the inspectorate, the Formosa complex was illegally licensed for a 70-year period, even though Vietnam's investment law states that a foreign-invested project must not last more than 50 years. 

Worker advocate calls for tougher scaffolding regulations.

Worker advocate calls for tougher scaffolding regulations: As a state and federal investigation continues into the collapse of scaffolding at a downtown Raleigh high-rise Monday that killed three construction workers, crews on Thursday removed the rest of the scaffolding from the side of the building. Jose Erasmo Hernandez, 41, Anderson Almeida, 33, both of Durham, and Jose Luis Lopez-Ramirez, 33, of Clinton, died in the accident at the 11-story Charter Square project on Fayetteville Street. Elmer Guevara, 53, was seriously injured and remains hospitalized at WakeMed.

The accident involved equipment known as a mast climber scaffold, which moves up and down a building's facade to take workers to different floors. Mike Hampton, chief operating officer for general contractor Choate Construction Co., has said subcontractor Associated Scaffolding was in the process of dismantling the scaffold when one of the tracks snapped off and fell into a twisted heap on the ground below.

Veteran scaffold builder Tom Hallman said he was on a job site in West Virginia six years ago where a co-worker died. "It's not good. They shut the job down. It's like the area around here. You just kind of feel it in the air. It's sad, it's very sad," said Hallman, who is now an online advocate for more than 10,000 people in his industry. He says the danger lies with antiquated federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules that apply the same safety guidelines to all types of scaffolding equally. "I hate to say it, but most OSHA rules, they say in business, are written in blood, and here we go. There's need for a change," he said.

Hallman said mast climbers call for higher safety measures, such as "lifelines" that tether workers to a building and not just the platforms on which they stand. "When you're tearing them down, when you demo them, when you get to that certain point that you have lifelines dropped (from the platform), if something fails, you've got that fail-safe," he said. Authorities said it could take months to determine the cause of the accident and determine whether any workplace safety violations occurred.

How do I find out about employer responsibilities and worker rights? Workers have a right to a safe workplace. The law requires employers to provide their employees with working conditions that are free of known dangers. The OSHA law also prohibits employers from retaliating against employees for exercising their rights under the law (including the right to raise a health and safety concern or report an injury). For more information see www.whistleblowers.gov or worker rights.

5 Texas Window Cleaners Injured In Scaffold Collapse

Police tape surrounds a scaffold that three men were on Wednesday afternoon while cleaning windows of the Webb County Courthouse. 

Five fall several feet at Webb County Justice Center (LAREDO, TEXAS) - One person is still in a Laredo hospital after a scaffolding accident at the justice center that injured five people. It happened at about four in the afternoon on Wednesday. We're told four workers were cleaning windows on the third floor, when they fell and hit the pavement injuring a fifth person on the ground. They were all taken to the hospital with injuries ranging from a dislocated shoulder to a broken wrist.

Webb County investigators are trying to find out exactly what happened. "We're trying to get eyewitnesses to see exactly what happened. As you know, when something like this happens there's different stories so we're just trying to find out exactly what happened", said Sanchez. The Webb County judge's office county judge issued a statement this evening saying of the victims "Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families."

Men injured in scaffolding incident at courthouse released from hospitals: The five men who were injured Wednesday in a scaffolding incident at the Webb County Courthouse have been discharged from local hospitals. At least one had broken ribs and another a dislocated shoulder. At about 4 p.m. Wednesday, two men fell from a scaffold while cleaning windows on the third floor of the courthouse while another who was on the scaffold clung to the edge of a window. Two men on the ground tried to catch the man who clung to the window, but all ended up getting injured.

Webb County's risk management department is conducting an investigation into the incident. Tano Tijerina, Webb County judge, issued the following statement Thursday: "Yesterday was a defining day for us as a Webb County family. I am truly grateful that all of the men injured are going to fully recover. What could have been cause for chaos was actually an instrumental moment.

"Our Webb County family came together as one; the Constables Office, Sheriff's Office, our Webb County employees and Laredo Police Department rallied together to help our injured employees. Most importantly, there was compassion, and the sense that others came first. This is what our Webb County family is about.

"Thank you to the courthouse staff for their heartfelt response during this unfortunate accident. Thank you to the Laredo Fire and EMS, the Sheriff's Office, Constables Office, Webb County employees, the Laredo Police Department, and those who called in expressing their concerns and well wishes for the injured. "What a great example of working in tandem. I am proud to work for you and with you. We are a family. Our prayers during this time of healing continue to be with our employees."

Philly Window Washers Predict Fall - UK Window Cleaner In Explosion

Steve Cramer, who has been working as a window washer across the street, said the demolition crew left 30 feet of a dividing wall up with no braces and it compromised the integrity of the building. “We’ve been calling it for the past week — it’s going to fall, it’s going to fall,” his co-worker Dan Gillis said.

Rescue workers were digging through rubble Thursday for any additional victims who may have been trapped when a building under demolition collapsed onto a neighboring thrift store, killing six people and injuring 14, including one who was pulled from the debris nearly 13 hours later. Philadelphia workers were using buckets and their bare hands to move bricks and rubble in a search-and-rescue operation with no end immediately in sight. “We’re going to keep searching until we’re absolutely sure no one else is there,” battalion fire chief Charles Lupre said shortly before dawn. He said there were no reports of anyone missing, but there was always the chance that someone was inside who wasn’t reported missing.

It was unclear what role the demolition work might have played in the collapse, but the accident raised questions about how closely the highly visible spot on Market Street, one of Philadelphia’s signature boulevards, was being monitored, particularly amid word of the demolition contractor’s many legal and financial troubles. For weeks, people working nearby had watched with growing concern as a crew took down the vacant four-story building next to a Salvation Army thrift store at the edge of downtown.

A roofer atop another building didn’t think the operation looked safe. A pair of window washers across the street spotted an unbraced, 30-foot section of wall and predicted among themselves the whole building would simply fall down. Steve Cramer, who has been working as a window washer across the street, said the demolition crew left 30 feet of a dividing wall up with no braces and it compromised the integrity of the building. “We’ve been calling it for the past week — it’s going to fall, it’s going to fall,” his co-worker Dan Gillis said.

Mr Jesus' terraced house in Tinsley was completely destroyed by the explosion and subsequent fire. was thrown across the street and burnt when his Sheffield house was destroyed by a suspected gas explosion last week.

‘I was burning alive’: Window cleaner, 36, who lost everything in a gas blast says an angel rescued him from the rubble.

• Agostinho Jesus, 36, was thrown across his Sheffield street in the explosion
• Father-of-one suffered burns to his hands and head but says his survival is 'a miracle'
• Firefighters believe the blast that destroyed his £60,000 home was caused by a gas leak

A window cleaner has told how he was thrown across the street after his house exploded as he left for work. Agostinho Jesus, 36, was injured when a gas explosion ripped through the terraced property, throwing him and the entire front of his house across the street last Wednesday morning. The Portuguese father of one suffered burns to his head and hands, and his entire house in the Sheffield suburb of Tinsley was destroyed.

Mr Jesus said his house exploded when he switched off the lights as he prepared to leave for work.

Mr Jesus, who moved to the UK 16 years ago, said that after he flicked the light switch there was 'a massive bang' and he was thrown six feet away from his house. He said: 'I was basically thrown away from my house along with the front wall. 'I was on the ground surrounded by fire and the first thing I thought I was burning alive.'

Father-of-one Jesus Agostinho suffered burns to his hands and head in the blast that destroyed his home.

He added: 'Obviously I was burning alive but then I felt someone grab me by my arms and they pulled me into the other side of the road and sat me down. 'As I was being lifted all I could see were white clothes but and then when I looked around I couldn't see a soul on the street. 'To me it was angel, he saved me.  I do believe in God and am a very strong Catholic myself - to me I do believe it was someone sent from God to save me, it wasn't my time.'

Mr Jesus' £60,000 mid-terrace house was left a pile of burning rubble after the explosion which left a woman and two children in nearby properties suffering from smoke inhalation.  Residents were evacuated and firefighters set up a 500ft cordon around the scene after the 9am blast. He said: 'Basically the explosion burnt all my face, it burnt all my hair off my head, and my ears and neck are burnt.'

Mr Jesus' £60,000 terraced house, which he owned outright and had lived in for a year, was not insured.

The biggest problem the self-employed window-cleaner faces is the fact that his house, which he owned outright, was not insured. Mr Jesus' work van which was parked outside the house was also destroyed. 'I lost everything, all my belongings, apart from the clothes I was wearing and they were cut off me at the hospital,' he said.

Mr Jesus, left with fiancee Monica Zywicka, 40, has been living with her since his house was blown apart.

'I am really hoping that somebody might come forward and try to help, I'm not the kind of person that like to ask for anything but my whole life was in that house.' He is now living with his fiancee, Miss Zywicka, and she has bought him clothes. The mid-terrace property in Sheffield was destroyed in the blast and the two adjoining houses badly damaged. Police say they have not yet ruled out criminal activity.

Window Washer Scaffold Collapse - San Diego

The Coronado Fire Department responded to a scaffolding collapse at the Shores Monday; no one was hurt, but the platform hung precariously for nearly four hours.

Update: Worker Unhurt After Scaffolding Tips at Shores Building: Firefighters watched over Avenida del Mundo building as they worked with a window-cleaning company to remove the platform. A worker was safe Monday after his scaffolding tipped at a Shores condominium building, and firefighters kept watch afterward until the structure was straightened and lowered safely. The window washer, according to the city, escaped through a unit in the 15-story building at 1830 Avenida del Mundo shortly after the 1:35 p.m. accident. Initially he was saved by a safety harness, as the platform fell and pointed toward the ground.
Firefighters asked residents in units below the floor to remain indoors and away from their windows as a precaution until they could lower the platform, which took place about 5:15 p.m. The ground also was cleared below in case the scaffolding were to fall. The 40-foot platform had been hoisted by a window-washing company. “Our main concern is getting the platform safely to the ground,” Fire Chief Mike Blood said via a city statement. “We will be working with the contractor to use appropriate measures in getting this resolved as quickly and as safely as we can.”
Shortly before 3:30 p.m. fire officials could be heard saying on the scanner that workers were “going to start leveling out the platform,” but added that the process could take a while. City of San Diego and federal firefighters aided Coronado's department in the operation.

Fire Crews Rescue Man in Coronado Shores Platform Malfunction: The Coronado Fire Department rescued a man stuck on a 40-foot-long maintenance platform that malfunctioned and was hanging Monday from the side of a high-rise beachfront condominium building. No injuries were reported. Coronado Fire Chief Mike Blood said firefighters brought the man inside one of the El Mirador Tower units at the Coronado Shores condominium complex, 1820 Avenida del Mundo, through a balcony not long after the first call came in at 1:35 p.m.  Firefighters found the man, who had been performing some maintenance work, hanging from his safety harness from the vertical platform. Another man who was working with the rescued man was already inside a unit when authorities arrived, Blood said.
The platform was hanging near the top of the 15-story building. Fire crews worked with the maintenance contractor to first level then lower the platform. It was down about  Firefighters had asked residents in approximately nine units near and below the disabled platform to remain inside and away from windows.  Authorities checked to ensure that the platform was secured at its connections on the roof. A safety zone was created on the ground below. Coronado Fire officials were aided by City of San Diego and federal fire units.

The platform was situated on the side of a high-rise beachfront condominium on Avenida del Mundo. Firefighters had to rescue the trapped worker.

Crews Rescue Worker Hanging From Platform: A man stuck hanging on a 40-foot-long maintenance platform Monday was rescued by Coronado Fire Department officials. The platform was situated on the side of a high-rise beachfront condominium on Avenida del Mundo at about 1:30 p.m. when the fire department received a call that the platform had malfunctioned. When crews arrived, one of the workers was stuck on the platform, which was hanging near the top of the 15-story building. The man was wearing a safety harness. The stranded worker was rescued through a balcony not long after crews arrived. After the worker was rescued, a safety zone was created on the ground below. The platform could be seen hanging in a vertical position as authorities worked to secure its connections at the roof.

Man rescued from collapsed scaffold (Coronado, California): Firefighters rescued a worker who was left hanging Monday on the end of a 40-foot maintenance platform that tipped vertically on the side of a 15-story beachfront Coronado Shores condominium tower. Authorities received a call at 1:35 p.m. that the platform had malfunctioned, Coronado Fire Chief Mike Blood said. The trapped man’s co-worker was inside a unit. Shortly after arriving, Coronado firefighters were able to pull the man, who was hanging from a safety harness, into a unit at the building on Avenida del Mundo. He was not injured, said city spokeswoman Janine Zúñiga. The platform was attached to the roof of the high-rise. When it malfunctioned, it was left dangling between five stories of the building. Fire crews worked with the maintenance contractor to secure and lower the platform. Residents in units near and below the platform were asked to stay away from windows. San Diego and federal firefighters assisted in the rescue.

Window Cleaning Swing Stage Collapse in Calgary

Two men dangling from ropes at the side of a Calgary high-rise were rescued today by firefighters after one side of their swing stage collapsed.

Two workers rescued after hanging by ropes from downtown Calgary office tower: A dramatic rescue of two men left dangling 10 stories in the air off of a downtown high rise captivated the attention of hundreds of office workers Monday. Fire crews was called to the Elveden Centre in the 700 block of 7th Avenue SW. around 10:30 a.m. to rescue two workers who had been left stranded, clinging to their life lines, after the platform beneath them collapsed. Both men were successfully lowered into the bucket of an awaiting fire truck shortly before noon.

Two window washers are being rescued from hanging by ropes from a downtown building after a platform collapsed beneath them shortly before 11 a.m. Rescue crews are on the scene at the Elvenden Centre on the 700 block of 7 Avenue S.W.

From a south-facing window on the 17th floor of Sun Life Plaza, Shovik Sengupta watched this morning’s harrowing scene unfold. The data analyst said he looked out the window shortly before 11 a.m. to see two men dangling from ropes. “At the first they weren’t moving. They were staying very still. I don’t know if it’s because they are injured or because they don’t want to mess up their safety harness,” said Sengupta. Sengupta watched as a rescuer lowered himself to the men who were clinging to ropes approximately 10 stories above the ground.

Another angle captured.

Below where the men had been dangling, the ground appears to be littered with debris, including buckets and window washing equipment. “We missed the fall but we heard the sirens and we all came to the window,” he said. “At first it was pretty jarring to see two guys hanging from the building who aren’t moving.” “It’s never a comfortable thing to see first thing on a Monday morning and you hope for the best.” A spokesperson with the Calgary fire department said both workers were wearing lifelines when the platform collapsed. No injuries have been reported and investigators are looking into the cause of the accident.

Emergency crews try to rescue second man after his scaffolding gave way on a downtown highrise in Calgary.

A man is wheeled off on a stretcher after being rescued from a Calgary highrise when some scaffolding broke.

Workers dangling from Calgary scaffolding saved: Two men dangling from ropes at the side of a Calgary high-rise were rescued today by firefighters after one side of their swing stage collapsed. Fire crews reached the first man just after 11 a.m. MT in a rescue basket. Gathering crowds applauded as he was brought to the ground. He then walked himself to a stretcher and was brought inside the building. Crews reached the second worker about 30 minutes later. He gave a thumbs up to onlookers as he was being loaded into an ambulance. Both men were dangling eight to nine storeys above ground. The extent of their injuries is unknown.

Fatal Fall - Scaffold Collapse: News Update

Update from yesterdays news..

ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. -- Authorities have identified the window washer who plunged eight stories to his death on Friday afternoon in St. Louis Park. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner says 25-year-old Ryan Shannon of Roseville died of multiple blunt force injuries after falling from the roof of the Knollwood Place Apartments.  His death has been classified as an accident. OSHA has been called in to investigate the accident.

Name of window washer killed in fall is released: ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. (AP) - Authorities have released the name of a window washer who died after falling from the roof of an eight-story apartment building in St. Louis Park. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office says Sunday that 25-year-old Ryan John Shannon of Roseville died Friday afternoon of multiple blunt force injuries. St. Louis Park spokesman Jamie Zwilling said last week Shannon was part of a window washing crew when he fell from the Knollwood Place Apartments, a 151-unit independent senior living building. St. Louis Park police and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating.

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Repairmen fall from IMF building: Two window repairmen fell from the International Monetary Fund building in Foggy Bottom on Saturday, but were saved by their safety harnesses. The two adult men fell when the platform they were standing on came loose and they lost their footing at about 11 a.m., according to Pete Piringer, spokesman for D.C. fire and emergency services. They were wearing safety harnesses and came to an "abrupt stop," avoiding injury, Piringer said. The men were working outside the fourth floor of the 11-story building.

Two window repairmen were saved by the safety harnesses after their platform broke while working downtown this morning. Pete Piringer, spokesman for DC Fire and EMS, says units were called to the IMF building in the 1900 block of Pennsylvania Avenue at 11:00 for a technical rescue of two window washers who had fallen. When fire and technical rescue units arrived on scene they found the men had fallen a distance when the anchoring device on their platform came loose. The workers were saved by their safety harnesses, which brought their plunge to an abrupt stop. Piringer says the two men were taken to the hospital for evaluation. They both appear to be unharmed. The men were working on the fourth floor level of the eleven story building when the accident occurred. Crews evacuated a Founding Farmers Restaurant as a precaution while technical crews worked to secure the dangling platform.

Minneapolis Window Cleaner Fatal Fall - Washington D.C. Scaffold Collapse

Window washer dies in fall in St. Louis Park: A window washer was killed Friday afternoon after falling from the roof at the Knollwood Park Apartments in St. Louis Park. The St. Louis Park fire and police departments arrived at the complex, in the 3600 block of Phillips Parkway, at 2:15 p.m. after 911 calls from the scene. A man working as part of a window washing crew fell at least 80 feet from the roof of the eight-story building. No one else was injured. The victim, who worked for an independent contractor, was part of a crew of at least two people, said Jamie Zwilling, a spokesman for the city of St. Louis Park. His name has not been released.

Zwilling said the cause of the accident wasn't clear and would be investigated. Knollwood Place is a 151-unit independent-living senior building. In September 2009, a window washer fell three stories to his death at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park. Bryan Prairie of Plymouth had taken that job for the summer while looking for work as a nurse. Six months earlier, in March, Jacob J. Jennings, 20, of Coon Rapids, fell about 30 feet to his death while working as a window washer at an office tower near Interstate 494 and Normandale Boulevard in Bloomington.

St. Louis Park Window Washer Dies in 8-Story Fall: St. Louis Park officials say a window washer was killed on Friday after falling from the roof of an 8-story building. Both the fire and police departments responded to the Knollwood Place Apartments -- a 151-unit independent senior living building located in the 3600 block of Phillips Parkway -- at about 2:15 p.m. Officials sad a man working as part of a window washing crew fell, and an investigation into the accident is under way. City spokesman Jamie Zwilling said the man died on impact. No other injuries were reported.

Window washers rescued in D.C. after platform collapses: Rescue harnesses potentially saved the lives of two window washers in Northwest D.C. on Saturday after their platform collapsed, officials say. Fire authorities say that the platform collapse occurred at about 11 a.m. outside the 4th floor of an 11-story building at the IMF building at 1924 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. A Washington D.C. Fire spokesperson says that the workers fell but were saved by their harnesses. An EMS technical rescue team brought them to safety and they were taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.