No Training Required In Death Of Montreal Window Cleaner

A father and son team was working roughly five storeys high when the crane holding their steel basket aloft tipped over, police say.

Montreal high-rise window-washers "No special training required" - They operate machinery and can work 40 or 50 storeys up in the air, but there are no specific training requirements and they get paid as maintenance people. That’s how industry veteran Jack Colati describes Montreal window washers, one of whom died on Sunday after the crane holding his basket about five floors up tipped over.

Another worker, the dead man’s son, was seriously injured in the accident, outside the Université du Québec à Montréal, at René-Lévesque Blvd. and St-Denis St. “Our business is not recognized as a profession — we’re just cleaners and the workers get paid the same as people who push a mop,” said Colati, owner of Future Window Cleaning.

Before a worker can operate a crane on a construction site, he or she must be certified, which requires more than 700 hours of training, he said. There is no such requirement for cranes used for window-washing, added Colati, who has been in the business for 25 years.

Under Quebec workplace safety law, an employer must ensure that anyone operating a crane has some training, said Marie-France Vermette, a spokesperson for Quebec’s workplace safety board, the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST). But if the crane operator is not on a construction site, the law does not specify the type or amount of training required, she added.

Witnesses have said the crane may have been badly set up, with an “outrigger” —  a device used to support and stabilize the crane — placed on a patch of earth rather than on a solid surface. Colati said window washers are required to follow safety rules outlined in a booklet produced by the CNESST. “But it’s very easy to not read the rules,” Colati said. He said Quebec’s construction commission — the Commission de la construction du Québec — or the CNESST “should wake up” and impose new rules.

The CNESST is investigating Sunday’s accident. Vermette said investigators are interviewing witnesses and have seized the crane to inspect it. Normally, investigations take about five or six months, Vermette said. Six to eight companies in Montreal have the expertise to clean windows on highrises, Colati said.

In 2009, when a window-washer died after a fall from the 20th floor of a downtown building, the CNESST found that the worker — a foreman — was not wearing a safety harness at the time of the accident. The investigation found that an improperly installed electrical cable, inadequate work instructions and the absence of a structured health-and-safety approach were also contributing factors. In the 2009 report, the CNESST reminded employers of the importance of accident-prevention measures, training employees and supervising workplaces.

Window Washer Dead After Crane Overturns, Son In Critical Condition

One person was killed and another critically injured in the accident. The men, a father and son, were up on a lift washing windows when the crane overturned.

Window-washing crane falls downtown: 1 dead, 1 critically injured: A father and son team of window washers suffered a tragic accident Sunday morning as the crane supporting their basket tipped over, killing the father, who was crushed beneath the crane, and leaving the son in critical condition. 

They were washing the windows of the Paul-Gérin-Lavoie pavilion of the Université du Québec à Montréal, at René-Lévesque Blvd. and St-Denis St., when the crane toppled over at about 10:25 a.m. Police said the men were working roughly five storeys high when the crane holding their steel basket aloft tipped over.

There were originally five victims, said Robby Lagacé of the Montreal Fire Department: the 53-year-old man trapped in the basket and four people taken to hospital, three suffering from nervous shock. When Urgences Santé confirmed the death of the trapped man, the fire department switched from rescue to recovery mode, Lagacé said.

At  3 p.m., firefighters and investigators with Quebec’s labour safety board had still been working to remove his body from beneath the crane. The son was still listed in critical condition in hospital yesterday afternoon, said police spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant. The cause of the accident is not known and it will be investigated by the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST).

A witness said one of the crane’s support posts was placed on soil.

Diane Thibault, a spokesperson for the CNESST, said investigators were on the scene Sunday “to try to get as much information as possible to establish the cause.” She did not have the name of the window-washing company involved in the accident. Some streets in the area were blocked as a horde of police, ambulance and fire department officials worked at the scene. The fire department tried to stabilize the vehicle using two other cranes, Lagacé said. 

Witness Pierre Benoit said he saw the front of the truck bearing the crane initially rise a few feet in the air, then suddenly pitch backward. He saw one of the window washers ejected from the lift. The other remained within, and was crushed when the lift crashed to the ground. Benoit said three of the support posts of the crane truck were placed on the asphalt surface of the road, but the fourth was placed on soil. It appeared the support placed on soil sunk into the ground, causing the truck to tip backward.

Window Washer Electrically Shocked By WFP

The man was using a telescoping pole to wash a window when the pole came in contact with a power line above him carrying 115,000 volts, according San Bernardino City Fire’s preliminary investigation. Other window washers before have been electrocuted when using waterfed poles (wfp).

A man washing windows on a county building in San Bernardino suffered an electrical shock and caught fire Friday, Oct. 24, when his 30-foot-long pole came in contact with a power line. The man was in critical condition at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton at last report, San Bernardino city Fire Department Battalion Chief Nathan Cooke said Friday afternoon.

Firefighters responding to a report of a man on fire about 11:40 a.m. at 1365 S. Waterman Ave. found the victim suffering from serious burns, Cooke said. His telescoping pole had touched a line charged with 115,000 volts, Cooke said. The middle-aged man was working with a partner, who was not injured, Cooke said.

The incident happened at the Inland Regional Center, which serves people with developmental disabilities. The victim was believed to work for an independent contractor, Cooke said. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration and arson investigators were looking into the accident. Edison responded to cut off the electricity.

Cooke reminded anyone who sees a downed power line never to touch the line and to stay back and call 911. Electricity can jump 3 feet, Cooke said. Also, a person who touches another who has been shocked could also be injured, Cooke said.

Window Washer Critically Injured When Shocked on Job - Victim suffered serious burns to his hands and arms after he touched an electrical wire with cleaning equipment. A window washer was alert but severely injured with burns to his hands and arms after he touched an electrical wire with equipment in San Bernardino Friday and was transported to a local hospital in critical condition.

"Yeah it was scary," said witness Jose Cabrales. Cabrales works with the victim for Mr.Window window washing service. He said he was using a 30-foot pole to wash the windows on the third floor of an office building, when he heard an explosion. His co-worker was using a similar washing pole, and accidentally touched the high voltage lines that stretch across the business park.

He said the victim was frozen by electricity and couldn't let go of the fiberglass pole, until it disintegrated in his hands. The victim’s clothing also caught on fire as Cabrales ran to get help.

"When we arrived on scene, we saw numerous bystanders that were rendering aide and trying to keep the individual calm and keep him conscious throughout the ordeal," said Battalion Chief Nathan Cooke of the San Bernardino City Fire Department. Firefighters say its a miracle the victim didn’t die instantly because of the amount of electricity that ran though his body. "An electrical outlet is a 110, and this was 115,000 volts, so put into perspective," Cooke said. "That's a lot of power and electricity he contacted today."

Investigators, including Cal/OSHA, are now looking into the incident to see if any safety regulations were violated. The victim, who has not been identified, was hospitalized in critical condition. Witnesses said they hope the victim makes a full recovery. "My prayers are out to them out to his family and him," said San Bernardino resident Leticia Romero.

East Memphis Window Cleaner Fall

East Memphis, Crescent center.

Window washer falls, critically injured at East Memphis building: A man was taken to the Regional Medical Center at Memphis in critical condition this morning after falling about two stories while cleaning the windows of an East Memphis commercial building.

Police responded to the Crescent Center at 6075 Poplar shortly before 9 a.m. A witness told officers that the man, 25, was washing the windows on a mechanical lift when it began to shake. He fell backwards off the lift, which was extended to its maximum height of about two stories, and landed on a sidewalk below. Further details on the incident, including the identity of the victim, were not released. An investigation is ongoing, police said.

Window washer injured in fall: Memphis, TN  – A window washer was injured after he fell at an East Memphis building Friday morning. The man was working at the Crescent Center, 6075 Poplar Ave., around 8:30 a.m. when he was critically injured. Investigators haven't said how high the man was when he fell and aren't sure if the high temperatures played a role in his fall. Action News 5 will have more details on this story as soon as they're released.