Gold Coast Window Cleaner Falls 20m To Death

Police and emergency services at the scene of this morning’s tragedy.

Gold Coast Convention Centre window cleaner falls 20m to death (Australia): A man who plunged 20m to his death at the Gold Coast Convention Centre today has been revealed as an experienced abseiler from overseas, who was wearing safety gear when he fell.

Police say the man, 29, fell from the roof cavity of the main convention hall about 9.50am while performing maintenance work. “He was kitted up in full abseiling gear and he’s fallen approximately 20m,’’ Gold Coast police Senior Sergeant Angelique Maloney said. “He had safety harnesses and full abseiling gear.’’

Sen-Sgt Maloney said a Department of Workplace Health and Safety investigation was under way to determine how the man fell, with a specialist photographer called in to photograph the roof area. She said the man was an experienced abseiler worked for a Gold Coast industrial abseiling company. She said his family was being contacted through an overseas consulate.

Several co-workers with him when he fell were in shock and undergoing counselling, she said. It was the second workplace death on the Gold Coast this morning, following a fatal explosion at a Yatala oil-reclaiming factory. And it comes two weeks after two window cleaners miraculously survived a 12-storey plunge from a Sydney high-rise when the cable supporting their metal cage snapped.

Aerial view of the Gold Coast Convention Centre upon its completion in 2004.

Another Window Cleaning Fall To Death & Rescue

An Indonesian domestic helper plunged to her death on Thursday morning while wiping windows in a 27th-floor public housing flat in Wong Tai Sin.

An Indonesian domestic helper plunged to her death on Thursday morning while wiping windows in a 27th-floor public housing flat in Wong Tai Sin. The woman, 28, accidentally fell out of a kitchen window at Cheung Yuen House, Chuk Yuen North estate, at about 9.30am and landed on the first-floor podium of the building, police said. The maid was declared dead at the scene, a police spokesman said. “Her 87-year-old female employer told police that the maid fell down by accident while cleaning windows in the kitchen,” a police officer said. An initial investigation found nothing suspicious, he said. It is believed that the woman arrived in Hong Kong for work earlier this month. The city has seen similar domestic accidents involving foreign helpers. 

Policemen set up a perimeter at the residence of the woman who allegedly tortured Indonesian maid Erwiana Sulistyaningsih in Hong Kong January 21, 2014. A foreign maid died today after she fell from a high-rise while cleaning windows.

In August, an Indonesian domestic helper, 32, and an 18-month-old boy fell from a 19th-floor flat in Yau Tong. Police believed the maid was carrying the toddler as she collected laundry from a clothing rack outside the window, but lost her balance. In February 2011, an Indonesian helper, 35, fell out of a 22nd-floor flat while cleaning a window in a Sha Tin flat. She landed on a podium and was declared dead at Prince of Wales Hospital. The city is home to 300,000 domestic helpers, mostly from Indonesia or the Philippines.

Law Wan-tung, 2nd left, who has been charged with two counts of wounding, one count of common assault and three counts of criminal intimidation, walks next to her husband, 2nd right, as they leave a court in Hong Kong on January 22, 2014.

Maid falls to death in Hong Kong: A foreign domestic helper aged 28 died on Thursday after falling from a residential building in Hong Kong, police said. They said the helper, whose name and nationality were not given, fell from a building in the Wong Tai Sin district onto a concrete canopy and was certified dead when officers arrived. “It is understood that she fell off while cleaning windows in a flat,” a police statement said, adding the death was not being treated as suspicious.

There have been a series of such deaths over the years in Hong Kong, where most people live in high-rise apartment blocks. Last August an 18-month-old boy and an Indonesian domestic helper fell to their deaths from the 19th-floor flat where they lived. Police said the helper was collecting clothes from a drying rack outside the window. Conditions for the city's 300 000 domestic helpers - mostly from Indonesia or the Philippines - have come under the spotlight recently following cases of abuse. A Hong Kong mother-of-two was charged on Wednesday with a serious assault on her Indonesian domestic helper. Last September a couple were jailed for savagely beating another Indonesian helper.

An undated photograph provided by her family and released by Indonesia's Migrant Care on January 22, 2014 shows Indonesian maid Erwiana Sulistyaningsih (L) and the same girl sitting in a wheelchair (R) at a hospital in the Sragen.

'Tortured' Indonesian maid welcomes arrest:  A woman accused of torturing her former maid was arrested at Hong Kong airport while attempting to board a flight to Thailand. An Indonesian maid has welcomed the arrest of her former Hong Kong employer, who is accused of torturing her, saying she is willing to return to the city to testify in a case that sparked angry protests.

The ex-employer, a Hong Kong mother-of-two, was arrested on Monday and charged two days later with assaulting Erwiana Sulistyaningsih and two other Indonesian maids, after thousands of domestic workers marched in the city to call for justice. "I'm happy. I had hoped the employer would be arrested," 23-year-old Sulistyaningsih told Hong Kong-based Cable Television in an interview broadcast on Thursday. Law Wan-tung, 44, is accused of causing grievous bodily harm to Sulistyaningsih, who is now undergoing hospital treatment in her home country.

Law, who was arrested at Hong Kong airport while attempting to board a flight to Thailand, was also charged with common assault and four counts of criminal intimidation - charges related either to Sulistyaningsih or to her two previous Indonesian domestic helpers. Prosecutors allege that Law turned household items such as a mop, a ruler and a clothes hanger into "weapons" against Sulistyaningsih. "If I get better, I will go back to Hong Kong," Sulistyaningsih told Cable TV from her hospital bed, adding she was unaware her former employer had allegedly abused two other maids.

The Hong Kong broadcaster said she would return to the city to testify in the case but her father has previously said he would not let his daughter return to work overseas. "Looking at how bad the conditions are working abroad, who would?" Rohmat Saputro said. While Sulistyaningsih's situation has improved and is now able to sit up, she remains bedridden and still suffers from headaches and dizziness, according to media reports.

One of her doctors in Indonesia said she was unable to walk following the mistreatment, which included having her head smashed repeatedly against a wall. Amnesty International in November condemned the "slavery-like" conditions faced by thousands of Indonesian domestic helpers in Hong Kong and accused authorities of "inexcusable" inaction.

Elsewhere in Hong Kong, a domestic helper died on Thursday after falling from a residential building. Police said the 28-year-old helper, whose name and nationality were not given, fell from a building in the Wong Tai Sin district onto a concrete canopy and was certified dead when officers arrived. "It is understood that she fell off while cleaning windows in a flat," a police statement said, adding the death was not being treated as suspicious. Last August, an 18-month-old boy and an Indonesian domestic helper fell to their deaths from the 19th-floor flat where they lived. Police said the helper was collecting clothes from a drying rack outside the window.

Stranded window washer rescued on United Plaza Blvd. (Baton Rouge) - The first two fire trucks arrived at 10:41 a.m. and found that the rig, called a bosun’s chair, had jammed, spokesman Eldon Ledoux said. After a ladder truck arrived with a ladder capable of extending up to 107 feet, a firefighter climbed up to the stranded worker, attached the worker’s safety harness to the ladder and helped him down, Ledoux said. “Although, no special or technical rescue techniques were utilized, the equipment and personnel on scene were capable of such a rescue, if needed,” Ledoux said. 

Australian Man Falls To His Death While Trying To Clean His Own Windows

Tragic fall: the man plunged from the fifth floor of this building after attempting to clean his own windows.

Wife screamed as husband fell to his death from Kirribilli window: Neighbours heard a woman's screams seconds after her husband fell to his death from the sixth-floor window of a harbourside unit at Kirribilli on Monday. The woman ran to a lodge across the road, crying as she begged someone to help revive her husband.

She told staff at Glenferrie Lodge that her husband was cleaning a window in their Carrabella Street unit when he fell and landed in the car park below about 8am. Onlookers tried desperately to revive the 47-year-old man but he went into cardiac arrest at the scene and died. Police said they believed the man had fallen in what was described as an “awful incident” and, at this stage, did not believe self harm was involved.

Sabina Heggie lives in the house next door to the block. “I was woken up by the sounds of screams from next door and when I looked out my bedroom window I could see a woman rushing around and a man lying on the ground near the wall and he wasn't moving,” Ms Heggie said. Several hours later, she placed pink and white lillies on the spot where the man had fallen. “I didn't know him but my heart goes out to his wife. I feel so sorry for her.”

A Glenferrie Lodge cleaner, Anne Yang, said she tried to comfort the woman at the unit block, which is less than 200 metres from Kirribilli House. Ms Yang said she saw the man lying in a white T-shirt and underwear on the ground as others tried to resuscitate him. “After this [the] lady said he cleaned the window, fell off the window,” Ms Yang said. “She just said he fell off the window. She just like shock, really scary, like shaking.”

Vijai Rameshwaram is the manager of Glenferrie Lodge and said the man's wife came running into the reception area, shivering and crying. “A woman came running from the apartment and she was shivering,” Mr Rameshwaram said. He said she asked staff if anyone knew how to do CPR and explained she had already called an ambulance. “She was crying, she was in shock.” The woman was seen leaving the street in an ambulance.

A man has died after falling from the sixth floor of a harbourside apartment at Kirribilli in what police are calling an “awful incident.”

Harbourside Local Area Command crime manager Detective Inspector Mike Birley said: “[It's] an awful incident. “[His] wife was somewhere in the place [and] she's very upset,” Detective Inspector Birley said. Paramedics were called just after 8am and found the man in cardiac arrest but he died at the scene. “We attempted to revive him. He was critical in cardiac arrest but he died at the scene,” an Ambulance Service of NSW said.

The man has yet to be formally identified. A NSW Police media spokesman said initial inquires suggested the death was by “misadventure” but investigations continued. “Police from Harbourside Local Area Command are in attendance [and have] established a crime scene to be examined by forensic officers,” the spokesman said. “Investigations into the man's death are continuing. However, it is not believed to be suspicious,” he said. Officers want to interview anyone who saw the fatal fall. Police have now left the unit block, which overlooks the water and faces the direction of Taronga Zoo at Mosman.

Dangerous NY Window Cleaner Video Goes Viral

Don't look down: The window cleaner perches on a ledge as he works without a safety harness 100ft above the ground. Click to enlarge.

Living on the ledge: Daredevil window washer pictured working  100ft above Manhattan streets without a safety harness. The unknown workman was pictured with no safety equipment as he cleaned the tenth floor windows . Onlookers saw him shuffle from window to window before casually dropping inside when he was finished.

A window cleaner took his job to extreme levels when he was pictured working ten storys high without a safety harness. The daredevil workman had nothing to stop him falling 100ft to the ground as he shuffled from window to window at the New York office block. Passers-by watched from the Manhattan street below and from neighboring buildings as he fearlessly perched on the ledge with not even a rope to protect him.

Daredevil: The window cleaner was working on the tenth floor of the office block in Manhattan, New York, when he was pictured. Click to enlarge.

The unknown workman was seen climbing out of an open window and holding onto just the wall for support. When he was finished with one window, he shuffled along the outside of the building to wash the next. Once he had moved onto third, he was seen casually dropping his tools back inside before ducking inside and closing the window behind him. People on the street below were seen pointing at the sky as he nervelessly worked.

Disbelief: Onlookers said they were horrified to see him working so high up without a rope and said they feared he was 'pushing his luck' - Click to enlarge.

Death-defying: Witnesses said he moved confidently from window to window before casually dropping back inside when he was finished. Click to enlarge.

His death-defying journey took place on Thursday just yards away from office staff busy at work, completely unaware of what was happening behind them. One onlooker said they were shocked that anyone would risk their life in such a way. They said: 'I was on my way back from a meeting and saw people pointing towards the sky - I couldn't see what was happening at first because the buildings are so tall. 'But through a small gap I could see this guy hanging onto the wall and washing windows, the other people watching told me he didn't have a rope.

Vertigo: Passers-by in Manhattan spotted him from the street and could be seen pointing at the sky in disbelief at how he was working. Click to enlarge.

Quite a drop: The unknown cleaner had no protection if he had slipped while shuffling between the windows ten storeys up. Click to enlarge.

'I have never seen anything like it before. It was actually pretty hard to watch because I was thinking to myself what happens if he slips. 'I'm not sure it's worth it just to finish the job a bit faster. He moved confidently enough so I assume he's done it before - you wonder how long he can keep pushing his luck for.' The management or a health and safety spokesperson for the building was not immediately available for comment.

A daredevil window-cleaner dices with death as he works 100 feet up without a harness. After climbing out of an open window, the foolhardy worker perched himself on a narrow outcrop ten floors above the street below. Clutching the wall, he then shifted between ledges to scrub three different panes at the New York building.

The cleaner’s antics were captured on camera by workers in a neighbouring office block in Manhattan. Despite being just a fraction away from certain death if he fell, the cleaner worked without flinching. As well as his own safety, the foolish scrubber didn’t seem to notice those making their way along the crowded city streets beneath. Having carried out his dangerous cleaning stunt, the unknown man casually dropped his tools back inside. He then headed into the safety of the office block where workers appeared to be carrying on their daily tasks.

A horrified onlooker said they had never seen anything like it. He said: “I was on my way back from a meeting and saw people pointing towards the sky — I couldn’t see what was happening at first because the buildings are so tall. “But through a small gap, I could see this guy hanging onto the wall and washing windows. “I have never seen anything like it before. “I’m not sure it’s worth it just to finish the job a bit faster. “He moved confidently enough so I assume he’s done it before.” His death-defying journey took place on Thursday. The management or a health and safety spokesperson at the New York office block could not be reached for comment.

Man falls 12 stories to his death: Dayton, Ohio - A 65-year-old Dayton man is dead after falling out of a 12th floor window at the Dayton Towers Sunday Afternoon. According to police reports, Stephen B. Ross, was pronounced dead at the scene. Witnesses told officers they were playing cards in their first floor apartment when they heard a loud “thump.” When they looked outside, they saw Ross’ body on the ground.
It appeared Ross was trying to wash one of the windows of his 12th floor apartment. The police report indicates officers found part of a squeegee on the ground as well as a roll of paper towels and glass cleaner on the window sill. The Montgomery County Coroner’s office tells 2 NEWS Ross’ death will be ruled as accidental due to multiple blunt force trauma.

Window Cleaner Catches Foot - Falls To Death

Hughie, a window cleaner in East Sussex dies after falling from ladder. Witnesses said that his foot got caught.

Window cleaner dies after falling from ladder in accident: A window cleaner has died after getting his foot caught in his ladder and plunging 15ft to the ground. Hugh Winfield, known as Hughie, was working in Western Road, Lewes, when the freak accident happened. The 51-year-old, who was due to become a grandfather again in three months, carried out rounds in Coldean, Moulsecoomb and Woodingdean as well as Lewes and rural East Sussex.

His death on Tuesday was followed two days later by that of his beloved pet Max, a Staffordshire bull terrier. Mr Winfield’s widow, Karen, said she believed the dog had died of a broken heart. Speaking yesterday from their home in Wolseley Road, Coldean, she said: “The vet said it was probably a coincidence but Max was very sensitive. “I will miss them both so much – I think they are together again.”

Describing what happened to Mr Winfield, who was nicknamed the Silver Fox by members of his darts team in Hollingbury, she said: “Witnesses said that his foot got caught and he sort of jumped backwards, hitting his head on the ground. “Last week everything was normal – now it has all changed.”

Mr Winfield died on his father Clive’s birthday and just two days before his mother Jackie’s birthday. His daughter Mikayla, who is six months pregnant, turned 24 on Thursday. Mrs Winfield said: “Everybody loved him. “He had a lot of friends and a lot of interests. Mr Winfield leaves a son James, 30, and daughters Lynsey, 26, and Mikayla, 24, stepsons, Kelvin, 34, Ross, 32, Scott, 29, and Jay, 25, his parents and siblings. An inquest will be held in due course.

The Sad Side Of Window Cleaning - Singapore

A domestic helper cleaning the window of a high-rise apartment while perched on window sills.

Indonesian Maids Continue to Fall to Deaths in Singapore: When a maid plunged 30 storeys to her death on Thursday, she became at least the third Indonesian domestic worker to die this way since the start of the year. The three women had something else in common — they are all believed to have slipped while cleaning their employers’ windows or putting out laundry.

Since as far back as 1989, there have been cases of maids falling in similar circumstances, sometimes while perching on ledges, stools or window sills. And with employers saddled with much of the blame for the deaths, the onus is on them to make sure that their domestic helpers stay safe, Members of Parliament and maid agents told The Straits Times.

They said that families need to show more understanding toward their maids, who may not be accustomed to urban life. Many come from rural areas and “do not have the mindset of high-rise living,” said Tampines GRC MP Baey Yam Keng. The 23-year-old woman who died last Thursday is believed to have slipped while cleaning windows at Telok Blangah Heights.

Last month, another Indonesian maid fell 13 storeys while putting the laundry out to dry in Pasir Ris. In February, a domestic helper fell seven floors at a Jurong East condominium after reportedly losing her balance while cleaning windows. Last year, 15 maids fell to their deaths. Some jumped, while others slipped while putting the laundry out to dry.

Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Dr Chia Shi-Lu said some employers could be unaware of dangers in the home. “They don’t think of their house as a workplace,” he said. “But actually, there are a lot of dangers.” The orthopedic surgeon said he sees many patients who have suffered falls at home. Other risks include electrical plugs, he said. “The home has hazards ... our emphasis on workplace safety can also be applied at home,” he added.

 

While new maids have to undergo training by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), employers need to check that they have understood the instructions, said a spokesman for the Bluesky Employment Agency. Marine Parade GRC MP Dr Fatimah Lateef said families need to have reasonable expectations about what their domestic helpers can do.

The trend of installing fancy fixtures such as bay windows and doing away with window grilles could also be causing the high number of falls, said Dr Ho Nyok Yong, president of the Singapore Contractors’ Association. He added that there is no foolproof way to prevent someone falling.

Advertisements that tug at the heartstrings might be one way to prevent such deaths, said Jeremy Khoo, executive director of the Archdiocesan Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People. He gave the example of the successful campaign to raise awareness of dengue fever. Jolovan Wham, executive director of the Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (Home), called for stricter rules and regulations. This means including domestic workers in the Work Injury Compensation Act so they receive payouts in the event of death or injury, he said.

 

Cleaning windows in high-rise buildings should also not form part of maids’ duties, he added. ‘It is not worth risking someone’s life over some dirt.’ But others say the responsibility cannot rest only on the shoulders of employers. Developer Ritchie Chua, who has a domestic helper, said: “Even if the employers warn the maids, they might not understand because they are not educated.”

The 43-year-old said he provides safety belts for workers on his construction sites — but they often remove them later, complaining that they are “very troublesome.” Maids may have a similar attitude, he said. Today, the MOM is due to hold a media briefing on ensuring the safety of foreign domestic workers.

A maid cleans a window in Singapore.

Cheers, jeers for maid's day off: Singapore's decision to grant foreign maids a weekly day off was welcomed Tuesday by social workers and rights groups, but some employers grumbled and critics said the move falls short of international labour standards. While Singapore is proud of its squeaky-clean image and widely admired for its economic development, it has been regularly criticised for its treatment of foreign workers. Announcing the change, Minister of State for Manpower Minister Tan Chuan Jin said Monday the mandatory weekly rest day would apply to maids whose work permits are issued or renewed from January 1, 2013.

Employers who need the services of their maids on their rest day must compensate them. "The decision by Singapore's Manpower Ministry to grant foreign domestic workers a weekly rest day is an important reform," Human Rights Watch said in a statement. But the New York-based watchdog said the move, which came after after years of lobbying by welfare groups, still falls short of international standards as it will take effect only in 2013 and does not offer other forms of labour protection.

More than 200 000 women from impoverished villages in Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and India work as maids in Singapore. Some maids never get a single day off during their first two-year contract. "The lack of adequate protection has made live-in domestic work a highly stressful occupation and many women in such situations find it difficult to cope with the social isolation and demands of the job," said social worker Bridget Tan. "As a result, many of them suffer from anxiety, depression and loneliness," Tan, founder and president of the private group Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics, said in a statement.

Tan cited the case of a 19-year-old Indonesian helper who was recently jailed for killing an elderly Singaporean widow because the maid was unable to cope with her employer's demands and constant scolding. Nisha Varia, senior women's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch, said a day off "is critical for a domestic worker's physical, mental, and emotional well-being". "But this important reform should go into effect this year and apply to all domestic workers and their current contracts," Varia added.

But one Singaporean employer, banker Jacqueline Ng, expressed concern that some maids could abuse their freedom. Ng said she had to send an Indonesian maid home recently after the helper was found to have contracted venereal disease. She said her maid, who did not even enjoy a regular day off, had refused to say how she got the disease. "Can you imagine if she has a day off. What will happen?" Ng asked. "It's not that we are inhumane, but they will be very difficult to control. What I am saying is with this mandatory day off, as an employer I don't feel secure because we have no control (over) who they mingle with."

Foreign maids play a crucial social and economic role in Singapore, where most couples have to work to cope with the high cost of living and the elderly population is rising fast. A businesswoman, Poon Boon Eng, told the Straits Times newspaper that the new rule "is really bad news for women who are working". "I need to rest on Sundays too," she said, adding that she would rather compensate her helper for a foregone rest day. Human Rights Watch said Singapore's labour-protection rules lag behind those of other places with a lot of migrant workers such as Hong Kong, where maids already enjoy a day off every week.

MOM to review maid safety-training course: Employers of foreign maids may soon expect to receive a report on how their domestic helper performed in a mandatory safety course. That is one of several changes being explored in a review of safety training for foreign domestic workers who arrive here for the first time, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said yesterday. Employers currently receive only a certificate as proof that their maid has attended and passed the safety course. But should the change be implemented, details of the maid's performance during the course, such as her strengths and weaknesses, will be given to her employer, too.

During the four-hour course, which the ministry started in 2004, maids are taught safety procedures when carrying out household chores. For example, they learn that when hanging out laundry in high-rise buildings, they should avoid overloading the bamboo poles, and avoid leaning out of the window. They are also taught to use extendable cleaning equipment when cleaning ceiling lights and windows, to minimise the risk of falling.

MOM said it is timely to review safety awareness - six maids fell to their deaths while cleaning windows in the first three months of the year. For the whole of last year, there were only four such fatalities and, in 2010, there were eight cases. MOM said that in the last five years, it had prosecuted nine employers for failing to ensure their maids' safety. Said Filipina Zenaidah Lopez, 41, who has been working here for the past seven years: "It will be safer for us, because employers will know what we can do or cannot do."

While maid agencies contacted welcomed the proposed change, some said it could affect employer- maid relations. Said Nation Employment director Gary Chin: "If the maid gets a low test score, employers will have the perception that she cannot perform well." Dr Noorashikin Abdul Rahman, vice-president of the foreign-worker advocacy group, Transient Workers Count Too, said the report would give the employer a better understanding on their maid. But it could also be used to end her contract. More details on the measures to fine-tune the safety course are expected by the middle of the year.

The Last Sad Picture Of An Amateur Window Cleaner

An Indonesian maid who tried to prevent the fall of another maid said 'She was... too low already. She didn't say anything. She just looked panicked and scared.'

Maid clung onto hands of duo before death plunge: For five long minutes last Thursday, a terrified Indonesian maid clung onto the hands of two strangers as she dangled from an eighth-floor window at a Jurong condominium apartment. But the 26-year-old, believed to have been cleaning the windows of her employer's home minutes before, slipped from the grasp of those two pairs of hands and fell to her death. One of the two people who tried to prevent her fall was a fellow Indonesian maid from a seventh-floor unit at the Ivory Heights condo. Declining to be named, she told The Straits Times on Monday that the desperate woman's eyes, wide with fear, have been seared into her memory.

Indonesian hung on for 5 mins, but neighbour and another maid could not pull her in.

Maid falls to her death from 8th-floor window (Singapore): The maid is said to have fallen from this block (pictured) at Ivory Heights condominium. She was taken to hospital, but was later pronounced dead. A mid-afternoon drama ended at a Jurong East condominium when a maid fell to her death after a desperate bid to save her failed. The 26-year-old Indonesian was believed to be cleaning the windows of her employer's home at Ivory Heights condominium when she fell, neighbours said. 'I heard the screams, looked up and saw her at the window,' said a Filipino maid who declined to be named. 'There were two people trying to pull her in but she still fell,' she said on Saturday.

Maid falls eight floors to her death:  A mid-afternoon drama ended at a Jurong East condominium when a maid fell to her death after a desperate bid to save her failed. The 26-year-old Indonesian was believed to be cleaning the windows of her employer’s home at Ivory Heights condominium when she fell. Two people tried to pull her in but failed. Condominium residents said the incident was not the first: In 2007, another maid fell from the 21st floor of a neighbouring block. She was also said to have been cleaning windows when she fell. Between 2006 and 2010, a total of 27 maids died as a result of “falls from height”. The figure includes accidental falls and suicides. Several residents interviewed said that after the last incident, they had forbidden their maids to clean the exterior side of the window. Resident Elizabeth Chan, 65, said: “Just let the rain do the work. What’s the harm?”

Maid falls to her death from Jurong East condo:  An Indonesian maid fell to her death from a Jurong East condominium last Thursday. The 26-year-old was believed to be cleaning the windows of her employer's Ivory Heights unit when she fell, reported The Straits Times. A Filipino maid told the paper that she looked out when she heard screams. She witnessed two people trying to pull her in, but despite their efforts, the woman still fell to the ground. According to the paper, police and paramedics arrived at the scene after the police received a call at about noon on Thursday that a woman had fallen from the eighth floor of Block 122, Jurong East Street 13. They brought the victim to the National University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 1.20pm. While her employers have declined to comment, residents the paper spoke to said the maid was new to the family, and could have been hired as recently as a week ago. Some residents also surmised that the people who tried to rescue the maid may have been an elderly couple who were at home at the time. The family comprises four young children, their parents and grandparents.