It's Quiet Up There

Mr Chirnside says it is quiet at the top of the 243-metre-tall Soul building on the Gold Coast. Click to enlarge.

Abseiling daredevils keep Gold Coast skyscrapers clean, top to bottom: Meet the workers who dangle from ropes hundreds of metres from the ground to keep the Gold Coast's skyscrapers clean. The iconic, gleaming towers of Surfers Paradise are visible from miles around and recognisable across the globe. The most effective way to maintain their shine is by sending someone out on a rope with a squeegee. Dean Chirnside is one such man.

His company maintains several towers, inside and out, across the glitter strip including the 243-metre-tall Soul building. "Everything is a lot smaller to look down at," Mr Chirnside told ABC Gold Coast. "It's quite quiet up there … the sounds doesn't travel up so far."

Cleaning tall buildings is in his blood. His father started a window cleaning business when they moved to the Gold Coast in 1986. Although the buildings were not as tall back then, Mr Chirnside worked in the family business during school holidays.

"A job came up as an abseiler and I took it and it's been great ever since," he said. "The view is great. You're not locked up in an office — fresh air, you're out in the sun. "When you are hanging outside someone's window they're always keen to have a chat."

When you are swinging around outside hotel windows high above the ground, occasionally you will stumble across some private, intimate moments. "From time to time you may catch someone out," Mr Chirnside said. "It's not something we're looking out for it but it's something that does happen from time to time."

The tower cleaning can take up to five days to complete. Although it may look frightening, Mr Chirnside said the danger was minimal as long as you keep your mind on the job. "It's pretty demanding, you're hanging on a rope for hours at a time, out in the sun," he said. "You've just got to really just get it done." The crews even time their work to be back on solid ground in time for lunch.

Having someone abseil with a bucket and squeegee remains the most cost-effective way to clean skyscrapers.

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.

Window Cleaner Falls From Surfers High-Rise

Window cleaners work on the Soul building earlier this year.

Window cleaner falls from Surfers highrise: A window cleaner was left dangling after he tumbled down the side of a Surfers Paradise apartment building this morning. About 8.50am, emergency crews were called to a report a window cleaner was hanging upside down about five floors up the Soul building on The Esplanade.

Witnesses said the rope snapped at the 76th floor and he fell, hitting the glass balustrade on the sixth level. Paramedics reported the man righted himself before rescuers arrived and was met at the sixth level by firefighters.

He suffered serious lacerations to the right side of his body and legs and the skin on his arm was sliced back to nearly the bone, according the witnesses. He was taken to Gold Coast Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Both paramedics and police said the man did not lose consciousness throughout the ordeal.

Window cleaner hangs upside down at Soul building, Surfers Paradise -  A high-rise window cleaner has survived a fall from a skyscraper on the Gold Coast. The man was cleaning the exterior of the giant Soul high-rise on the Surfers Paradise Esplanade about 8.30am when he fell a short distance, coming to rest outside the sixth floor. He was eventually reached by fire and rescue officers and treated for minor cuts and scrapes.

Soul is a 243 m (797 ft) tall residential tower local on the corner of Cavill Avenue and The Esplanade in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It has overtaken Circle on Cavill as the second tallest building on the Gold Coast, behind Q1. The design includes 288 apartments on 77 floors and 5,700 m² of retail space. The development was placed into receivership in October 2012.

Window Cleaning Santas

A window cleaner dressed as Santa Claus works at a shopping mall in Tokyo on Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012.

Window cleaners dressed as Santa Claus and a reindeer work at a shopping mall in Tokyo, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012. Click to enlarge.

Tokyo window cleaners dressed as Santa Claus prepare to work during a hotel Christmas event. Click to enlarge.

Junji Tsuda, right, and Akihiro Kondo, window cleaners dressed as Santa Claus and reindeer react before cleaning a window at a shopping mall in Tokyo. 2010. Click to enlarge.

Jason Dobinson, the owner of Sunshine Coast-based business All-Tech Industrial Abseilers, said working 14 floors up was nothing new for him and his staff, who spent a lot of time dangling from some of the Gold Coast's highest buildings. The Santa suits were "all about the kids", he said. "It's just our way of saying merry Christmas."

And finally - a WFP Santa.

Window Cleaning Safety Concerns In Australia

A window cleaner is seen washing windows without a safety harness.

Safety concerns reach new heights: Concerns for highrise safety protocols have been sparked after a horrified passerby snapped a picture of a window cleaner perched high on a ledge without safety gear. The unidentified cleaner was seen many stories up on the Surfers Paradise RSL building at 9 Beach Rd on Tuesday. A cleaning bucket is visible and the cleaner is wearing a sun-protection hat but no other safety equipment can be seen as he reaches up to clean the large windows.

Photographer Byron Bailey said it was an all-to-common sight on the Glitter Strip. "I can't believe just how many times I see this all over the Coast," he said. "I watched (this cleaner) jump from ledge to ledge as he cleaned the windows." The building manager told the Bulletin he was unaware of the alleged incident and could not comment.

Under Queensland's Workplace Health and Safety Act, staff and employers must maintain safe work conditions or face stiff fines. Individuals can cop maximum fines up to $50,000, businesses $300,000 and body corporates can be up for $1.5 million. A WHS Code of Practice published last year regarding fall risks recommended suspended platforms or ropes and harnesses be used for window cleaning. Alternatively, it recommends building designers install windows that pivot to allow for indoor cleaning and prevent outdoor accidents.

A holiday maker "jumped out" the window of a Gold Coast high rise to rescue a window cleaner who fell five storeys to the 17th floor after his ropes failed.

A government spokesman said anyone concerned about their workplace safety practices to view legislation and codes of practice details online. It comes after a 35-year-old window cleaner was left dangling on a rope after he plunged four storeys from the 21st level of a Main Beach hotel yesterday before smashing through an apartment window. Lee Heights was pulled to safety by Brisbane holidaymakers after his safety rope slackened, sending him down the side of the building at high speed. He was taken to hospital with suspected broken ribs after the fall yesterday morning.

Window Cleaning Santas

Abseiling part of Santa's job: That Santa gets about, doesn't he? One minute he's zipping around the world delivering presents, the next he's cleaning windows on a Coast high-rise - all four of him. The jolly old bloke and a few of his mates were suspended high above the streets of Caloundra as they did some cleaning and maintenance work on the Centrepoint building in time for Christmas.

Jason Dobinson, the owner of Sunshine Coast-based business All-Tech Industrial Abseilers, said working 14 floors up was nothing new for him and his staff, who spent a lot of time dangling from some of the Gold Coast's highest buildings. The Santa suits were "all about the kids", he said. "It's just our way of saying merry Christmas."

And just for the record boys and girls - no, Santa and his helpers do not get scared up so high because they have magical powers (and very strong ropes). And, yes, the view is spectacular but sometimes they see things through the windows that maybe they should not. Thankfully, Santa is very good at keeping secrets.

Previous Tokyo window cleaning Santas..

And finally - an Ionic WFP Santa.

Paradise found - Window Cleaner Hanging Out

Paradise found: Jeremy Fisher has gone from working in a New York office to admiring the spectacular views the Gold Coast has to offer. Yesterday the window cleaner with Sparkle Windows stood on ledges 40 floors up at the BreakFree Peninsula high rise in Surfers Paradise, taking in the beautiful weather that has been gracing the Coast. The city has not been hit with a rainy day in weeks and those with outdoor jobs are loving it. Mr Fisher said the weather had been perfect for window washing. "I used to work in an office in New York City, so to come here was a good change and this is a great location," he said. "I can see the weather coming in and you get a nice sunrise over the water. It's beautiful."



The former American has been living on the Coast for five years and said he loved his job. Mr Fisher said he was working in a window washer's paradise and people often commented on his job. "You just don't look down," he said. "Sometimes the air-conditioning unit takes up the whole ledge, so you have to go around it. "You've just got to be careful and trust the system."



Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Gavin Holcombe said Gold Coasters could expect the clear skies and pleasant temperatures to stick around until next week. "We will see a bit of cloud start to develop late on Sunday but it won't be much, the same as we've seen this week," he said.
American exchange students Brian Lutzow, Will Buckhout, Andy Kolkhorst and Steven Benoy arrived on the Coast three weeks ago and said they had been at the beach soaking up the sun ever since. "When we don't have class, we come to the beach every day," said Mr Benoy. "It hasn't rained since we've been on the Gold Coast. "We're living the dream here."



Tiger Moth Joy Rides chief pilot Geoff Stillman said the weather had boosted business. Mr Stillman said they had taken out about 20 flights this week when they would normally have done six. "We get a lot more people when the weather is good and you can see from Byron Bay to Brisbane on a clear day," he said. "When it's calm and there's no wind, you can see whales and dolphins." Mr Stillman hoped it would last. "The weather has been terrible this year, so it's good to see nice winter sunshine like this." Click pictures to enlarge.

More Info' on "Wedgie" in Australia

Window cleaner's miracle plunge.
AN abseiling window cleaner survived a seven-storey plunge from a Surfers Paradise high rise yesterday. Walter Torres, 20, was cleaning windows at the Solaire apartments on the corner of Ferny and Cypress avenues when he fell, hitting and dislodging a steel beam on the way down but failing to hit the ground. The accident came after two construction workers fell 26 floors to their deaths on a Broadbeach high-rise development on Saturday. Andrew Horchner, operations and safety manager for All Industrial Abseilers, the company Mr Torres works for said it appeared a problem with the abseiling ropes had caused the Robina man's accident. "It seems it was a procedural problem where the ropes got caught up on a higher anchorage and was not able to be seen by him or others on the job," said Mr Horchner. "Once he weighted the ropes it actually pulled through and he fell about seven stories and hit a piece of structure after the rope took up his weight, so his safety system worked because if it didn't, he wouldn't be here now."
Mr Horchner said company representatives had gone over safety issues with their workers following the accident. "We went through a full safety brief on Monday so they were more than aware of safety issues," he said. "Everyone was extra careful and extra sharp on the ropes so this is an unfortunate accident." Tony Clark, who is on holiday from New Zealand, said he rushed to help Mr Torres after hearing a loud bang and seeing him dangling from his harness. "We just heard the steel beam come down and we looked over from across the road," said Mr Clark. "I thought, 'He's dead' but then he put an arm up and I thought, 'He's all right'. "He was up about 10 feet and we couldn't get to him of course. "He started lowering himself down and we said (not to) and once he got to about eight feet we helped him down." Mr Clark said Mr Torres had blood on his face and neck and was whimpering in pain and complaining about his leg. Police from the nearby Surfers Paradise Police Station as well as ambulance crews attended the scene. A Queensland Ambulance spokesman said Mr Torres was taken to Gold Coast Hospital with neck and spinal injuries and was last night in an unstable condition. Workmates who gathered around Mr Torres as paramedics attended to him said he remained in high spirits, joking that he received a 'big wedgie' from his harness. Another man, who was working on the building and asked not to be named, said abseilers were well trained and it was a safe job. "It will be interesting to see what's happened," he said. "We all know exactly what we're doing, you're never scared." "We have a buddy system. We all check each other before we go over so it's really quite a mystery. "If you do everything right, there's no danger." Workplace Health and Safety are investigating the accident.

Surfers Paradise Fall

A WINDOW cleaner has escaped a nine storey fall from a Gold Coast tower with a fractured arm and a broken pelvis from the super "wedgie" from his harness. Police said the incident happened next to the Surfers Paradise police station. Witnesses, including police officers from the station, reported hearing a thud and seeing the man suspended limp in the air hanging from his harness. The man, 20, an abseiler from Robina who cleans windows, fell about 25m until his feet hit an awning on the side of the Solaire building in Ferny Ave. He appeared to have ankle injuries and was in a lot of pain, but he retained his sense of humour, telling co-workers that he had "a big wedgie" (from his harness). The force of his impact dislodged a 5m steel beam, which crashed to the ground. Fellow window cleaner David Luke said he was on the roof when he heard "three big bangs". "He's lucky to be alive," Mr Luke said. "We have no idea how this happened." Another of the men's co-workers said the accident was bizarre. He said the man was well-trained and very experienced. The man was taken to Gold Coast Hospital in a serious but stable condition. Workplace Health and Safety Inspectors are on the scene. Today's accident comes just three days after two men died at Broadbeach when a window cleaners swing scaffold collapsed.