Window Cleaning News

EU to mull plan to bring non-euro states into bank union: BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union countries will examine a plan this week to allow the ECB to supervise banks in states outside the euro zone alongside those within the currency area, according to an EU document that lays down limits on the central bank's role. Last week, EU leaders agreed to build a new system of supervision led by the European Central Bank, as a step towards a banking union where chiefly euro zone countries would jointly back problem lenders, in a move to underpin the currency. Pictured: Window cleaners at Brussels HQ.

Superstorm Sandy hits the US north-east - in pictures: Superstorm Sandy leaves flooding and fallen trees in its wake, bringing chaos to parts of the states of Maryland, New Jersey and New York. Seawater floods the Ground Zero construction site as pictured above.

To the point: window cleaners working on the fog-shrouded Shard building in London attempt to spell out YMCA.

Award-winning Star photographer Tyler Brownbridge caught images of Windsorites. The effects of Hurricane Sandy are being felt as far west as Windsor. Window washers work high above Pitt Street as they clean the windows at the Windsor Riverside Inn in Windsor, Ont. on Monday, October 29, 2012.

Chemo hastened footballer’s death:  Chemotherapy “hastened” the death of a football-mad 22-year-old, an inquest found. Chipping Norton FC player Shaun Weller died on May 2, two days after beginning chemotherapy for a rare form of liver cancer. The window cleaner, a dad-of-one, died at The Horton Hospital in Banbury after suffering a cardiac arrest. Oxfordshire coroner Darren Salter recorded a verdict that Mr Weller’s death was an accident after hearing from medical staff. His family afterwards praised the NHS and paid tribute to a“considerate” son.

Mr Salter said: “It does seem to me that the treatment of chemotherapy hastened the death”. He added: “That is not to say there is any negligence in the treatment. Medical treatment does sometimes result in death or hasten death. “That may be because of some adverse reaction or complication that can’t be anticipated.” In a statement, GP Dr Stephen Quelch said he referred Mr Weller for scans after he complained of chest pains. He was diagnosed with the terminal disease on February 2 and oncologist Dr Kinnari Patel saw him on March 22.

Because the cancer was so rare, further help was sought from specialists at London’s Royal Free Hospital on treatment, she said. Dr Patel said: “Shaun expressed the wish to have anything that might be beneficial, no matter how toxic it was.” She said: “I wonder if some very rare event has happened with chemotherapy that I don’t think we could have foreseen.” But she said the cancer could have “overwhelmed” his body.

Consultant pathologist Ben Phillips said: “If he hadn’t started on chemotherapy he wasn’t likely to have died at that time.” His dad Anthony, mother Charmaine, sister Kim and partner Sally Keen attended yesterday’s inquest in Oxford. The Oxford United fan, from Cotswold Crescent, Chipping Norton, played for the first team of Chipping Norton FC and was dad to Tiana, now three. His mother told the Oxford Mail: “We never felt that anyone was to blame. It never entered our heads.” “He was a considerate young lad. He would always worry about everyone else. “When he was going through his treatment he would always worry about everybody else.”

The family “never wanted to hear anything negative” about his prognosis, she said, adding: “Where there is life there is hope. That is what you have got to believe in.” An August charity football match at his former club featuring former United stars raised £2,000 to support his daughter and Oxford University cancer research. A further cake and coffee event will raise cash for research at Chipping Norton Town Hall on November 7 from 9am to midday.

Tonya Gentle, of Gleam Cleaning Pros, cleans a mirror at Abundant Life Church last week. The business recently partnered with Cleaning For A Reason to offer free housecleaning services to area cancer patients.

Couple helps patients by ‘Cleaning For A Reason’ - When David and Tonya Gentle, the proprietors of Gleam Cleaning Pros, heard someone who works for one of their clients was about to undergo cancer-related surgery, they knew they wanted to help, somehow. Jennifer Wiley, the music pastor at Abundant Life Church, said she began her breast cancer ordeal in the fall of 2011, and with the help of the Gentles, was able to come home after major surgery to a clean home and with a load off her mind. “They were a big, big relief for me, because when I came home from the hospital, I didn’t have to do anything,” said Wiley, 50. “... It was a true blessing.” Gleam Cleaning Pros has been in operation since 2008 and while the Gentles informally offered their cleaning service to Wiley in a time of need, they have recently partnered with the group Cleaning For A Reason to contribute more broadly.
David Gentle said he discovered the group on Facebook, and connected with Cleaning For A Reason last month to assist local residents undergoing cancer treatment. “We can’t offer a whole lot in the curing part, but we can definitely come in and try to relieve some of their pain through taking care of some of their general cleaning,” David Gentle said. “And on our end, it just feels good to help. It’s nice to be able to give back with something you do for a living,” he added. Gentle said that Cleaning For A Reason collects information from patients looking for free housecleaning services, and pairs them with cleaning businesses in their area. Patients need only demonstrate their medical condition, Gentle said.
Gleam Cleaning Pros serves a mix of residential and commercial clients, including some offices of the City of Jackson, and specializes in window cleaning and pressure washing. David Gentle said their service is particularly in demand around the holidays when customers are looking for a deep cleaning ahead of family gatherings. He said he and his wife are hoping to get the message out that they want to help area residents battling cancer with free cleanings. Tonya Gentle noted that when someone battles cancer, it’s an ordeal for the entire family. “When women get cancer — when anybody gets cancer — it’s not just that person going through it, it’s the whole family,” she said. “So to come in, even if it’s just to clean, it really seems to help a lot.”

Middlesbrough 'protector' jailed for harassing OAP: A window cleaner who offered to protect a pensioner from a family who were allegedly "after him" has been jailed for harassment. Philip Robert Sinclair, 39, offered protection to the elderly man after hearing rumours he had sexually assaulted a young girl. But in a bizarre twist, Sinclair has now been locked up after his “protection” took a sinister turn. The pensioner denied the claims but took him up on the offer - giving him £25 for him to do so.

Teesside Crown Court heard yesterday it was in January this year when Sinclair first attended the pensioner’s house. Prosecuting, Olivia Checa-Dover told the court it was there he told him about the rumour and that the family “were going to sort him out”. Sinclair, of Tower Green, St Hilda’s, Middlesbrough, then offered to protect the man. Ms Checa-Dover added that at a later date, the defendant camouflaged himself and hid in a bush to prove how “easy it would be” for the family to get him. At a later date, the elderly man returned home to find a two-page letter from Sinclair who wrote “he had sorted it”.

But Sinclair continued to attend the elderly man’s home, who soon began to have doubts. In interview, the man said: “His attitude changed from being helpful to aggressive very quickly and this frightened me.” On another occasion, Sinclair showed the man a text message allegedly from the girl’s family. Ms Checa-Dover said: “The complainant didn’t believe this was a real conversation and thought the defendant was just trying to scare him.”

The court heard the pensioner eventually had enough when in June this year, Sinclair attended his home twice on the same evening. Ms Checa-Dover told the court Sinclair was “banging on the door for about thirty minutes”. He then returned a short while later, once again banging on the doors and windows. Joan Smith, defending, said Sinclair, who pleaded guilty to harassment, was “trying to help”. She said: “His intention was not to cause harassment but he understands this is what happened.” Sentencing Sinclair, Judge Tony Briggs, said the elderly man was “clearly in a vulnerable situation”. He said: “No court can condone the ill-treatment of the elderly or the vulnerable. You presented a terrifying picture to him.” Judge Briggs jailed Sinclair for 12 months and gave him an indefinite restraining order.

Two workers rescued from 23rd-floor fall - Cleaners’ platform sways heavily in strong winds: Abu Dhabi: Two cleaning workers were rescued from falling from the 23rd floor of a building still under construction in the Khalidiya area in Abu Dhabi, by the Emergency and Public Safety Directorate of the Abu Dhabi Police. The Asian men were trapped on scaffolding which they used while cleaning the building’s exterior. Winds accompanying a sand storm which hit the capital caused the scaffolding to swing heavily. The Central Operations Department at Abu Dhabi Police received a report on the incident, bringing the Al Falah rescue quickly to the site along with an ambulance, according to Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Ebrahim Al Ameri, Deputy Director of Emergency and Public Safety Department.

After clearing the surrounding area to ensure the safety of the workers and pedestrians, Abu Dhabi Civil Defence had to break the glass window where the workers were located, because of the challenges which the wind posed in moving the scaffolding. The two men were transported to Shaikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) where they were examined and cleared as free of injuries and medical complications. Earlier this month, two Indian window cleaners fell to their death from the 15th floor of a building at the end of Al Muroor Road, Abu Dhabi, due to a technical failure in the platform they were using. The men were trapped for four hours before the maintenance cradle they were using crashed to the ground.

Meanwhile, two Asian workers were rescued by Abu Dhabi Police earlier this month after they almost fell from a building on Al Salam Street. The window cleaners were saved from falling 15 stories after the rope supporting their scaffolding suddenly snapped. Rescue workers gave the two men directions to help them steady the scaffolding and prevent it from swinging before they were safely brought to the ground. This came as the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) issued a warning for towering clouds associated with thunderstorm, rain, rough seas, and strong winds along the UAE’s west coast yesterday with poor visibility.

A bright yellow hard hat is among the remnants of the broken platform that killed two window cleaners.

UAE cleaning firm scraps high-rise cradles after worker deaths: DUBAI A high-rise window cleaning company has stopped using maintenance cradles after two of its workers plunged 15 floors to their death. Modern Building Maintenance will start training staff in rope access, which industry experts say is safer. K Sudarshan, 24, and J Raju, 29, were trapped in their cradle above Khalifa Street for four hours before it fell to the ground on October 16. Their bodies were repatriated to the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh on Saturday. ETA Ascon group, which owns the company, will pay each of the dead men's families Dh105,000 - their salary for the next 24 months, as required by law, and a welfare fund contribution of Dh50,000 - and an additional Dh1,000 a month for three years.
After the deaths Abu Dhabi Municipality said the company should have called Civil Defence when the men were first trapped. The incident has been referred to the courts. "We are working on alternative methods of window cleaning without using cradles, which involves maintenance by other agencies," a spokesman for ETA Ascon said yesterday. "We are reviewing procedures and have stopped all window cleaning using cradles since the incident. We have already started sending letters to clients about our new rope access system. It will be implemented in a phased manner, starting right now."
The company tested out a rope system last week on an eight-storey building in Dubai and will soon start a 10-day training course for workers. Rope access, used at buildings such as the Burj Khalifa and the Burj Al Arab, is a more secure option for window cleaners working at great heights, the spokesman said. "It is safer than a cradle. The major advantage is that we don't have to depend on equipment provided by another agency. The cleaner goes up and down using his own device and it is under his control. He tests the equipment before using it. There is no machine involved." Cleaning companies rent cradles from maintenance or property-management companies.
Rope access is often used when other methods of reaching the outside of tall buildings, such as cherry pickers or scaffolding, are impractical or too expensive. "Whoever can learn the rope access will be trained. There is a practical test where they will have to demonstrate the skill of using the rope access, their capability in cleaning windows and rescuing people," the spokesman said.
Rope access is said to be statistically safer than using cradles in window cleaning and its use is increasing. "It operates on a two rope system," said Amel Vriesman, regional advisory committee chairman of Irata, the International Rope Access Trade Association. "Each individual is suspended on two independent ropes, a primary and a back-up. Every job is supported with a full rescue scenario, unlike a building maintenance unit which has no back-up system. "Given the challenging building designs in the UAE, rope access is much safer, faster, hassle free and requires less manpower."
Only nine companies in the UAE are Irata certified, although Mr Vriesman estimates that more than 60 use the system. "It helps to reduce fatalities but is still dangerous if not carried out by professionals. It needs a certified company with a certified workforce." Abu Dhabi and Dubai municipalities prefer to deal with companies that have Irata certification but there is no law requiring certification for rope access, Mr Vriesman said.

Jack Craig, owner of Jack's Extreme Cleaning & Restoration in Kansas City, works Friday morning on cleaning a stained glass window at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Independence. The original stained glass windows, dating back to the mid-1800s, last received an extensive cleaning in 1986.

Bringing the life back into art of stained glass (Independence, MO) — For the past couple of weeks, Jack Craig has stood atop a ladder, the radio playing background music, a cross around his neck held close to his heart. On Friday morning, while sitting inside St. Mary’s Catholic Church in a pew, the sunlight shone into the historic Independence church at 611 N. Liberty St. Light inside several stained glass windows, recently cleaned by Craig, showcase his work, while others await their chance for a thorough restoration. “I’m all about the preservation of the art that is there,” says Craig, owner of the Kansas City-based Jack’s Extreme Cleaning & Restoration business. “Then, the community can actually see the beautiful art on the stained glass windows.”

 Craig’s cleaning is extensive. He checks the windows for structural problems or any bad lead. Once his work is complete, which he anticipates finishing up this week, the thorough cleaning will last another 25 to 30 years. The stained glass windows at St. Mary’s date back to the mid-19th century, and they received a layer of Lexan in July 1986, Craig says. Years ago, to protect the stained glass, that layer of Lexan glass was installed for protection. Lexan, which also is used in space helmets and vehicle headlight lenses, among other uses, protects the stained glass windows from hail, rocks and other strong elements. “Basically, I’m cutting off the yellow,” Craig says, “and then I’m polishing it back out. It’s a green solution, too. Our dumps are full of Lexan, and we don’t need no more in the planet. It’s a green way out.”

A Catholic himself, Craig emphasizes that he’s worked on stained glass restoration at churches of different denominations all across the metro region. When Craig started cleaning windows 20 years ago, he noticed different reactions to different kinds of windows. With stained glass windows, Craig taught himself to clean them in a hands-on, experience-driven setting. While the cleaning is extensive, he says being careful is essential since the materials are more than a century old. “They’re beautiful,” he says. “Each and every one of them is different – that’s what makes it so fun.”

While Craig’s business is based out of the Waldo neighborhood in KC, he and his family travel to Independence annually for the Santa-Cali-Gon Days Festival, and he’s looking forward to seeing his work at St. Mary’s for years to come. “That’s kind of a payment in itself,” Craig says. “There’s something about restored art of your forefathers – who did wonderful work – and keeping it alive. It’s really important."

Workers use window-cleaner style platforms, restoring the Hollywood sign on October 26,2012 in Hollywood, California.

Hollywood sign gets first makeover in 35 years, ahead of its 90th birthday next year The operation, which started earlier this month, will take eight to 10 weeks to restore the sign to its bright white glory atop Mount Lee in the Hollywood Hills north of Los Angeles, said the Hollywood Sign Trust.  The iconic Hollywood sign overlooking Tinseltown is getting its biggest renovation for 35 years, ahead of its 90th birthday next year. Workers are using window-cleaner style platforms as they strip down the 50-foot tall letters, powerwash the corrugated iron and apply nearly 400 gallons of fresh paint, organizers said. The operation, which started earlier this month, will take eight to 10 weeks to restore the sign to its bright white glory atop Mount Lee in the Hollywood Hills north of Los Angeles, said the Hollywood Sign Trust.

The original sign was erected in 1923 to advertise a property development called Hollywoodland, but the last four letters were removed in the 1940s. One of the City of Angels' most beloved attractions, the sign had fallen into disrepair until it was restored in the 1970s after a campaign that saw nine donors pay $27,777 to "adopt" one letter each. It was threatened again more recently when investors who own land surrounding the giant white letters indicated plans to sell the plot to developers. But Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner helped secure the sign in 2010, along with then-California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and other Hollywood luminaries including Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. Although members of the public are forbidden from accessing the area around the landmark -- a sophisticated alarm system including motion sensors has been set up to deter trespassers -- the sign has a grisly history. In 1932, British actress Peg Entwistle infamously committed suicide by throwing herself off the top of the letter H.

Free Flyer Creator (Today Only) + Window Cleaning News

Giveaway of the Day - Easy Flyer Creator 2.0: You have till 6 a.m. GMT (London Time) tomorrow to download for free. Easy Flyer Creator is easy to use desktop publishing software that help you to design, create and print flyers, brochures, leaflets, certificates, photo frames, tickets, door hangers from templates in just 5 minutes! You are provided with more then 100 Free Templates. Easy Flyer Creator is the best way to create, print and share interactive flyers, brochures, leaflets and other marketing material: after making flyers you can Print and Share the Documents via FTP and Email. Sorry - windows only. Info' here. Download here.

 Winter weather: Will Scott of Capital Window Cleaning washes off the glass canopy of the TD Tower building on Westmorland Street in Fredericton on Friday afternoon. Friday's storm, which dropped between 20 and 30 centimetres of snow on the Fredericton area, left many people as they woke up this morning facing a task that's become all too familiar this winter - cleaning out plugged driveways.

Consett man sets up Scott's Access Training: A former oil rig worker has started his own business to train people how to safely climb rigs and skyscrapers. Andy Scott from Consett, County Durham, set up Scott’s Access Training to teach people how to use a rope and harness to manoeuvre around the outside of high buildings. Andy, who worked on the oil rigs for 14 years, said: “Rope access training is for any person or business where the work would be made easier by being able to get up and down the side of a building using a rope and harness. “I mostly train people who want to work on the oil rigs because it is a highly desirable skill for that industry. But we also train people like window cleaners who need better access to large buildings.” He has received Government accreditation for the training he provides, alongside other members of his family. Wife Rose runs the office and two of their children have also taken the training for their jobs in the offshore industry. “The certificate we provide gives people the chance to earn much higher salaries on the oil rigs and, for those onshore, it can really widen the scope for their business.”

Few people can say they have gone from window cleaner to mayor. But Rex Griffin has done just that. Cr Griffin was the late Brian Naylor’s window cleaner in the 1980s when he owned Griffin’s Window Cleaning business. He cleaned windows and drove taxies before and after his 9-5 job in the Australian Public Service. It was the only way he could afford to send his children to his school of choice. “It wasn’t so uncommon to work two or three jobs in those days,” Cr Griffin said. “The window cleaning and my football umpiring was how a lot of people up here got to know me.” His position as Whittlesea Mayor entitles him to an annual salary of almost $89,000, which includes the use of a council vehicle.

For 33 years, Cr Griffin worked in various federal government departments. In the 1980s, he was a medical fraud investigator, and a social security undercover investigator during the ‘90s. “I’d be sitting out the front of cafes looking a real sight, in thongs and T-shirt, with an earpiece in my ear,” he said. The extra money helped pay his $30,000 home loan, which, he said, “was like a noose around my neck”.

He and wife Hazel bought their Epping family home in 1980 and have lived there since. They raised two sons and two daughters and mourned the death of their eldest son, Matthew, in 2009. Cr Griffin is a life member of the Wye River Surf Life Saving Club and was its president from 1992 until 1996. In 1990, he was elected to Whittlesea Council. “Every time I’ve been voted back in, I’ve always had the most votes,” Cr Griffin said.

The Excuse is Gone - Healthy exercise by doing simple chores around the house: "Next time you dread the thought of window cleaning time, remember it's another way to burn calories and work your upper body." According to the American Institute of Reboundology, 2 of the top 10 reasons people don't exercise are exercise boredom and perception that exercise is too difficult. But, in reality, both of these objections really are just myths based on bad information or previous bad experiences - perceptions. 3. Cleaning windows. Raise your hand if your windows are less than "clear"! Sure, cleaning windows is not the most fun activity but one that almost all of us need to do a few times a year. Next time you dread the thought of window cleaning time, remember it's another way to burn calories and work your upper body.

Support for self-employed and small firms vital to drive recovery: The recent Finance Act imposed the highest marginal tax rate on Ireland's self- employed and small companies, and these are the people who must be supported if the economy is to grow again, the president of the Irish Taxation Institute, Andrew Cullen, told its annual dinner last night. "The marginal rate of tax for self-employed individuals is 3pc higher than an employee on an equivalent salary. Tax policies must encourage, not punish, entrepreneurship," Mr Cullen said. Mr Cullen challenged the remarks of German Chancellor Angela Merkel that Ireland's low corporate tax is in some way linked to the property crisis. "It only serves to bring additional pressures on Ireland at a time when we need certainty and confidence in order to keep inward investment and encourage growth," he said. "The issue of the corporate tax rates and a Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base will be under the spotlight yet again next month as EU leaders prepare for two major EU summits. Click the picture if you're Irish!

Medford - The owner of a Washington Township window cleaning service has been charged with stealing jewelry from his customers' homes. Mark Tonelli, owner of Magic Window Cleaning Company, was arrested Thursday morning and charged with stealing about $7,500 worth of jewelry from a Medford home on Dec. 6, 2010, police said. Tonelli had been hired by the homeowner to clean the house's windows. Tonelli also faces on similar charges of theft out of Haddonfield and Harrison Township, police said.

Gnome-lover locks up gnomes: Gnome-lover Ron Broomfield has been on high alert, fearing for the safety of 1,700 little friends since the hit animated movie Gnomeo And Juliet came out. The 76-year-old, who answers the phone ‘Ron the gnome’, has locked hundreds of his diminutive buddies inside. ‘I’ve got the ones in the front garden set in concrete and the smaller ones have been brought into the house,’ said Ron, of Alford, Lincolnshire. He said the odd one or two had ‘gone for a walk’ before and he was taking no chances with the success of the 3D film voiced by James McAvoy and Emily Blunt. Broomfield, a retired window cleaner, is said to dress up as a gnome at least twice a week. 'I've always loved them and had the beard since I was in my 20s when I started my gnome collection back then,' said Broomfield.

Recipe for an empty storefront: The corner windows of the Placer Market and Bakery are big enough to reveal the spacious emptiness inside — the bare shelves and unused oven and fliers advertising now-irrelevant baked good prices. As for recent business, Hanson said the bakery had been making it, despite the cold winter weather, and was gearing up for heavy traffic in the summer.  On Jan. 12, the Placer Downtown, LLC, locked the bakery out of its premises after terminating its lease. According to the complaint the bakery owners filed two days later, this action was “intended to cause the bakery to fail, or to gain leverage to force unpermitted ease modifications upon the Bakery.” The shop was not without its financial problems, however. Kleen King, Inc., filed a complaint in October stating that it was never paid for more than $1,000 of window cleaning and floor maintenance services it completed at the shop in June. Van’s Thriftway has “Placer Market” on the list of entities from which it doesn’t accept checks. Williams admitted in an interview that with the bakery closed, the business itself doesn’t have money to spend. But with inquiring calls coming in on a regular basis, the couple wants to make one thing clear. “People are assuming the bakery failed and it did not,” Hanson said.

ACCIDENT, CHAGRIN BOULEVARD: A Columbus man, 29, was not seriously injured on Feb. 14 just before 3 p.m. when the 2003 Ford van he was driving, owned by a window cleaning company, hit an icy patch in the roadway and slid off the north side of the roadway, striking a large rock in a yard and then coming to rest on top of the rock.

Pembrokeshire tradesmen warned about parking on double yellow lines: Pembrokeshire's new parking regime means an end to the days when tradesmen parked on double yellow lines with a note on their windscreen. Now they will have to pay at least £25 if their work means that their vehicles have to be left in ‘no parking’ areas – or risk a fine. Builders, window cleaners, removal men†and glaziers are among the trades who may be granted parking waivers or dispensations by Pembrokeshire County Council. They will need to apply three days in advance, paying a £15, non-refundable fee. If the application is allowed, they will then be charged £10 for each space required.

Knowing how council spends your money - priceless: Every time more than £500 is spent, information about the purchase must be made available for public scrutiny. And items for October and November 2010 can now be viewed online here. Meanwhile, £755 was spent on window cleaning at the Think Tank, in Ruston Way, Lincoln. A further £2,469 was spent on internal cleaning. Communications manager at the City of Lincoln Council Chris Dunbar said the authority would continue to publish monthly data as part of its commitment to greater transparency. "The data list also does not list our income, which often offsets costs, particularly in relation to running our buildings and other facilities. "Our aim is to provide value for money and to obtain the best value on everything we purchase and our annual published accounts show that we consistently achieve this." Unison's regional head of local government Andy Belfield said: "The simple fact is that for every £1 councils spend, 60p goes into the local economy, which is one of the reasons we are so concerned about rushing through council cuts.

OSHA fines company $70,000 for Hollywood water tower accident: Federal safety officials have imposed a $70,000 fine on the company that was refurbishing the city's water tower in October, when two workers were seriously hurt. Investigators with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration noted that the St. Augustine-based M Brothers Paintings Inc. had 15 safety violations when a scaffold collapsed and sent the two men tumbling into the empty tower. The workers, Meliso Valderrabano, 22, of Jacksonville, and Carlos Bustamante, 43, of Houston, were hospitalized for a few weeks after a dramatic, six-hour rescue operation. They have since left South Florida and could not be reached for comment Tuesday, when the fine imposed on Feb. 17 was announced. The two were performing scheduled maintenance at the tower on Sheridan Street near Interstate 95. They were standing on a swinging scaffold like the ones window cleaners use when one of the sides gave way inside the tower, sending the men to the bottom of the tank, officials said.

Home Improvement Projects You Should Never DIY: The anemic housing market and weak economy has forced many homeowners to take on home improvement projects on their own. But even if you’re handy around the house, there are some things better left to the professionals. We checked in with contracting experts nationwide to find the home improvement or renovation projects you should not attempt without the help of an experienced contractor. Cleaning the Gutters - “First of all you should never be on a ladder without someone standing there in case you fall,” advises Kavovit. “When things are uneven, like the turf in your front yard, that can throw the ladder off.” Many homeowners aren’t proactive when it comes to cleaning the gutters and wait until leaks form. Having it done two or three times a year should prevent any major last minute catastrophes during a rainstorm “Don’t wait until you notice leaks occurring in your basement or you look outside and see your gutters filled with water and leaves,” Kavovit said. “It’s dangerous getting out there and fixing things during bad weather.”

An odd-job man stabbed and battered an 88-year-old great-grandmother (pictured) to death and stripped the jewellery from her fingers, the Old Bailey has heard. Daniel Franklin, of Felixstowe Road, Abbey Wood, is accused of murdering Irene Barrett, who he had known since his childhood, in a “vicious and prolonged” attack at her home. Jurors heard she either caught him stealing her money or refused to give him any when he visited her 15th floor flat in Valiant House, Charlton.Mrs Barrett’s son told the jury that he had warned her to stay away from Franklin. David Barrett said: “I was told we had this problem with missing money and she said she had concerns about the window cleaner. “I only knew him as Danny. I said I would clean her windows and she should tell him she didn't need his services anymore.” He added: 'She expressed surprise at the number of occasions he visited, not just to clean the windows.' Mr Barrett described his mother as a “very friendly, welcoming person”. Mrs Barrett has also mentioned the missing money and her concerns about Franklin to her granddaughters Lisa Reid and Karen Burgess, the court heard. Mrs Reid told jurors: “She said something like ‘I'm fine but I think Danny, the one that cleans my windows, he's been nicking my money’. “She said he must have been doing it for years and people had told her not to accuse him of it.

Beware the carpet cleaning hard sell: New Forest residents are being alerted to a carpet cleaning ‘promotion’ which could leave them out of pocket. Hampshire County Council’s Trading Standards service has investigated complaints from householders about the hard-sell tactics used by a Dorset cleaning company. A low-cost promotion is offered, but depending on what services are carried out, the final price can greatly increase. Many home owners feel pressurised into accepting a higher price after the carpet cleaning technician demonstrates different services in the home. The Safer New Forest Partnership advises householders and business owners to be wary of carpet cleaning offers after a number of cases recently involving local people. It advises against dealing with cold callers at the door or by telephone. Anybody considering having work done can use Hampshire County Council’s Buy with Confidence Scheme, which recommends approved local traders. Cold calling puts unwanted pressure on householders – just say no to this sales approach.” The Safer New Forest Partnership has free No Cold Calling window stickers available.

Barry man escapes New Zealand earthquake: A Barry man has narrowly escaped being caught up in the devastating earthquake that has left more than 75 people dead in Christchurch, New Zealand. Window cleaner and magistrate John Viney, of Cadoxton, was on a two-week tour and had stopped in the South Island city before returning to Wales. shallow depth of 5km (3.1 miles) on Tuesday lunchtime and has become the country's most deadly natural disaster in 80 years. John, speaking from Sydney Airport in Australia on Tuesday - the day news of the tragedy broke, said: "I had been in Christchurch for the previous four days, staying in a hotel and visiting all these places now damaged. "I left there to fly to Sydney and missed it by 12 hours. "I can't believe the pictures I am watching at Sydney Airport. "The hotel I was in looks bad."

Oscars 2011: Even the Losers Get $75,000-plus in Swag Bag - You don’t have to bring home the gold to win at the Oscars. The losing nominees will get a gift bag worth more than $75,000 (perhaps much more) in a swag bag titled “Everybody Wins at the Oscars.” The bags are delivered the next day so nominees don’t have to carry the booty around at the Academy Awards and parties and will make even losing more bearable to these saddened souls. We are not sure which of the following items are delivered separately, but the basic package contains most of the following:

The losing stars will have no shortage of places to go to drown their sorrows. They will get a $12,000 Belize getaway in Cayo Espanto — a private island, a $5,000 all-inclusive week-long fitness retreat from Live In Fitness Enterprise and a $16,000 all-inclusive getaway to Huvafen Fushi luxury resort in the Maldives compliments of Premier Tours. They can entertain themselves with their new Motorola Zoom Tablet. The winners get a secret bag that is worth twice the price to reportedly include 21 stays, three nights each, at a luxury hotel, according to LA Weekly.  A $151,200 value, though we could not confirm this one. If so, it raises the value of the package to nearly a quarter of a million dollars.

There are a dozen other curious gifts like all-natural dog-cleaning supplies, including “Doggie Slobber Window & Glass Cleaner.” Since many of them have been getting other pricey goodie bags all week, it pays to be a loser. Not bad for being a bridesmaid, not a bride on Oscar night.

Earthpawz products will be Hollywood-bound again, this time to be presented to 27 Oscar nominees in baskets arranged by Present Times on Charing Cross Street. “I never expected to be part of something that is sort of, so Hollywood, especially when you start out with something that’s all about the environment and your dog,” de St. Croix said. “I’m really honoured to be picked to be in the gift bags and just excited to have that kind of exposure and be recognized as a great green product.” Earthpawz environmentally friendly cleaning products have been gaining a following since de St. Croix began formulating them in September 2010. Initially available in 40 pet stores across Canada, the product line is now being sold in 700 stores throughout Canada and the United States. “I think the biggest thing that makes it stand out is that the formulation works so well,” she said. “The first thing I hear back from people who try it is how fantastic it works. The benefit that it is toxic-free is such a big one, but people are actually using something that works better than what they were using before.” Earthpawz products are specific to pets and the messes they leave.

ORANGE PARK, Florida: The case of a toddler who was largely unharmed after falling from a second-story window is closed. A 2-year-old boy fell around 5:30 p.m. Saturday at a home on the 300 block of Sunstone Court in Orange Park, according to the Clay County Sheriff's Office. Investigators said the toddler fell out the window but was unharmed. The mother of the boy had been cleaning the home, when she opened the windows to clear fumes from the air. She went to work shortly afterwards and left her husband watching the children.

This one is lost on me - American humor? It was just a normal day in the life of a window washer. He had been cleaning windows for three hours with no near end in sight. As he was looking into the office he was cleaning he saw a man stealing some material from the safe...

Suspension from Harness may Cause Death

Restricted circulation can lead to orthostatic intolerance and, in rare and worst-case scenarios, cause death, says information from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the United States. Circulation can be impeded for three reasons: lack of body movement, the vertical position of the body, and restrictive pressure placed on the veins by a harness. Light-headedness, palpitations, nausea, headache and fainting are among the common signs of orthostatic intolerance. When orthostatic intolerance results in death, it is referred to as suspension trauma or harness-induced pathology, OSHA says. The administration adds it is unwise to quickly move a worker who has been hanging vertically for some time into a horizontal position, because doing so is likely to "cause a large volume of deoxygenated blood to move to the heart." The result is that "the heart may be unable to cope with the abrupt increase in blood flow, causing cardiac arrest. Rescue procedures must take this into account." There are factors that can increase the likelihood of suspension trauma. These include blood loss, respiratory/cardiovascular disease, hypothermia, and dehydration.

EDMONTON: Two window washers have returned to work following a harrowing incident on August 14 that left them hanging in the air in their safety harnesses, five storeys above the ground at an Edmonton office building. Dale Clinton and Jean-Marc Juneau, employees of Endure Cleaning Service, were left in their precarious positions for about 30 minutes after a suspension cable on their work platform disconnected from its anchorage point at the top of the Edmonton Law Courts building, says Joe Barbosa, Endure's owner. "There was a snap and one side [of the platform] came down," he says, describing the incident as "scary." The two workers — both prevented from falling to the pavement below by their safety harnesses — were rescued by firefighters who used an aerial ladder to reach them. "The guys were up there and all of a sudden the cable came off the [anchorage] hook," Barbosa explains, noting that the rented cable was just a couple of weeks old. Both workers escaped critical injuries, though Clinton did have to receive stitches for a wound on the back of his head, which resulted from contact with part of the platform, Barbosa says. Juneau returned to work the day after the incident and Clinton a few days later on August 18. Sharon Blackwell, a spokeswoman for Alberta Employment and Immigration (AEI), says investigators are looking into the incident but have not yet determined its cause. No orders had been issued to Endure Cleaning Service as of COHSN press time.If there is any good news arising from the accident, it is that both window washers were wearing fall protection, Blackwell adds. Hanging in their harnesses for about 30 minutes, Clinton and Juneau experienced decreased blood circulation, Barbosa says, adding that he intends to purchase new harnesses that enable better circulation while dangling in the air.

Window Cleaner Platform Collapse

Edmonton, Canada: Harnesses save window cleaners after platform collapses at courthouse; Two window cleaners hung in mid-air for a terrifying half hour yesterday after their platform snapped and fell from underneath them at the downtown Law Courts. The accident left the men, whom their boss said are 31 and 57 years old, suspended from a safety rope 15 metres above ground. A harness held them in place underneath the building's overhang while the pair screamed for help, said witness Lisa Russell. Shortly after 1:30 p.m., Russell, 31, was walking towards the courthouse watching the men work on the building's east side when she heard something snap. "It just flew to the right side, and you just heard them screaming, 'Call the fire department,' " said the dayhome operator. It took a ladder truck from the fire department's technical rescue team to get the workers down. Two rescuers climbed up to the pair, where they unhooked them from their safety lines. The men then walked down to safety to the applause of onlookers. In the meantime, four rescuers stayed on the courthouse roof to intervene in case the ladder operation failed, said fire Capt. Roger Estey. But while the workers escaped serious injury, one of them emerged from the ordeal with his shirt bloodied after hitting his head on the falling platform, said their boss, Joe Barbosa of Endure Cleaning. Both men, who went to hospital for evaluation, were shaken. "They were tired. They'd been up there for long enough. They were in a hurry to get down," said Bob Gwartney, one of the ladder rescuers. One of the men, in fact, had been in pain throughout as the harness cut off his circulation. "He said, 'I'm passing out,' " said Barbosa. "At least he didn't fall - that's the main thing." Now, authorities have secured the site outside the courthouse's main entrance so occupational health and safety investigators can begin their probe today. But Barbosa, after examining the equipment, said it appeared to be due to a steel cable holding up the platform that broke. "The cable just ripped out of there. We've just been using that cable for three days," he said, noting he's contacted the company that rented it to him to look into the matter. "I've been in this (business) for 25 years, and it never happened," he added. Barbosa himself was working on the ground nearby when the platform fell. As he turned the corner to walk beneath it, the fall left pails of water and cleaning brushes the workers were using tumbling towards him. In the meantime, worried passersby watched as the men dangled high above the sidewalk. "Thank God they're alive," said Duane, 57, after the rescue. "They had their harnesses on. That's what saved them." And while the incident was certainly most terrifying for the two window washers, Russell said she, too, was scared watching the ordeal. "I felt so sorry for them. It looked like they were just dangling from a thread."

A man is tended to by emergency crews after some scaffolding collapsed out from underneath a pair of window cleaners yesterday at the Edmonton Law Courts building. The workers hung from their safety harnesses for half an hour until rescue crews got them down safely.

.

Window washer hurt after 30-foot fall in Miramar, Hollywood: A window washer cleaning a five-story building fell 30 feet this morning, suffering serious injuries, a fire-rescue spokesman said.The plunge took place about 10:30 a.m. at 3450 Lakeside Drive, spokesman Bill Huff said.Paramedics took the 30-year-old worker to Memorial Regional Hospital's trauma center in Hollywood, Huff said. The window washer's identity was not immediately available.