Austin Window Washer Injured After Three Story Fall

AUSTIN, Texas -- Travis County emergency crews say a window washer was taken to the hospital in serious condition after falling 40 feet in Northwest Austin. The accident occurred just before 10 a.m. outside of a building on the 8300 block of North Capital of Texas Highway. The man was said to be in his 20s and is being treated at University Medical Center Brackenridge. Authorities say he is expected to survive.

Window washer injured after three-story fall in Northwest Austin: A window washer fell about three stories from a building in Northwest Austin but his injuries are not considered life-threatening, police said. He was conscious at the scene. Federal officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the scene with a witness Monday morning, police said. Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services said it took the man, described as in his 20s, to University Medical Center Brackenridge.

The investigation is not affecting traffic on Capital of Texas Highway (Loop 360) because the window washer’s fall took place well inside the parking lot of Prominent Pointe not far from Spicewood Springs Road. The window washer had potentially serious injuries Monday morning after falling about 40 feet, first responders said. Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services took a man in his 20s to University Medical Center Brackenridge after he fell from a building in the 8300 block of North Capital of Texas Highway (Loop 360) near Spicewood Springs Road.

Window Cleaner Falls To Death

The building from which a glass cleaner fell to death in Dubai on Saturday morning. 

Window cleaner falls from 10th floor of Dubai building - Dubai Police investigation is underway to determine the cause of fatal accident: A young worker fell to his death from the tenth floor while cleaning the glass façade of a building in Dubai early on Saturday morning. Rasalmia, from Bangladesh, in his late 20s, fell from a building in Deira’s Port Saeed area.

Col Adil Al Suwaidi, Manager of Al Muraqqabat Police Station, confirmed to Emirates 24|7 that the cleaning worker fell from the 10th floor of the building and died on the spot. Advising the maintenance and cleaning company supervisors and engineers to provide all the required safety and security facilities for employees who work at such heights, Col Al Suwaidi added that an investigation is underway to determine whether there were any lapses in providing security to the worker.

The Colonel added that the body of the worker had been sent to the forensic laboratory. According to the station head, the necessary measures for workers’ safety seemed to be in place, but authorities are investigating further to rule out any security lapses. The investigation will determine whether the worker fell due to his own security lapse or if some foul play was involved.

Passersby saw the victim’s dead body lying at the entrance of the Business Avenue Tower, which houses several offices. One of Rasalmia’s colleagues was on a floor above the tenth and two co-workers were cleaning the glass façade of floors below the tenth when the tragedy happened at around 6am.

According to Rasalmia’s relatives, the victim’s co-workers became aware of the accident from the vibrations of the iron rope from which a cleaning cradle hung. It is not yet clear what exactly caused his fall. Security staff of the building confirmed the accident but an official of the cleaning company declined to comment. Rasalmia shared his room with eight colleagues who are saddened by his sudden death.

Witnesses describe ‘horror’ of finding man’s body after suspected fall from Dubai tower: Eye witnesses have described the grisly scene after a man’s body was found at the base of a tower in Dubai on Tuesday. Staff from the Radisson Royal Hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road made the grim discovery outside the Nassima apartment block of the same building. A staff member told 7DAYS the man appeared to have been “a resident or a guest” of one of the apartments.

Police officers cordoned off the area and are currently investigating. They have not yet confirmed the cause of death or released details about the circumstances of the man’s death. However, it is thought that he fell to his death. “At first we thought it could have been a cleaner but I doubt it because he was wearing Adidas shorts. The windows are sealed so I don’t know how he managed. He could have fallen or jumped from the rooftop. Police are here to investigate,” a witness said.

The incident is thought to have taken place between 4pm and 5pm. A passerby who was walking to a nearby coffee shop on the same street told 7DAYS: “He was lying on the pavement. It was horrifying to see. They covered him up but I could still see his leg hanging out.” Vehicles and officers from the Dubai Police Crime Scene Investigation department were also at the scene but declined to comment.

Window Cleaner Has No Memory Of 40ft Fall

 Martin Greig fell from the fourth floor.

Window cleaner has no memory of 40ft fall: A window cleaner who plunged 40ft to the pavement at a city centre site after his safety ropes failed says he has no memory of the horrifying ordeal. Martin Greig, 25, from Penicuik, had been cleaning the windows of the Semple Street Exchange 1 building at around 4pm last Friday when the ropes designed to secure him to the building gave way. He incredibly survived the fall, but is still recovering in intensive care at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

Mr Greig has been told by doctors he was lucky to have escaped the fall with only two broken wrists, two badly sprained ankles and two broken bones in his lower back. The worker, who lives with fiancée Wendy and seven-month-old daughter Millie, said: “Only time will tell if I’ll be able to go back to work. I’ve been told I’ve got months of physiotherapy ahead of me and even if I do get completely back to normal, this has really hit home. I have a daughter to think about.

“I don’t remember what happened and hearing about it was really shocking. “The ropes we had had been in use for a long time and I think they were due to be replaced soon, but I had no reason to think they would fail.” The Health and Safety Executive is investigating the incident.

Colleague Jack Robertson, 20, who had been working with Mr Greig at Perth-based subcontractor Smith Services Ltd for three months, said he was sure his friend had not survived the fall. The Penicuik man said: “We were on our last drop of the day and we were sitting at the fourth floor when Martin’s main line suddenly snapped. He fell a few feet before the back-up caught him for a second, then it failed too. “It was all over in a split second, but I remember he was falling so fast the water in his bucket was coming up out of the top. Then there was this awful thud as he hit the ground. It was horrible – nothing I would ever want to see again.”

Mr Robertson immediately pulled himself up one floor to the roof before racing down to his friend’s side. “When I got to the bottom the security guard had already called an ambulance and they were there within minutes,” he said. “Martin wasn’t conscious. I was sure he was dead. “When you work with ropes at height, you know it’s a risky job, but you never think something like this will happen.” Mr Greig started his career nearly two years ago after his brother, Steve, recommended the trade to him. He had recently qualified as a level two rope access technician. Workers can earn as much as £70,000 a year in the trade.

Mother Aileen Greig, 57, who works as a lab technician, called for answers about the fall that nearly cost her son his life. A spokesman for site manager Robertson Facilities Management said: “We are working with the relevant authorities to determine the exact cause of the incident as soon as we can. We are also providing full support to the subcontractor, his family and colleagues, and wish him a full and speedy recovery.”

Martin Greig is a level 2 Rope Access Technician at Smith Services Ltd. He currently holds a valid OPITO approved BOSIET, MIST and OLF approved Norwegian Escape Chute certificate.

Harness Snap In Edinburgh, Scotland

Hospital: The cleaner was injured when he fell from the office block in Edinburgh.

Window cleaner plummeted from office block after harness snapped: A window cleaner has been taken to hospital after his harness snapped and he fell from an office block. Two men from a Perth-based company were cleaning the windows at Exchange Place Estate on Semple Street in Edinburgh on Friday when the man fell. It is understood his harness broke just after 4pm and he fell from the building. The worker was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary with injuries to his wrists, ankles and back. A spokesman for Police Scotland said there were no suspicious circumstances around the fall and the Health and Safety Executive are investigating. A spokeswoman for the Health and Safety Executive said: "We are aware of the incident in Edinburgh and are investigating." 

Exchange Place Estate on Semple Street in Edinburgh.

High Rise Window Cleaning - Twin Cities Investigation

Green Window Cleaning Services owner Jeff Scott and reporter Trish Van Pilsum descend a 15-story condo building in Madison, Wisconsin.

Investigators: A Window Washer's World: The center of the city shines only because there are a few workers who will brave any height to keep it that way. There are only about 100 high rise window washers in the Twin Cities area, but four have died since 2007. Julie Jennings' son, Jake, is one of those who died in March of 2009. He was working at the Normandale Lakes Office Park in Bloomington and fell after the line tying him to the building he was cleaning slipped from its anchor. Julie feels that her son should have been better trained. She fears for other window washers who are just starting their careers and doesn't want any other famliy to go through what she has in the last two years. " It is the worst thing in the world. I will never get over it," said Julie.

The other 3 fatal accidents:

• Dec. 2007: Fidel Sanchez-Flores fell to his death while cleaning ice from the top of the IDS Crystal Court in Minneapolis.
• Sept. 2009: Bryan Prairie, 24, fell from a roof at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park.
• June 2011: Ryan Shannon, 25, died after falling from Knollwood Place Apartments in St. Louis Park.

"A hundred people and four deaths in four years -- it is an insane number," said Javier Morillo-Alicea, President of SEIU Local 26. "If you applied that to any other industry it would be a scandal." Minnesota OSHA increased the number of inspections on Oct. 1, 2010 due to the deaths. The checks have turned up potentially deadly hazards including:

• Tie backs not being securely fastened to outrigger beams
• Inadequate anchorage systems
• Counterweights not of sufficeient weight
• Washer not protected by a safety belt.

Window Washer Safety Culture in Twin Cities: According to the International Window Cleaning Association, Minnesota has had the highest rate of window washing accidents in the United States since 2007. This fall, the IWCA came to the Twin Cities, hoping to educate fellow washers on safety issues -- but the safety conference was poorly attended. The FOX 9 Investigators called several of the companies that didn't show up. They said they either didn't know about it or were too busy to attend. When asked about training, several window washers told the FOX 9 Investigators they were either trained for only a short amount of time or just had on-the-job training when they began their careers.

Going Over the Wall: FOX 9 Investigator, Trish Van Pilsum wanted to draw attention to the issue of safety, so she found out what it is like to go over the wall -- the parapet wall that is. Jeff Scott, owner of Green Window Cleaning in Madison, Wis., agreed to help Trish experience what window washers go through on a daily basis. He did not train her as he would the cleaners that work for him because that would have taken months of lessons and testing. Instead, he prepared her to repel down the side of a 15-story building in Madison with no cleaning duties. No safety measure was spared. She used a bosun's chair, work line and safety line.

Window washers say the set up for equipment on top of the 31-story Ameriprise Financial Center in downtown Minneapolis is one of the best in Twin Cities.

There are several I-bolt anchors atop the 31-story Ameriprise Financial Center in Minneapolis for window washers to attach their lifelines and work lines.

Two window washers descend down the Federal Bank Reserve in Minneapolis.

Jake Jennings died two years ago in Bloomington after falling from a building where he was washing windows. His mother (pictured with him here) wants to see changes that make window washing jobs safer for all workers. There are been a total of four window washer fatalities since 2007 in the Twin Cities.

There are an estimated 100 high-rise window cleaners in the Twin Cities. They make between $14/hour to $21/hour on average.

Washers in Minneapolis use a suspended scaffold --also known as a swing stage -- to clean windows.

Tony Gesino has been washing windows for the last 8 years.

Window cleaning professional Jeff Scott explains the lifeline and work lines reporter Trish Van Pilsum will be using to scale down a 15-story condo building in Madison, Wis.