Denver Firefighters Kept Busy Saving Window Cleaners

The collapsed suspended platform. In the first incident two window cleaners were working from a suspended platform when one of the cables gave way, dropping one end of the platform.

Denver fire fighters busy with work at height:  Denver firefighters were kept busy last week, rescuing two men from a collapsed suspended platform and then a man from a boom lift that touched overhead power lines. In the first incident two window washers were working from a suspended platform aka swing stage at a height or around 30 metres, when one of the hoists/cables gave way, dropping one end of the platform.

The fire department just managed to reach the stranded men - both of whom were wearing harnesses – with their 105ft ladder platform. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated the incident.

A closer look.

Then on Friday a man using a Genie S-85 rented from Sunstate Equipment managed to come into contact with some overhead power lines. The lift’s boom was fully retracted, but elevated to around 45 degrees or so. One report claims that the contact caused a fire on the machine, although the man was unhurt. He was wearing a full harness and lanyard and was carrying a fair bit of material including four large planks. Once again the Denver fire service came to the rescue, along with a crew from Xcel Energy. there were no injuries in either incident.

Rescued unharmed after contacting power lines.

Window Cleaners Get Stuck Over The Weekend

Window cleaners stuck half way up the Centre North East building in Middlesbrough. Click to enlarge.

Window cleaners get stuck half way up the tallest building in Middlesbrough: A pair of window cleaners became an unlikely centre of attention when they got stuck half way up the tallest building in Middlesbrough. The two men were working at Centre North East on Saturday when their cage lift got stuck on the ninth floor. A rescue mission to save the pair and get them to safety was then launched by fire crews.

Window cleaners stuck on a swinging scaffold at Centre North East in Middlesbrough. Click to enlarge.

Crowds gathered to watch the drama unfold, which happened at about 11.50am. Fire crews set up a cordon around the 240ft, 17-storey building while the incident was ongoing for public safety reasons. This closed off a section of Albert Road. Four fire appliances, including a platform from Middlesbrough and the emergency tender from Coulby Newham, attended. A specialist line rescue crew also at the scene attached harnesses to the men.

The 17-storey high office block is 240ft high. Click to enlarge.

The men were eventually rescued at about 2.30pm after a expert glaziers removed a window from the building so they men could climb to safety. Michael Smith, watch manager at Middlesbrough fire station, said: “We had our platform at the scene but that could only reach to the eight floor and the men were up on the ninth.” It took about two hours for the window to be removed. It shattered while the glaziers were working on the glass. The window had been in for that many years that it was solid so it took some time to get it out”, said Mr Smith. He added both men were fine following their ordeal.

The men were rescued at 2:20pm after being stuck on a cradle for around two and a half hours. Click to enlarge.

Scaffold Collapse Recalls Previous Tractel Disaster

The failure of the window-washing machinery high atop Hearst Tower ended well Wednesday, when both workers on board were rescued by first responders. That wasn't the case in 2007, when a window washing accident sent two brothers on a 47-story free fall. The lone survivor filed suit against Tractel, one of the companies that maintained the scaffolding system. I-Team reporter Chris Glorioso reports on that incident and the possible connection to the latest scaffolding incident.

Scaffold Collapse Recalls Deadly '07 Accident: Two window washers plummeted 47 stories from a collapsed scaffolding on the Upper East Side in 2007. The two workers who were rescued from a collapsed scaffold atop the Hearst Tower Wednesday were not hurt, but a similar incident on the Upper East Side years earlier left one man dead and another with serious injuries. In 2007, two window washers, who were brothers - were working on scaffolding alongside 265 E. 66th St. when the structure plummeted 47 stories to the pavement.

The surviving brother, 43-year-old Alcides Moreno, filed a lawsuit against Tractel, the company that helped maintain the Upper East Side window washing scaffold that fell. After that accident, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued Tractel three serious citations for improper installation of parts that supported the platform’s load.

Marketing literature published online shows Tractel is also the company that provided a window washing scaffold that looks identical to the one that failed Wednesday alongside the Hearst building. Tractel "provided a unique façade maintenance unit” for the Hearst Headquarters, according to the product information. Tractel personnel had not returned the I-Team’s phone message seeking comment at the time of this article's publication.

It is not clear if Tractel was responsible for installing or maintaining the window-washing mechanism atop the Hearst Tower. The two workers who became stranded were technicians for Tractel Harness, according to first responders. The New York Department of Labor regulates window washing scaffolding mechanisms. In 2008, state labor regulators issued Tractel a notice of violation for failing to maintain the scaffold that collapsed at East 66th Street. The initial investigation found the hoist rope was attached to the scaffold with a faulty compression device.

Back in December 2007, when two “window washing” brothers—immigrants from Ecuador—plunged 47 stories from a luxury apartment building on the East Side, we marveled that one of them survived the fall that killed his brother instantly.  37-year-old Alcides Moreno was considered the “miracle  man” who was able to walk again, after grieving the death of his brother, Edgar. At the time, PIX 11 did a special report on the sometimes-fatal dangers of window washing, especially when the scaffold is faulty.  It turns out the high-tech scaffold being  used at the Hearst Tower on 57th Street, where two window washers were rescued Wednesday, was operated by the same, Long Island City company that was fined thousands of dollars in the fatal 2007 accident involving the Moreno brothers.  When contacted by PIX 11 Wednesday, a Tractel Company representative who answered the phone said, “In regards to the Hearst Building, we have no comment.  Please direct your questions to the Fire Department of New York.”

Man trapped in midtown Manhattan scaffold collapse says feared he'd be ‘crash-test dummy’ ‘You see everything happen in front of you. All I heard was the metal snapping,’ reveals survivor Victor Caraballo. Clinging to a broken scaffolding suspended 44 stories above midtown, 26-year-old maintenance man Victor Caraballo feared becoming a “crash dummy.” A day after he and coworker Stephen Schmidt, 49, endured a heart-pounding, 90-minute scare 450 feet up the face of the Hearst Tower, the Bronx man said he was lucky to be alive to tell the tale. “If anything goes wrong, I’m the crash dummy,” Caraballo told the Daily News Thursday of the fear that ran through his mind as firefighters raced to the rescue.
Caraballo, who lives in the Bronx with his mom and two pit bulls, said he has an “ordinary job,” but the horror above W. 57th St. proved his work takes guts. He said he and Schmidt were conducting a test drop of a window-washing rig about 2:45 p.m. when suddenly an average day turned into a thriller. “It was pretty scary at first,” said Caraballo, who works for Tractel Inc. “You see everything happen in front of you. All I heard was the metal snapping.” Despite dangling from the twisted scaffolding, praying for help to arrive fast, Caraballo described the incident in retrospect as a rare “technical difficulty.” “I have gotten stuck plenty of times, but not like this,” he said. “The way this happened it was pretty scary, but you deal with it.”
Still, he couldn’t suppress thoughts that “if it goes, I go with it.” Firefighters from Rescue Co. 1 executed the high-rise heroics with aplomb, cutting a hole in a 44th-floor window of the glass-and-steel skyscraper to pull the men to safety. “When the FDNY sent me the safe line, I knew everything was fine,” Caraballo said outside his Bronx apartment building, happy to be on terra firma and to have the day off. “They responded fast. Everything went good. I was very appreciative of what they did for us.” As soon as he was rescued, he called his mother. “She was a little shaken up,” Caraballo said. “She hates my job to begin with. So this makes her not want me to go back to work.” But Caraballo said he’s not about to give up his job, even for his mother. “Of course it crosses your mind,” he said of the occupational hazards. “But you got to stay positive. You don’t want to think like that.”

New York Window Washers Rescued - 46th Floor Hearst Tower

Two window washers are stuck outside the 46th floor of the skyscraper as rescuers stuggle to save them.

Window washers dangling outside 46th floor of legendary Hearst building - Window washers hung out to dry: 2 workers hang perilously above Midtown Manhattan after scaffolding collapses as rescuers race to their aid. Two window washers were dangling from outside the 46th story of a midtown skyscraper Wednesday afternoon, after their scaffolding suddenly collapsed, authorities said.

Firefighters were still trying to rescue the trapped workers after they were called to the Hearst building on W. 57th St. and Eighth Ave. about 2:45 p.m., said authorities. The workers were cleaning windows on the side of the building, officials said. It was not immediately clear what may have caused the accident.

The two were cleaning windows when their scaffolding gave way.

Scaffold Collapses On Hearst Tower In Midtown - 2 Window Washers Trapped About 45 Stories Above The Ground (NEW YORK) – Two window washers are trapped on a collapsed scaffold high above the streets of Midtown Manhattan. The window washers are trapped near the 45th floor of the Hearst Tower at 57th Street and 8th Avenue. The long, metallic scaffold appears to have buckled in the middle, creating a “V”-shape. The window washers appear to be on either side of the site of the buckling. They seem to be resting comfortably and communicating with firefighters above. Footage from the scene showed the two men wearing harnesses on the scaffold and firefighters nearby at the top of the building, which is 46 stories tall. Firefighters have stretched a safety line to at least one of the workers. Two firefighters can be seen lying on their stomachs at the top of the tower, observing the situation below. The collapse began at around 2:40 p.m.

Dozens of firefighters responded to the scene to try to rescue the men, who are conscious and communicating with responders. Firefighters could be seen on the roof of the tower as well as behind the windows on a floor level with the platform. Both men are wearing safety harnesses. The first responders have lowered additional lines to them.

The FDNY has responded and is undertaking a “high angle rescue.” Firefighters are opening a window on the 44th floor to bring the workers to safety, the FDNY said via Twitter. Wind gusts are a significant factor for effecting the rescue. Wind gusts were at least 25-30 mph at street level, CBS 2′s Vanessa Murdock reported. Gusts at 46 stories are expected to be stronger. 57th Street is closed eastbound from 8th to 9th Avenue and westbound from 7th to 9th Avenue. The Hearst Building is famous for its unusual triangular framing pattern. The framing required a different type of window washing apparatus, manufactured by Tractel-Swingstage, according to a published report. The apparatus is suspended by six wire ropes to the anchoring mechanism above, according to the report. The scaffolding is monitored by a series of dozens of sensors, according to the report.

Window Washer Resue San Diego

A firefighter reached the stranded window cleaners by rappelling about two floors from the top of the 23-story structure.

Crews rescue two window washers from building in downtown San Diego (Incident at First Allied Plaza building) - SAN DIEGO - Emergency crews came to the rescue of two window washers who became trapped several hundred feet above street level Monday outside a Marina-area high-rise due to a malfunction on their mechanized work platform.

The non-injury mishap at the First Allied Plaza building, 655 W. Broadway, was reported about 1:15 p.m., according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. A firefighter reached the stranded men by rappelling about two floors from the top of the 23-story structure. The rescuer then strapped one of the workers to his harness, after which they were lowered 16 floors onto a roof on a protruding section of the building, reaching it about 2:15 p.m., SDFRD spokesman Maurice Luque said. "It was determined that it was safest and easiest to lower individually each of the window washers down to a rooftop which was about 16 floors down," said Luque.

A firefighter reached the stranded men by rappelling about two floors from the top of the 23-story structure. inside," Sanchez said.

No injuries were reported. 10News learned a similar incident happened at the same building about a year and a half ago. 10News attempted to contact the window washing company, Glass With Class out of El Cajon, but their listed number had been disconnected.

Fire crews were called to rescue two window washers stuck in their rig, 21 floors above ground, in downtown San Diego on Monday afternoon.

DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO — Two window washers had to be rescued Monday afternoon after their platform got stuck off the 21st floor of a building in downtown San Diego.

The workers were on a rig hanging off the First Allied Plaza building on West Broadway near Kettner Boulevard when the call to rescue them was made about 1:15 p.m., San Diego Fire-Rescue spokesman Maurice Luque said.

Firefighters were able to get the two men down by about 2:45 p.m. The men were rescued one at a time. A firefighter rappelled down the side of the building to the platform, then harnessed the workers. They were lowered to a roof farther down the building, Luque said. Luque said the men, with a company called Glass with Class, were stuck after the motor on the cleaning rig malfunctioned.

Why High Rise Cleaners Use Safety Lines

Scaffold Rescue In Manhattan - A worker ended up dangling six stories from the street when he had problems on his window-washing scaffold. It happened during lunchtime Monday in Gramercy Park. The unidentified man fell off of the scaffolding but his safety harness kept him from plunging to the street below. The NYPD was able to use a ladder to get to the man and safely return him to the ground. He was welcomed by the cheers of the crowd that had gathered to watch the events unfold.

Window Cleaner Rescued After Chair Chain Snaps

Dangling window washer rescued from top of McCaw Hall: SEATTLE - Firefighters rescued a terrified window washer Thursday after he slipped from his seat and was left dangling 60 feet above the ground at Seattle Center's McCaw Hall. The man was cleaning windows outside the buildings' top floor Thursday just before noon when some kind of malfunction caused him to fall from his seat.

His fall was broken by a safety line after he fell about nine feet, but he was left hanging in mid-air, unable to pull himself back up to the roof. Denise Bolstad of Pacific Northwest Ballet said she was in a meeting inside the building when she heard someone yelling.

"So I looked out the window, and I didn't see anybody, but the yelling continued, and my meeting continued, and I didn't see anything," she told KOMO News. "Finally I looked up, I tried to figure out what it was outside my window - and that's when I looked up and saw this man hanging there. And I was, 'Oh my God, this man is hanging there.' ... Then we went and called 911, and they were here in one minute or less."

One Seattle Fire Department rescue team deployed to the roof of the building to stabilize the man while a second team extended a ladder to him from a fire truck. The man was able to walk down the ladder safely with the assistance of a firefighter.

Bolstad says she felt sorry for the man, who had been dangling there for 20 minutes before anyone else was aware of his predicament. "I felt bad for him," she says. "I felt like I needed to go give him a hug when he got down." Julie Jameson, who watched the rescue from the ground level outside the building said she was praying for the window washer the whole time. She praised the fire department for its quick, professional response.

After the rescue, the window washer was shaken up but uninjured. The man, who is fluent in Spanish, told KOMO News that he was afraid he was going to fall to his death at first. And he was grateful for the fire department's quick response. Asked what he told them, he said, "Gracias."

Window washer dangles at Center: 'Happy to be down' - Jose Garcia is an old hand at washing windows, but on Thursday he gained a new appreciation of the potential dangers of his job. Just before noon, as Garcia was washing windows on McCaw Hall, he slid off his seat about 65 feet above the ground at Seattle Center. He spent about 40 minutes dangling from his harness before he was rescued by Seattle firefighters. Garcia, 36, of Burien, was not injured, but he was clearly frazzled by the incident. "I'm OK," said Garcia a few minutes after making it safely to the ground. "I'm just happy to be down."

Garcia, who has worked as a window washer for seven years with SunWest Property Maintenance, an independent contracting company, never had a mishap like this. Garcia was working alone, as he usually does, and had finished cleaning the hall's fifth-floor front windows when a chain securing his seat snapped. "I don't know what happened," he said. According to Kyle Moore, public information officer for the Seattle Fire Department, Garcia then tumbled about eight feet from his seat, but was caught by a backup safety line. Garcia said he didn't have the strength to pull himself up to his seat, so he wrapped his arms and legs around the line, screaming for help. "I was yelling 'Help, help, call 911,' " said Garcia.

 Jose Garcia, a window washer is escorted down a Seattle Fire Department ladder truck outside McCaw Hall, Thursday, July 14, 2011 in Seattle. Seattle firefighters have rescued a window washer who slipped out of his seat and dangled about 65 feet off the ground outside a building at the Seattle Center civic complex.

Deborah Daoust, director of communications for the Seattle Center, said an employee from the Pacific Northwest Ballet, whose office faces the performance hall, heard Garcia's cries and called 911 at 11:47 a.m. The Fire Department's technical rescue team responded. Firefighters went onto the roof and dropped a rope to keep Garcia, who was about 15 feet below the roofline, from falling further, Moore said. Another firefighter then climbed a ladder and helped Garcia climb down, he said. Garcia was safely on the ground by 12:30 p.m., Moore said. "Everything worked properly," Moore said. "We're glad he's OK."