Window washers stretch safety rules...

Facing hard-to-clean sliding windows, cleaners on East 44th Street cut corners

In an article by Peter D'Amato which can be found here, a five-man crew from a company called Upgrade Services took turns leaning out and stretching to clean the farthest corners of the windows in a 1950s-era office building. This building was sixty feet above East 44th Street. 

Upgrade Services President John McDermott sent the five men back for retraining once the union had heard the risky maneuvers they attempted to perform their work. The workers were in clear violation of the state's labor law. Laws require that workers use safety harnesses or a scaffold when cleaning the outside of windows. The President of the company also went on to say, "After years on the job, veterans can get overly brave. "You get lulled into a false sense of security that it's OK to take these chances."

OSHA Cites Cleaning Service After Fatal Fall

Bella Vista, 631 Hazel St., Oshkosh, is a senior lifestyle and assisted-living facility, formerly the site of Mercy Medical Center & the scene of a 20 yr old window cleaners death.

OSHA cites cleaning service after fatal fall: The 2015 death of a 20 year old Oshkosh man who fell five stories from a senior-living facility prompted a federal investigation that resulted in multiple citations for a local window cleaning service.

Serwas Window Cleaning Services LLC faces one "wilful" and eight "serious" safety citations from the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, after three separate investigations of company work sites in Oshkosh Appleton and Green Bay, the federal agency announced Thursday.

Tyler S. Peterson (pictured) fell to his death from a platform Sept. 9 while washing windows on the fifth floor of Bella Vista Retirement Community, 631 Hazel St., Oshkosh. He was taken to a local hospital, where he later died.

Inspectors determined Peterson's safety lines were not properly tied off, according to an OSHA news release. They also cited Serwas for failing to properly use fall protection and to train workers in fall-protection systems.

“This young man’s tragic death illustrates the importance of training workers in the proper use of fall protection systems,” said Robert Bonack, area director for OSHA's Appleton office. “Window washing is an inherently dangerous job. Employers must ensure workers have the proper equipment and are trained in its use.”

The agency also cited the company for four serious violations for failing to use fall protection properly and train workers in fall protection systems used during drop work, according to the news release. OSHA also issued Serwas a hazard letter for not marking or tagging the ropes used on the rigger with the length, diameter and date placed in service.

Chuck Hertel, an Oshkosh-based attorney representing Serwas in the matter, disputed the allegations, saying Serwas has "a very vigorous training program" that it requires all employees to complete before they start work.

"No employees go up in the air without going through it," Hertel said Thursday in an interview with USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.

Inspectors also found another worker had fallen July 16 on a job site on Adams Street in Green Bay, and OSHA issued three serious violations to the company Jan. 12 for violating fall protection standards. Serwas has contested those citations.

In the Oshkosh and Green Bay incidents, the company provided employees with adequate safety equipment, but the employees chose not to use it, Hertel said.

"Unfortunately, that equipment takes a fair amount of effort to properly put in place, and sometimes an employee chooses to take a shortcut," Hertel said. "Unfortunately, there were horrible results as a consequence."

On Oct. 1, 2015, an OSHA inspector saw workers cleaning gutters without fall protection on a residential roof on Durkee Street in Appleton, according to the news release. The agency cited the company for failing to provide fall protection.

The agency issued citations for the Hazel and Durkee Street violations March 7. Proposed penalties for all three inspections total $69,800.

The company is working with OSHA investigators to resolve any safety issues and will contest any citations that aren't resolved, Hertel said.

20-Year-Old Window Washer Falls to Death in WI (Oshkosh, WI) - A 20-year-old window washer fell more than 58 feet to his death because his safety lines were not properly tied off, federal inspectors found. The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Serwas Window Cleaning Services LLC, for a total of one willful and eight serious safety citations following three separate investigations of company worksites in Appleton, Green Bay, and Oshkosh. The investigations were opened following the worker's Sept. 9, 2015, death.

"This young man's tragic death illustrates the importance of training workers in the proper use of fall protection systems," said Robert Bonack, OSHA's area director for the Appleton office. "Window washing is an inherently dangerous job. Employers must ensure workers have the proper equipment and are trained in its use."

OSHA's fatality inspection found the rooftop rigger being used by the worker was not tied back to a separate anchor point and counterweights were not utilized prior to him going over the edge to clean a set of windows at a senior living property on Hazel Street in Oshkosh. The agency cited the company for four serious violations for failing to use fall protection properly and train workers in fall protection systems used during drop work. OSHA also issued Serwas a hazard letter for not marking or tagging the ropes used on the rigger with the length, diameter, and date placed in service.

While investigating the fatality, inspectors found another worker had fallen on a job site on Adams Street in Green Bay on July 16, 2015, OSHA issued three serious violations* to the company on Jan. 12, 2016, for violating fall protection standards. Serwas has contested those citations. On Oct. 1, 2015, an OSHA inspector observed workers cleaning gutters on a residential roof on Durkee Street in Appleton, without fall protection. The company was cited for failing to provide fall protection on this site as well. Citations for the Hazel* and Durkee Street* violations were issued to the company on March 7. Proposed penalties for all three inspections total $ 69,800.

OSHA offers a Stop Falls online resource with detailed information in English and Spanish on fall protection standards. The page provides fact sheets, posters, and videos that illustrate various fall hazards and appropriate preventive measures. OSHA standards require that an effective form of fall protection be in use when workers perform construction activities six feet or more above the next lower level.

The agency's ongoing Fall Prevention Campaign was developed in partnership with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and NIOSH's National Occupational Research Agenda program. Begun in 2012, the campaign provides employers with lifesaving information and educational materials on how to prevent falls, provide the right equipment for workers and train employees to use gear properly.

Sewas Window Cleaning Services has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Hanging From The Skies

The buildings where they work are equipped with a built-in ‘suspended scaffold platforms’, commonly known as a ‘swing stage’.

Hanging from the skies – A chat with the window cleaners of Kuwait’s skyscrapers: If you suffer from vertigo, window-cleaning is not the job for you. But for some some, it’s an everyday task. The job is challenging considering the safety risks for the cleaners, especially in Kuwait where safety precautions are not always implemented or enforced.

Kuwait Times spoke to several window cleaners who work in Kuwait City skyscrapers and was amazed by their bravery. “Yes we are insured and our salary is better than regular cleaners,” said Yousef Mazumder, a Bangladeshi supervisor. He told Kuwait Times that in the event of an accident, the worker’s family can claim monetary compensation from the company.

“This job is quite dangerous but every worker undergoes a series of training and workshops; we have safety briefings every time they ascend and descend for the job; we prepare them mentally and I always tell them to relax and not have any worries whilst up there,” he noted. Muzumder’s job is to ensure each and every member of his team is safe at the end of the day. “My job is to keep them safe on the job site and make sure that they are all at ease with each other. Personal problems should be left on the ground,” asserted Mazumder.

The buildings where they work are equipped with a built-in ‘suspended scaffold platforms’, commonly known as a ‘swing stage’. These machine is regularly maintained and also have locally-based engineers and technicians to help in case of a breakdown. “We have regular checks regardless whether we have a problem or not. The good thing is that they are just a call away. When I call for help, within minutes they are here. My objective every day is to finish the job with zero accidents,” Mazumder said.

It can take up to a month to clean the façade windows of a 30-storey glass building. While cleaning glass faced skyscrapers, a team must have at least 10 people plus a supervisor to oversee the process. The suspended scaffold is permitted to carry two to three workers to perform the cleaning job. An operator is usually stationed in the control room to communicate with the cleaners on the swing stage. “We work as a team. It needs coordination. The cleaners can only swing sideways; but lowering or moving the platform is done by the operator in the control room,” Mazumder explained.

The swing stage is also equipped with several safety tools and equipment including built-in harnesses attached to the bodies of the cleaners and the platform . “I instruct them to wear the harness at all times. There are other cables here inside this swing stage; these are used to support the platform to prevent unnecessary movements when a strong wind blows. The rope also serves as a support in the event of a breakdown. They are also connected to the glass windows in the building, so we are really safe,” he assured.

Jenat Ali Sheikh from Bangladesh and Saru Munam from India are two of the window cleaners who scale the heights of some of Kuwait’s tallest skyscrapers. “This is my job and I do this every day without fear,” Sheikh said. “I am not afraid anymore; in the beginning it was scary, but not now. Anyway, all jobs are dangerous even if you are in an office; you go out in the street you don’t know whether you’ll reach home alive,” he reasoned.

Munam said they were carefully trained before getting the job as window cleaners. “I underwent training for about one or two months. Initially, we start from the first floor; then every day, if we can tolerate the height, they increased the floors until the top floor; It’s a process – you will be replaced if you cannot tolerate heights,” Munam said.

The scaffolding carries about five buckets of water and some chemicals to clean the windowpanes. When all the water is consumed, the operator lifts up the swing stage to replenish it. Cleaners perform the job manually using the chemicals and other cleaning tools and equipment. Generally, chemicals are added to water and a brush or cloth-covered wiper is dipped into the resulting solution and used to scrub the glass. A squeegee is then used to sluice the dirt and water mixture from the glass.

Note: Suspended platforms are access platforms for one or more workers with manual or motor driven devices for raising and lowering via ropes. Platforms may be fitted to high rise buildings or skyscrapers, or assembled from components to suit the architecture and nature of work being performed. These can be either temporary or permanent. Both have their own unique governing codes and regulations. Permanent suspended platforms are often known as building maintenance units (BMU) and their platforms are also known as gondolas in Europe.

Man Has Face 'Ripped Off' By A Sofa

A witness said: "There were people cleaning the windows. A security guard at the hotel said they had put the sofa into the cradle, which was big enough for three men and it fell out."

Man's face 'ripped off' by sofa falling from luxury London hotel penthouse: A man reportedly had his 'face ripped off' in a horrifying incident that saw a sofa fall from a luxury London hotel penthouse. The man was walking past the W Hotel in Leicester Square when the sofa fell from scaffolding on one of the £9,533-a-month penthouses on the ninth floor. It is now believed the sofa had been put on a window cleaning cradle before it fell.

According to the Mirror, a witness said: "There were people cleaning the windows. A security guard at the hotel said they had put the sofa into the cradle, which was big enough for three men and it fell out." The witness added: "[The man] looked like his face had been ripped off." The victim was taken to hospital with a serious head injury, and is believed to be in a critical but stable condition.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "Police were called at 8.54am on Friday 30 October to reports of a pedestrian injured in Wardour Street W1. "At this early stage it is believed he was injured by a piece of furniture which fell from scaffolding. "The man aged in his 20s taken to an east London hospital by London's Air Ambulance. His condition is critical but stable."

A spokeswoman for Starwood Hotels, the parent group of W Hotels, said: "We are aware of an incident at the Swiss Centre which also houses W London Leicester Square. "The exact circumstances of this accident are still being investigated. "Our thoughts and prayers go to the gentleman concerned, who is being treated in hospital for his injuries." The spokesman said: "The man, aged in his twenties, was taken to an east London hospital by London's Air Ambulance "His condition is critical but stable. "The Health and Safety Executive has been informed."

The newspaper quoted one witness as saying: "[The man] looked like his face had been ripped off. "It was raining and where the drops were hitting his face it was making him scream in agony."

R.I.P. Tyler Peterson

A view of Bella Vista Independent and Assisted Living in Oshkosh. Tyler Peterson, 20, an Oshkosh man was taken to the hospital and later died from his injuries.

Fatal fall victim identified as Oshkosh man, 20: The man who died after a reported five-story fall in Oshkosh was washing windows, authorities say. The Winnebago County Coroner's Office says Tyler Peterson, 20, of Oshkosh, died Wednesday. He was working at Bella Vista Independent and Assisted Living, 631 Hazel St., when scaffolding gave way.

Oshkosh police say they were called to the apartment complex around 12:40 p.m. for a report of a person who fell five stories. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is also investigating Peterson's death. Bella Vista is the former Mercy Medical Center building near Menominee Park.

Oshkosh police, OSHA investigate man's death: Local and federal authorities continue to investigate the Wednesday, Sept. 9, death of a 20-year-old Oshkosh window-washer who they say fell five stories from a senior and assisted living facility.

The manner of death appears to be consistent with the fall itself, although authorities won't have a preliminary cause of his injuries until after a preliminary autopsy, which was scheduled for noon, Thursday, Sept. 10, Winnebago County Coroner Barry Busby said. Authorities anticipate releasing the findings of that preliminary examination sometime Friday, Sept. 11.

"This is a tragic accident and kind of unusual," Busby said, noting there has not been a job-related fatality of this nature in Oshkosh during his 18-year tenure as coroner. "With OSHA and everybody else involved, you have more eyes on it."

Tyler S. Peterson fell from a platform while washing windows on the fifth floor of Bella Vista Retirement Community, 631 Hazel St., which is the former Mercy Medical Center building, authorities said.

Authorities responded to a report of a person falling five stories from the building at 12:40 p.m., Wednesday, in the 600 block of Hazel Street, according to an Oshkosh Police Department news release. Peterson was transported to a local hospital, where he later died.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is conducting its own investigation of the incident to determine whether any violations of OSHA standards occurred, agency spokeswoman Rhonda Burke said in an email.

Two OSHA compliance safety and health officers from the agency's Appleton-area office responded to the scene after being notified at about 2 p.m., Wednesday, Burke said. Agency personnel will collect evidence, conduct interviews and review records relevant to the incident and will analyze the information for any violations for which citations might be issued.

Burke declined to provide more specifics about the incident, noting the agency does not comment on open investigations, but said falls are the leading cause of death in the workplace.

"There is no doubt that OSHA has saved thousands of lives, but far too many preventable injuries, illnesses and fatalities continue to occur," Burke said. "Workers and families should never accept the risk of death as a condition for employment — and neither should we."

Tyler Peterson, 20, of Oshkosh, died unexpectedly on September 9, 2015. He was born on January 20, 1995, the son of Suzanne Braatz. Tyler was a window washer for Serwas Window Cleaning. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, and being with family and friends.

Tyler is survived by his mother Suzanne, step father Doug Swanke, two sisters Felicia Peterson, Savannah Swanke, his grandparents, Debra and Ronald Winter, Craig and Leigh Braatz, great grandparents Ken and Sylvia Braatz, his Aunt Shirley and other aunts and uncles, two nephews Damion and Rylan, special family Tina, Gina, Sara, cousins, special friend Daria and many other friends. Tyler was preceded in death by his great grandparents Doris and Everett Wohlrabe and his uncle Everette Wohlrabe

Services for Tyler will be on Tuesday, September 15, 2015, at 11:00 am at Konrad-Behlman Funeral Homes- Westside. Family and friends can visit at the funeral home on Monday, September 14, 2015, from 4:00-8:00 pm and on Tuesday from 10:00 am until time of service. Burial will be at the Pine River Cemetery. Please dress in casual and comfortable "Tyler Attire". 

Window Cleaning Rescue, Lawsuit, Pigeon Poo & Cross Dresser

Dubai Civil Defence (DCD) and other emergency crew carried out a daring rescue operation today when a cable reportedly snapped on a window cleaning trolley, trapping two men outside the 17th floor façade of a high-rise in Jumeirah Lakes Towers.

Dubai Civil Defence's daring rescue of men dangling from 17th floor: Dubai Civil Defence (DCD) and other emergency crew carried out a daring rescue operation today when a cable reportedly snapped on a window cleaning trolley, trapping two men outside the 17th floor façade of a high-rise in Jumeirah Lakes Towers. While the men have been brought to safety, the surrounding area remains cordoned off to public with some restaurants near the lake area closed according to one proprietor, as emergency crew remain on the scene.

DCD confirmed the incident occurred at Tiffany Tower, located at Cluster W, and a spokesperson told Emirates 24|7: “We received a call at 10.29am and emergency vehicles from Al Barsha Fire Centre were dispatched. There were two men trapped in a window cleaning trolley due to a mechanical issue. “The DCD crew worked quickly and rescued the two men. They are now safe and secured.”

An eyewitness to the incident further said: “I was walking out of the building when I heard the commotion. When I looked up, I could see two men dangling from the ropes as the window trolley had come away from the building façade. Residents are being asked to move their cars, the eyewitness further said, as emergency crew secure the site.

Miracle Fall Survivor Whacked With Lawsuit (SAN FRANCISCO) - A window washer who miraculously survived an 11-story plunge into a car in San Francisco has been sued by the man who was driving the car. Pedro Perez made headlines in November when he fell from a scaffold toward California Street in San Francisco's financial district. As Perez dropped more than 100 feet, Mohammed Alcozai rounded the corner in his Toyota Camry, and Perez smashed into the roof.

Perez, 58, barely survived, breaking his arm and pelvis and suffering severe brain trauma. He was put into a medically induced coma for a week. In is April 9 lawsuit in Superior Court, Alcozai says, "Perez and Century Window Cleaning were negligent in the operation of the window washing equipment, which caused defendant Perez to fall." Alcozai claims the negligence not only damaged his car but injured him too, costing him lost wages, lost earning capacity, personal injuries, pain and suffering and emotional distress. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health investigated the accident but has not yet released its findings. Neither Alcozai's attorney, Andrew Wolff, nor the owner of Century Window Cleaning responded to requests for comment.

David Staneck struggles to see out of his window due to pigeon poo.

Tenants at two public housing blocks in Melbourne are peeved at a pigeon poo infestation that is making a mess of their windows and footpaths. The birds have, quite literally, made their mark on high-rises in South Yarra and St Kilda. David Staneck, who has lived in the Inkerman St flats for the past year, said he couldn’t see out his window due to the amount of pigeon poo glazed over the glass.

The 60-year-old said a Department of Health and Human Services representative told him cleaning the block’s windows would cost $80,000 and couldn’t be done because the department didn’t have the money. “In some places it is quite disgusting,” Mr Staneck said. “I had a cracked window on my floor replaced right after I moved in. When the man came to replace it, he thought all the windows were frosted. “If there was as much filth on the Housing Minister’s window, I am sure he wouldn’t have it.” The birds have, quite literally, made their mark on high-rises in South Yarra and St Kilda.

Pigeon poo builds up outside the high-rise in St Kilda.

The department refused to say whether tenants had been told the windows were too expensive to clean and wouldn’t disclose how many complaints had been received in the past year. “The department acknowledges that from time to time, there is a problem with pigeon waste,” spokeswoman Lisa Massey said. “We look into these matters on a case-by-case basis.”

Prahran state Greens MP Sam Hibbins said the State Government needed to do more than just putting up “don’t feed the pigeons” signs and should invest in a long-term solution. “These conditions would not be allowed with any other public building such as a school or hospital,” Mr Hibbins said. He said he would submit a Freedom of Information request for the cost of cleaning the windows and would raise the matter in Parliament this week. Housing Minister Martin Foley said this was the first he had heard of the issue and promised to “look into it and fix it”.

#onlyinGloucester: A cross-dressing window cleaner - Our city is unique. The people are unique. The things we see are unique. Over the years we've found plenty of quirky stories to entertain you from wildcats in the Forest of Dean to people being invaded by ladybirds, naked Pagan weddings and more. But you've seen some things that have tickled you too. A topless man lying in the middle of the road, a cross dressing window cleaner, a tractor on the pitch at Kingsholm, and a woman carrying a huge lamp down the road at night. We searched for #onlyinGloucester and #only inGlos on social media and this is what we found.

Perhaps he should team up with this guy in New York..

Drone Deployed To Assist Stranded Window Cleaner

A wireless drone belonging to Security Media and equipped with state-of-the-art technology saved the life of an Asian cleaner who got stuck while cleaning the windows of a tower in Abu Dhabi.

Drone deployed to assist stranded Abu Dhabi window cleaner (Abu Dhabi): A window cleaner, who was left clinging for his life 10 floors above ground after the scaffold he was on suffered a technical failure, was guided to safety by an Abu Dhabi Security Media drone. Civil Defence, emergency and safety teams, as well as the drone, rushed to the scene to save the distressed cleaner, who was working at a tower on Sheikh Rashed bin Saeed Al Maktoum Road.

The surrounding area was cleared of pedestrians in case part of the scaffold fell. The state of the art device was then flown to the cleaner’s aid, identified the problem then, using its audio and visual capabilities, calmed the man down and instructed him on how to deal with the situation.

After the drone identified the fault, emergency services fixed the scaffold and were able to bring the man to safety. Abu Dhabi Police urged maintenance and contracting companies to adhere to security and safety procedures and ensure the quality of equipment, as well as provide training to their staff on how to deal with potential failures.

Security Media Drone Saves Trapped Window Cleaner: The Security Media Department’s wireless remote-controlled drone equipped with modern technologies rescued a window cleaner of Asian nationality on Tuesday. After calming the panicked worker who had attempted to abandon the scaffold and cling to a window for fear of falling; the drone detected the technical malfunction of the scaffold, and utilized audiovisual monitoring to instruct the worker in how to repair the malfunction himself. The man had been trapped outside of one of the upper floors of a high-rise building on Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum Street in Abu Dhabi.

The Operations Room of the Abu Dhabi Police (ADP) received an emergency call about a window cleaner who had become stuck in a broken scaffold on the exterior of the building’s 10th floor. To rescue the worker from falling, teams of the Civil Defense Department, the Emergency and Safety Department, patrols, the Security Media drone, and an ambulance immediately rushed to the scene. Performing a rapid intervention, the teams evacuated the surrounding areas to ensure the safety of pedestrians in the event that the crane or any of its parts should fall.

During the rapid intervention by the teams, the Security Media drone accurately detected and fixed the malfunction, rescuing the window cleaner. On-site medical tests were conducted and the man was found to be in good health.

The ADP urges maintenance and contracting companies to observe security and safety procedures and to ensure the quality of the equipment, most particularly the scaffolding. In addition to ensuring the quality, companies should also perform routine maintenance in order to ensure the safety and the lives of workers and bystanders, and train their employees in how to handle any possible malfunction.

WANTED: Window Cleaner For The Shard

Been looking to take your career to the next level?

Fancy getting paid to abseil down The Shard? It needs a window cleaner - A social enterprise is looking for people with a head for heights who want to be The Shard’s window cleaners. The unique opportunity was posted on jobs site Good People Connect, and pays up to £20,000 a year, depending on experience. You need to have abseiled before for the role, working 6am to 2pm six days a week, and need to be unemployed and living in Southwark. Here’s a video showing what the window cleaners at The Shard do:

WANTED: Window Cleaner for The Shard - Consider yourself a frustrated high-flyer? Been looking to take your career to the next level? Fancy peering through the glass ceiling from the other side for a change? Well this could be the role you’ve been looking for!

Social enterprise Good People Connect is looking for talented people with around five years of window cleaning experience to help maintain London’s foremost monument to wealth – The Shard. The deal is six days a week, around £20k a year, with a bucket and squeegee provided. Oh, and you have to live in Southwark. Talk about a high bar to entry. See the full job description below or here.

Hideously risky poorly paid job puts banking compensation into perspective: How much should you get paid for dangling on a rope and cleaning windows up to 360m above ground level? More pertinently, how much should you get paid for dangling on a rope and cleaning windows 360m above ground level when you also have -

a. Five years’ experience in this art.

b. Willingness to work six days a week.

c. A qualification in working at heights?

Try….£320 – £390 ($535 – $662) per week. This is how much is currently being offered to ‘experienced vertical window cleaners at the Shard,’ the new iconic landmark on London’s South Bank. Needless to say, this is less than half the amount typically paid to front office summer interns at investment banks, who have yet to leave university.

Knowing how little the Shard’s cleaners are paid may not do much to directly further your finance career. However, it may make you feel more appreciative of what you’ve got – our survey earlier this year suggested that 40% of bankers in the City of London were unhappy with their bonuses for 2013.

Richard Miranda, a spokesperson for GoodPeopleConnect, the social recruitment agency which is advertising the Shard-cleaning positions, says they’ve had ten applications so far. The level of pay is fairly typical for window cleaning, even at heights, says Miranda. “We don’t set the prices – we just make sure that we don’t deal with zero hours contracts and that it will lead to long term sustainable employment,” he says.

In 2012, a window cleaner at the Shard had to be rescued after his ‘cradle’ swung wildly in a gust of high wind. And yet it could be worse – the jobs could be at Pret a Manger. 

More Shard news here.

How To Wash The Windows At Frank Gehry’s

To get to the next floor, the crane moves the rig out from the curtain wall, realigns the basket, and drops.

How to Wash the Windows at Frank Gehry’s 76-Story Eight Spruce Street: Conventional window-washing rigs slide up, down, and side to side to get around a building, but at Eight Spruce, the apparatus has to contend with lots of curves and angles. (Only the south face is flat.) Starting on the roof, two washers load their low-tech supplies—squeegees, dish soap, a bag lunch—into a custom-designed rig comprising six “baskets,” which move individually. A telescoping crane lowers the rig to a fixed position. Then a basket—or baskets, depending on the location—is pushed snugly against the glass-and-steel exterior. To get to the next floor, the crane moves the rig out from the curtain wall, realigns the basket, and drops. The job is managed by R&R Scaffolding, which also handles other unusually shaped skyscrapers, like the under-construction One57. Business is up 500 percent over the last five years.

$1.5 million to $3 million: Estimated combined cost of system installation (sans rig purchase) plus one round of cleaning.
428,000: Square feet of surface area.
2,000+: Windows.
25 mph: Maximum wind speed at which the rig actually works.
6: Months to complete annual cleaning

“I’m not really afraid of heights, but the first few months were a little iffy. You’re just looking out at those cables holding you up, wondering, Is this going to be enough?” —Juan Portelles, R&R Scaffolding

Window Washer NJ Rescue

Window washers were stranded 60 feet in the air Monday while working on a building in Paramus.

Parsippany Window Washer Rescued After Getting Stuck 5 Stories Up: Window washers were stranded 60 feet in the air Monday while working on a building in Paramus. Paramus police, fire and rescue responded to and successfully rescued a pair of window washers who were stuck on their scaffolding more than 60 feet above the parking lot of the Mack Cali III building on East Ridgewood Avenue Monday. The scaffold began to tilt, broke a fifth story window and locked in place. The window washing rig has a safety mechanism that automatically locks when the scaffold begins to tilt.

The two window washers, a 45-year-old Parsippany man and a 36-year-old Union City man, were trapped five stories up. “Fire Department Chief Craig Hopkins established command and sent fire fighters to the fifth floor where the scaffold had broken a window in an office and Paramus Rescue Chief Joseph Hamlin established Operations on the roof level,” explained Paramus Rescue Squad Captain John Pecoraro. Paramus Rescue members immediately set up an anchor on the roof and secured the two workers with safety lines in the event the scaffold was compromised. A tower ladder from Oradell FD was raised and the bucket placed next two the scaffold. The two workers were successfully rescued and no one was hurt.

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.

The Worlds Tallest Gets StreetView

New frontier: Google's new Trekker technology allowed them to be able to capture the images - it is held on using a backpack device. Pascal Malite, Street View program manager went outside on the window cleaning apparatus to capture the snaps.

Google Street View takes to the skies: Cameras map the stunning views from top of the world's tallest building: Google Street View has now reached the dizzying heights of the world's tallest building. A 360 degree camera shot has mapped the breathtaking sight from the top of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Described as a 'vertical city,'  the building is the world’s tallest manmade structure, towering over the Dubai skyline at 828 meters (2,717 ft).

How high? The Burj Khalifa compared to other tall buildings around the globe. Click to enlarge.

It takes in Dubai’s many landmarks, including the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel, the world’s biggest mall, the Dubai Mall and the Meydan Racecourse and shows the remarkable growth of a city still on a fast track to developing as a business hub and tourist destination. 'This is the first time we’ve captured a skyscraper on Street View—making Google Maps even more comprehensive,' Google explained. 'The imagery was collected over three days using the Street View Trekker and Trolley, capturing high-resolution 360-degree panoramic imagery of several indoor and outdoor locations of the building.'

The Burj Khalifa, which stands 2,717 feet tall. Virtual tours of the 'Vertical City' include a visit to the highest occupied floor in the world -- the 163rd floor -- the highest swimming pool in the world at floor No. 76, and the world’s tallest observation deck, up 124 stories high. Click to enlarge.

80th floor: The 'Trecker' outside on a window cleaning gantry aka.. maintenance building units.

The 'Trecker' at the top of the spire.

You can also look down on Dubai from the 124th floor observation deck or peer off a window-washing unit on the 80th floor.

'In addition to the breathtaking views from the world’s tallest observation deck on the 124th floor, you can also see what it feels like to hang off one of the building’s maintenance units on the 80th floor, normally used for cleaning windows!' The Trekker was created a year ago by Google explained  Pascal Malite, Street View programme manager. 'It allows you to go to all the places you want to go where no other device will.'  Pascal used the window cleaning apparatus to capture the stunning images. 'It was amazing to be able to stand outside the building and see the beautiful Dubai,' she said.

Construction of the $1.5billion tower began in 2004, with its official opening in January 2010. Initially called the Burj Dubai, its name was changed to honour Abu Dhabi leader Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan after he bailed out indebted Dubai to the tune of $10billion. It boasts the world's first Armani hotel on the bottom floors, houses 900 Dubai residences, 37 floors of office space, a fine dining restaurant and an observation deck. It has the most stories and highest occupied floor of any building in the world, and ranks as the world's tallest structure. The building’s elevators, which reach the 160th floor at speeds of some 10 metres per second.'

Tom Cruise climbing the building in the latest Mission Impossible film. Click to enlarge.

Finally, to give users the same view Tom Cruise had in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, the team used window cleaner baskets to hang from the outside of the building on the 80th floor. Buffeted by winds that usually gust up to 40 miles per hour, the Street View team captured stunning exterior views that bring home exactly how amazing the mapping tool can be for those looking for a little virtual adventure on the other side of the world. You can see some behind-the-scenes footage of the mapping expedition in the video above, and you can start exploring the Burj-Khalifa yourself on Google Maps.