Sydney Window Cleaner Rescue & Chicago Crack

The cleaners were stranded on their small platform off the fifth floor of the building in Pitt Street.

Two window cleaners were rescued by a cherry picker after they were left dangling off a high-rise building in the Sydney CBD when a cable broke. The cleaners were stranded on their small platform off the fifth floor of the building in Pitt Street, about 15 metres off the ground, a Fire and Rescue NSW spokesman said. Emergency services were called to the tower, on 130 Pitt Street and close to the Pitt Street Mall, about 10.20am on Friday.

A NSW Fire and Rescue spokeswoman said the operation took about 40 minutes. The platform has now been secured and WorkCover will investigate the incident. The two male cleaners were not injured.

A spokeswoman for Investa Office, which manages the building, said a section of the non-load bearing cable, that is usually fixed under the cleaner's platform, unspooled and fell to the ground. "As a precautionary measure, Investa's standard safety procedures were activated. Window cleaning works were stopped and emergency services called to assist with bringing cleaning staff to the ground," the spokeswoman said.

Sydney high-rise window cleaner Lincoln Wilson said it was "unheard of" for cables to break while working on the side of a building and, during his 10 years, he had never experienced any problems. "Cables should be maintained very regularly and checked over every six or 12 months by a qualified assessor. I know the cables are always out in the weather but they are made of high-tensile steel," Mr Wilson, who is the director of Mr Window Clean, said.

He said his staff always carried walkie-talkies and worked in teams while cleaning tall buildings, so they could help each other if there were any emergencies. One of four east-bound lanes on King Street at Pitt Street was closed while emergency services were on the scene and buses were diverted from area, a spokeswoman for the Transport Management Centre said.

Window cleaners at hanging five stories up on Pitt st, Sydney.

The two window cleaners are plucked from the work platform. A cable snapped leaving the men dangling.

Window cleaners trapped on platform in Sydney CBD after cable snaps: Two window cleaners have endured an hour of terror after a cable on their platform snapped five floors up. Emergency services were called to the tower, on the corner of Pitt Street and Lees Ct about 10.20am. In a 40 minute operation, Fire and Rescue NSW crews used a cherrypicker and a high-rise ladder to rescue the two men. The damaged platform was then secured and the matter will now be handed over to WorkCover. The incident saw one east-bound lane of traffic on King St closed. The two men were not injured. Fire and Rescue NSW Inspector Kernin Lambert said the men were in good spirits. He said it was lucky no passers-by were hit by the falling cable.

A California family visiting the Willis Tower in Chicago said they heard the glass flooring on its 103rd floor Skydeck begin to crack Wednesday night while they were taking in views of the city. A spokesman from the building said the sound came from the coating on the glass and the family was never in danger.

Glass ledge cracks on 103rd floor: Officials at Chicago's Willis Tower say the popular tourist attraction is safe, even though a glass ledge jutting from the building's 103rd floor appeared to crack beneath the feet of a visiting family. The see-through glass bays are known as The Ledge and extend about 1.2 metres from the building, which was once called the Sears Tower. Officials say the family wasn't in danger when the cracks appeared on Wednesday on a glass enclosure. In a statement, Willis Tower says a protective coating covering the glass surface cracked, not the glass itself. They say the cracks don't affect the “structural integrity” of the ledge, which is designed to occasionally crack.

The ledges have proven to be a popular - if a frightening - experience since opening in 2009. Fox News reported that as the family walked out onto the Skydeck, they say they were reassured by staffers that the window flooring was unbreakable. "I had my palms on the floor and I could feel it cracking," Alejandro Garibay, 23, told The Chicago Tribune. "Honestly, I was in shock, in disbelief. I was scared." Mr Garibay was watching fireworks at the Navy Pier. "It was an awesome view. We were getting up and walking away and for some reason I thought it would be cool to get a picture of my cousins and brother ... Then we started getting off and, as we push ourselves off, I could feel it cracking," he said.

Window Cleaners Idea Spawns "The Ledge"

"The idea was inspired by window washers who had to keep cleaning off forehead prints on the glass."

Welcome to The Ledge. It's a brand new addition to the Sears Tower SkyDeck and, according to ABC 7's Frank Mathie, it's a frightening new view of Chicago. Before we look down from The Ledge, let's look up 103 stories to the Sears Tower SkyDeck. Up there in the fog, three new glass outcroppings were introduced to the media Wednesday morning, a grand unveiling almost ruined by the fog. But it lifted just enough to give us the latest view of upper Upper Wacker Drive. The idea was inspired by window washers who had to keep cleaning off forehead prints on the glass. "Forehead prints on the window. People really want to get closer and they want to look down. They can see out to four states with spectacular views in all directions, but they really want that down view, and that's why we delivered with the SkyDeck Ledge," said Randy Stancik, Sears Tower and SkyDeck GM. The three ledges open to the public Thursday, but Wednesday a few lucky kids were allowed in to test these walking-on-air spaces. They didn't seem to be bothered at all. Falling off a skateboard probably seems like a bigger drop. Opens today. Free with the Chicago card or Adult $14.95, Child $9.50.



From the Skydeck atop the Sears Tower you will see the best view and best overview of Chicago. At 1,353 feet, the Skydeck is the highest observatory in Chicago. From this amazing view, on a clear day, you can see 40 to 50 miles. You can see Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin just by walking around the Skydeck. Thanks to the $4 million transformation - there is now more to see and do. Even the elevators are exciting. They are equipped with 50-inch flat screen monitors that make you feel like you're blasting off through the top of the Sears Tower and into space. The Sears Tower is 1,454 feet high, 1,808 feet including twin antenna towers. The combined weight of the building is 222,500 tons - 445,000,000 lbs. The cost of the Sears Tower building was in excess of $150 million. The Sears Tower opened in 1973 and took 3 years to build. The building has 4.5 million gross square feet of floor space. The average sway of the building is approximately 6 inches from true center. The Sears Tower has approximately 16,100 bronze-tinted windows and has 6 roof-mounted robotic window washing machines. The Sears Tower was designed for more than 12,000 occupants, approximately 25,000 people enter the building each day and approximately 1.5 million tourists visit the Skydeck each year.

.

Related News: It will stand as a sign of freedom—One World Trade Center, formerly known as The Freedom Tower, currently under construction at the site of the former World Trade Center in New York City. The bid process for this prestigious project began for some glass companies a few years ago and ended this month when they learned they weren't awarded the project. This alone was not an unusual occurrence—except that these companies collectively had invested a high seven figures in developing products specific to this project. Ultimately the final contract for glass for the podium wall (lower 20 stories) of One World Trade Center has been awarded to a Chinese manufacturer. Freedom Tower glass "Made in China." Can you say "fabricating debris?"