Two Chinese Window Cleaners Killed By Strong Winds

A witness shows a video clip taken when the two workers are blown to the sky by a gust of wind on July 24, 2015. The workers were hanging onto a lifeline on a high rise building in downtown Xi'an, the capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Shaanxi window cleaners die after gust of wind sends them flying into building: Two window cleaners at a high-rise in Xi'an, Shaanxi province died last Friday afternoon after a strong wind sent the dangling workers flying back and forth mid-air until they crashed into the building. The two workers were among about a dozen others who'd been cleaning the exterior of the 270-meter high Greenland Center commercial building when a strong wind picked up at around 5:20 p.m., according to a witness cited in an SCMP report.

“The men’s ropes might have become tangled after they were first blown around by the wind,” said the witness. The two workers cried for help and struggled in the wind for around 20 minutes before they were thrown against the building. “It was just like two pieces of clothes hanging there. I think the two died immediately,” he said.

The photo taken by a witness shows the smashed windows of a high-rise building in downtown Xi'an, the capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province on July 24, 2015. Two workers hang to work on the building crashed into the windows in a strong gust of wind on Friday.

The workers were on the 12th and 15th floors at the time of the incident, People's Daily reports. Local police confirmed that the cleaners died amid bad weather.

While it pretty much goes without saying, window cleaners have a terrifying job. In April, a viral video showed the moment a strong bout of wind sent an elevated working platform swinging through the air until it was flung against a window on the 91st floor of Shanghai's World Financial Center. The two window cleaners on the platform fortunately managed to walk away with only minor injuries.

Scaffold Collapses

3 workers rescued after scaffolding collapses outside Duval County Jail.

3 workers rescued after scaffolding collapses outside Duval County Jail (Jacksonville, Fla.): Three workers were rescued Thursday afternoon after the scaffolding they were standing on outside the Duval County Jail collapsed. One of the men was rescued by a co-worker. Jacksonville Fire-Rescue then conducted what they called a high-angle rescue, using ladder trucks and a commercial bucket truck.

"They'll do whatever it takes to get them down," said Randy Wyse, president of the Jacksonville Association of Firefighters. Less than 30 minutes after the initial call, the two other men, contractors cleaning & resealing the windows, were safely on the ground. "Fortunately, all three of the individuals were harnesses with their safety harnesses, which probably saved their lives," said JSO spokeswoman Melissa Bujeda.

Channel 4 chief meteorologist John Gaughan said there were gusts of wind in the area from a brief thunderstorm passing at the time, but the highest was measured about 30 mph. "More weather is supposed to be coming in. We're trying to determine how to secure the scaffold," Bujeda said.

Mozambique: At Least Five Dead in Scaffolding Collapse (Maputo) — At least five building workers died, and a further six were injured in a scaffolding collapse at a building site in downtown Maputo on Tuesday afternoon.

The building where the collapse occurred is owned by the JAT group, and is intended to house the future offices of the National Social Security Institute (INSS). It is 17 storeys high, and most of those who fell to the ground were working at a height of over 30 metres.

When the spokesperson for the fire brigade, David Cumbane, spoke to AIM in the early evening he could confirm three deaths - but at the stage the firemen and other rescue workers were still removing the dead and injured from the debris.

Before the fire brigade arrived, it was the construction workers themselves who began the rescue operations, trying to save the lives of their colleagues trapped under the scaffolding. AIM noted that some of the building workers lacked basic protective clothing. They had no helmets, goggles or boots, which should be routinely supplied by any contractor on a building site.

One worker, speaking to AIM on conditions of anonymity, said that the scaffolding collapsed because of a defect in assembling it. He claimed it was not the first time that an accident of this sort had happened. “The same thing happened last year”, he said, “but that time we were lucky because nobody died”. This worker complained to reporters of the lack of safety equipment on the site.

“There's no safety gear”, he protested. “We're working under inhuman conditions. They treat us as if we were slaves. There are even people on the site working in flip-flops”.

White Knuckle Ride For Chinese Window Cleaners

Bad day at work for two Chinese window cleaners on China's second tallest building, the Shanghai World Financial Centre. The platform crashed into window of 100 Century Avenue Restaurant, shattering the glass. All employees on the 91st floor were then immediately evacuated. and luckily, the two workers on board at the time were not shaken off the platform and only suffered minor injuries.

Window cleaners take ride of their lives: Window cleaners endured a terrifying 15 minutes yesterday when the platform they were working from hundred of meters above ground began swinging violently. The pair were suspended between the 91st and 92nd floors of the Shanghai World Financial Center, the city’s second-tallest building at 492 meters, when their cradle slammed into a curtain wall, sending glass flying into the building and down to the ground.

The white-knuckle ride, which began at 9:15am, lasted about 15 minutes before the platform stopped swinging and could be lowered to a place where the cleaners were able to get off, Shanghai TV reported. The men have some bruises and one sprained his wrist, but they were otherwise unharmed by the ordeal, Yao Hui, a press officer with the building, told Shanghai Daily.

The men work for a cleaning company and were carrying out regular maintenance, he said. Some glass fell inside the building, so people on the 91st floor were evacuated, Yao said. While the cause of the incident is unknown, it was “confirmed that no ropes of the platform had snapped,” he said. A person inside the financial center managed to capture part of the incident on a cellphone and later uploaded the clip to the Internet.

Window cleaners take ride of their lives.

Window cleaners spin out of control on top of China’s second-tallest building: Two window cleaners working on China's second tallest building found themselves swinging violently almost 500 metres above the ground after their suspended platform spun out of control. The incident happened this morning at the Shanghai World Financial Centre, a 101-storey, 492 metre-tall skyscraper. The video, shot from the 100th floor restaurant, shows the hanging platform out of control repeatedly smashing into the glass walls at speed, causing loud thumping noises.

"I'm worried for them," a nearby spectator can be heard saying in English. Just before the video ends, a small fragment can be seen falling from the base of the platform as it is damaged by the impacts. The Shanghai Daily News reports that the hanging platform smashed through the curtain wall, and the two workers were treated in hospital with minor bruises. It is thought strong winds were the cause of the incident, but an investigation is underway.

A "Cuppa" Sorts Out Worker In Window Cleaning Cradle

Click to go to story as it broke.

Shard worker caught in high winds terror went straight back to work after a cuppa: A Shard worker who survived a terrifying tangle at 1,000ft returned to work soon afterwards - after a soothing cup of coffee. Eyewitnesses watched in horror as the cradle dangling outside the 72nd floor of the 1,017ft building twirled wildly in high winds. Thousands more have since watched a YouTube video (below) clip of the drama as the spinning platform was wrestled back under control.

Ten fire fighters and an ambulance were on standby at the foot of the 78-storey building for 45 minutes after being called at 2.15pm yesterday. But today, Milton Keynes-based contractors More Control UK - which was carrying out external safety checks on the skyscraper days before its official opening - said the horrifying incident "looked worse than it was." A spokesman said: "Unfortunately while we were testing software at the top of the Shard a gust of wind caught the cradle. We simply lifted it up to stop it from spinning. "The engineer in the cradle was fine after a nice cup of coffee."

In a later statement the company added: "It is built to withstand wind speeds of up to 32mph and readings, taken throughout, showed that it did not exceed 20mph. "The operative responded with the appropriate conduct during these disturbed wind patterns. On any Mace project, the Health and Safety of all employees is paramount and we are proud of our current record on The Shard where we have recently passed two million man hours without a reportable accident.” Witnesses who watched the drama unfold on the capital's newest landmark were amazed anyone could survive such an ordeal.

A Shard worker told the Standard: "They've got abseilers on ropes cleaning all the windows and at first we though it was one of them, but they weren't out there because it was too windy. It was a company doing something with the metalwork. "One of the cables went and the maintenance unit started whipping round and round. The guy was hanging on up there for at least a minute. "The cables got all twisted up so they couldn’t lift it up or down as normal and had to spin it back to unwind it. It was incredible to watch."

He added: "I've been up to the 71st floor and it's pretty scary looking down from the inside, although the building tapers so it's not a sheer drop. I can't imagine what it would have been like to be out there but the guys who work up there every day are used to it. "I've already had my wife on the phone saying 'it wasn't you was it?'"

A spokeswoman for Mace, the main contractor building architect Renzo Piano's design to life, today said the incident was swiftly and safely brought under control. She said:"We can confirm that the wind speeds were well within safe limits and that the building maintenance unit was operating in the right way. "Nobody was injured and the operatives were able to resume work." A spokesman for London Fire Brigade said the cradle had been made safe within an hour, adding "we can all now breathe a sigh of relief". The Shard, which has 31.4 acres of office, commercial and residential space, will be officially opened by Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabor Al Thani, Qatar's prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, and the Duke of York on Thursday.

Shard Window Cleaner Safe After Incident

The cleaning cradle hanging from the Shard on Monday: the individuals were since rescued.

Shard window cleaner safe after incident: Emergency services were sent to the Shard today - days before its official opening - after a window cleaner got stuck in a precarious position on the 72nd floor. Ten firefighters attended the scene in central London this afternoon after reports of the cleaner's cradle on the outside of the building becoming unsafe. A video posted on YouTube (below) appeared to show the cradle swinging in the wind at the top of the tower, which has 78 occupiable levels. On-site engineers fixed the problem. An ambulance was on standby at the bottom of the 309.6 metre (1,015ft) high building but the window cleaner was not thought to be injured. London Fire Brigade, which sent a fire engine and fire rescue unit to the Shard, said in a message on Twitter: "On site engineers at the £Shard have made the window cleaner's cradle safe & we can all now breathe a sigh of relief."

The Shard, which is the tallest building in Western Europe and has 31.4 acres of space, will be officially opened by Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabor Al Thani, Qatar's prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, and the Duke of York on Thursday. A spokesman for the Shard said: "The wind got up a bit more than we were anticipating and the window cleaner was brought down to ground level. He wasn't hurt.  "I think it was seen from a helicopter and people panicked unnecessarily." Three workmen were still working on the London Bridge Station side of the Shard this afternoon, having come down as far as around the 25th floor. The trio could be seen slowly descending down the side of the glass-sided building, washing the windows as they went. There were no signs of them being in any difficulty despite blustery conditions around the skyscraper.

A view of the Shard from across the Thames.

Spokesman for the Shard: 'People panicked unnecessarily' - A spokesman for the Shard said: "The wind got up a bit more than we were anticipating and the window cleaner was brought down to ground level. He wasn't hurt. I think it was seen from a helicopter and people panicked unnecessarily. Three workmen were still working on the London Bridge Station side of the Shard this afternoon, having come down as far as around the 25th floor. The trio could be seen slowly descending down the side of the glass-sided building, washing the windows as they went. There were no signs of them being in any difficulty despite blustery conditions around the skyscraper."

Miracle rescue of man trapped on window cleaners' cradle on 72nd floor of the Shard: Firefighters were called to the Shard today after a window cleaners' platform started to shake violently in high winds. London fire brigade said the platform was "in a precarious position" this afternoon and ten firefighters were called to the 72nd floor of the 1,017 foot tall skyscraper. Engineers later managed to make the platform safe. One person was safely rescued from the platform. No one was hurt in the incident. The video below, filmed from the ground, shows the cradle shaking violently in high winds.

Witness to Shard accident: 'Window cleaning box was swinging wildly' - Witness Neil Walsh was waiting for a train at nearby London Bridge station when he saw the drama unfold. The 30-year-old marketing executive from Dartford, Kent, who filmed the incident on his phone, said: “I go through there every day and always have a gawp up at the Shard to see what's happening. I happened to notice that the window cleaning box was swinging wildly. It was quite erratic... It was dangling from quite a thin arm and was a few feet away from the building itself, rocking left, right, up and down. It was swinging all over the place. The last few days have been windy and it must have been worse up there. I filmed it thinking the box was empty. That was a worry in itself, without me realising there was someone inside, probably cowering in a corner and hanging on for dear life.

Window cleaner gets stuck on the 72nd floor of The Shard: Emergency services were sent to the Shard - days before its official opening - after a window cleaner got stuck in a precarious position on the 72nd floor. Ten firefighters attended the scene in central London after reports of the cleaner's cradle on the outside of the building becoming unsafe. On-site engineers fixed the problem. An ambulance was on standby at the bottom of the 309.6 metre (1,015ft) high building but the window cleaner was not thought to be injured. London Fire Brigade, which sent a fire engine and fire rescue unit to the Shard, said on Twitter: "On site engineers at the #Shard have made the window cleaner's cradle safe". The Shard, the tallest building in Western Europe will be opened by Qatar's prime minister and the Duke of York on Thursday.

Drama at Shard as window cleaning basket sways wildly in wind: A window cleaner at the Shard building could thank his lucky stars today, following an emergency 330 metres above the ground in central London. The video (above) captures the moment when high winds buffeted a basket for window cleaners like a straw in the wind, near the top of Europe’s highest building, this lunchtime. Emergency services rushed to the scene at London Bridge at 2.15pm. Fortunately for the person involved, the incident appears to have passed relatively safely – considering events unfolded 72 floors up. Ambulances crews at the scene

said there were no injuries.

Window cleaner trapped in Shard terror: A window cleaner was trapped above the 72nd floor of the 1,017ft Shard today — sparking a frantic rescue mission. Emergency services rushed to the skyscraper after the cleaner's cradle started swinging violently in high winds. The incident at the central London landmark happened just days before the building is due to have its official opening. London fire brigade said the platform was "in a precarious position" as the cleaner became stuck. An ambulance was on standby at the bottom while on-site engineers fixed the problem. One person was safely rescued from the platform. No one was hurt in the incident. London Fire Brigade posted a message on Twitter saying: “On site engineers at the Shard have made the window cleaner’s cradle safe & we can all now breathe a sigh of relief.”

Lucky Escape For Window Cleaner

Good Samaritan rescues man left clinging to roof: A local window cleaner was left clinging to the roof of a home for half an hour last week as fierce gusts knocked over his ladders, leaving him struggling to stay on the roof. Yet even as he clung onto the roof traffic drove by as he called for help with only one good Samaritan stopping to help, which he believes saved him from a broken leg or worse.

Stoneyford man Neil Gardner, from Classic Cleaning, was on a sloping roof as he cleaned windows near the Down Royal Racecourse when the drama began last Thursday. He was left clinging onto the roof from 16 feet in the air for around half an hour.

Neil said: “It was only about 15 to 16 feet high, but I would have broken my leg at least if I had fallen. I am very grateful to the person who stopped for me. I was calling for help but there was nobody around and the homes were all empty because it was the middle of the day.  “I tried to wave down traffic but only one lorry stopped and then drove on saying they couldn’t help me; who would do that to another human being? “It was horrible anticipating how to jump down, wondering if I could reach nearby bushes to break my fall.”

Neil added: “The person who helped me showed up in a builder’s lorry and he found the ladders that had blown off the side of the house, which allowed me to get down. All I really want is to thank the guy who saved me and say thanks very much, I very much appreciate it.”

Neil, who has been cleaning windows for 18 years, says this is the first time that anything like this has ever happened. The incident also meant that he was late to collect his four-year-old and one-year-old children from Nursery. Despite his ordeal, he says that it won’t put him off in the future. “This has never happened to me before, besides, I’ve got to pay the mortgage” he said.

Window Cleaner Skyscraper Rescue - Singapore

Singapore - An amazing rescue effort, on the sixteenth floor, witnessed by over 50 office workers on the ground, was captured on film as the drama unfolded in the heart of Singapore's business district. Two Chinese men cleaning windows in a gondola became trapped when one of the cables supporting the cleaning unit became entangled, leaving the two men dangling at an angle. With their lives in danger and the very real fear the other cable could snap, a rescue team was despatched to save the men from a fatal plunge to the bottom of the Maybank Tower.

The skyscraper on Battery Road in Raffles Place is in the centre of Singapore's downtown business district. The world-famous district features some of the tallest buildings in Asia. A member of the public called the emergency services at 1600 local time (0300EDT) on Monday, reports asiaone news. It had began to rain heavily and the wind was strong causing the gondola to swing violently back and forth.

A contractor maintaining the gondola was called in to see if it could be lowered safely to the ground floor. It was determined this was not possible, so a rescue team from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) sent an operative in a safety harness out of a window on the seventeenth floor. He secured the first worker to his own body whilst the other climbed out the gondola and both men were carefully put through a window on the fifteenth floor. Paramedics checked the men over and determined there was no need to send the workers to hospital, reports the Singapore-based newspaper, Electric New Paper. The whole incident was witnessed by a large crowd who had gathered on the streets below, who clapped and cheered when the men were eventually rescued.