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.

Internet Daredevil Window Cleaner Fined

This daredevil window cleaner is captured on film balancing on a ledge without a safety harness on the third floor of a building in Bath.

Internet star window cleaner who balanced on third floor ledge is fined £2,000 for breaking health and safety rules: A window cleaner who became a YouTube hit when he was filmed balancing on a third-floor ledge with no safety harness has been ordered to pay £2,000 for health and safety breaches. First reported here.

Fearless Wayne Mallon was caught on camera as he calmly climbed out of a top-floor window to carry out his work 40ft above the pavement. Passers-by watched in horror as he stepped onto the outside of a stone balustrade before walking around the building. A later clip showed him doing the same thing on the level below, but this time walking along the top of the narrow windows – again without any kind of safety equipment.

Self-employed Mallon, who works for Terry Mallon and Sons Cleaning Services, pleaded guilty to three health and safety charges at Bath Magistrates Court in Somerset. The 40-year-old was fined £400 for each of the offences and ordered to pay £800 in costs, as well as a £15 victim surcharge, bringing the total to £2,015.

Risky: Footage showed Wayne Mallon balancing precariously on a ledge without a safety harness as he climbed across the building - 40ft up - to clean its windows.

Mallon, of Whiteway, Bath, took to the windowsills above the Loch Fyne restaurant in Bath in September last year. It was filmed by a passing pedestrian and went viral on YouTube, attracting nearly 90,000 views to date. But the clip came to the attention of the health and safety team at Bath and North East Somerset Council, which brought charges against Mallon and Loch Fyne.

The restaurant chain faces six breaches of health and safety regulations, which will be dealt with this Friday. A spokesman from B&NES Council said: “The council, in common with the window cleaning industry, takes these issues seriously because of the dangers to the public and workers.

“Whilst working in this manner, Mr Mallon was putting not only his own safety at risk but also that of members of the public who were passing on the busy pavement below. “The council hopes that the fine and court costs of £2,000 incurred by Mr Mallon will deter businesses from putting themselves, other workers and members of the public at risk.”

He added: “Falls from height remain the most common cause of workplace fatality. “The council wishes to remind all businesses carrying out these activities that they must, for their own and other’s safety, familiarise themselves with legal requirements which in this case would have assured Mr Mallon’s safety.” 

 

Bath hotel fined over unsafe window cleaner: A restaurant and hotel firm has been fined £15,000 after a window cleaner was filmed balancing precariously on a ledge outside one of its buildings. Loch Fyne admitted one breach of health and safety law and was also ordered to pay costs of £3,023. Self-employed window cleaner Wayne Mallon was fined £2,000 on Monday. He was seen climbing along the ledges of the third floor of the Milsoms Hotel building - owned by Loch Fyne - in Bath without ladders or safety equipment. Mallon, of Whiteway, Bath, who works for Terry Mallon and Sons Cleaning Services, pleaded guilty to three health and safety charges at Bath Magistrates' Court

The footage went viral when it was posted on YouTube in September last year and has attracted more than 90,000 views to date. It came to the attention of the health and safety team at Bath and North East Somerset Council (Banes), which brought charges against Mallon and Loch Fyne, which has its roots on the west coast of Scotland. The film was shown to magistrates and Loch Fyne admitted allowing a contractor to work at height in an unsafe manner. 

Robin Wood, representing Banes, told the court that the firm had a duty of care to contractors. "If a suitable risk assessment had been carried out, Mr Mallon would not have endangered himself or others below in the way he did," he said. "There were a number of documents in place to make sure a risk assessment was possible but they were not being used and had not been checked by the company for more than eight years. "We have no evidence that this happened on more than one occasion, except he seemed to know what he was doing."

He added: "The video has been seen by more than 89,000 people on YouTube. It has also appeared in national newspapers and on television. "Window cleaners from around Europe have commented on YouTube. The industry itself is aware of this, and in some ways, they will take note of what has happened in this instance."

Speaking outside court, a Loch Fyne spokesman said the company took health and safety "extremely seriously" and expected the same from its contractors. "We accept today's decision and are grateful this isolated incident in Bath was brought to our attention. "As a result we have put tighter measures in place to prevent anything similar happening again, including stricter procedures for our restaurant manager to follow when using external contractors."

Loch Fyne, which employs 1,234 staff at 42 restaurants and four hotels, said it was the first time it had ever appeared in court. Speaking outside his home, Mallon said he was "very health and safety conscious". He added that only three of the hotel's 28 windows could be reached using "reach and wipe" equipment.

Window Washer Has A Higher Calling

Some of the businesses Virgil Pop has on his client list require he clean only outside windows, taking careful measures to not scratch the glass.

Window washer has a higher calling: Soapy water splashes as window washer Virgil Pop of Prospect Heights prepares to spend the next four hours staring at his reflection. A pair of ear buds dangles from over the top of his shirt as he works. He's passing the time by listening to audiobooks and sermons, which provide a different perspective on his life and the world that surrounds him.

Virgil Pop, 27, of Prospect Heights cleans the inside windows at a Mount Prospect restaurant. He uses a towel at the end of a pole to wipe off the excess water on the ledge.

Virgil Pop's squeegee requires sufficient moisture to properly cleans windows.

The 27-year-old ponders his life goals as he cleans windows on his Northwest suburban route. Born in 1985 in Transylvania, the historical central region of Romania, Pop excelled at soccer. Although his dream of playing soccer in high school and beyond brought him to the United States in 2002, it became clear his calling was more in line with the footsteps of his father, Dinu, who was a pastor. After playing soccer his junior and senior years at then Norwood Park Christian School (now Logos Christian Academy in Niles), he earned his bachelor of arts degree in biblical studies at Moody Bible.

Virgil Pop gets maximum reach and the proper angle to clean at a Northwest suburban restaurant. It was Pop's second of eight cleaning jobs he completed on this day.

These days he's working to further his education with graduate studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, funding that education one window at a time. Pop dismisses the notion his job isn't worthy of respect or that somehow doesn't matter. He says ultimately he would like to become a chaplain in the U.S. Navy. "There are seasons in our lives when we are called to do certain things," Pop says, with his Christian faith having convinced him that this is where he needs to be and what he needs to do for the moment.

Virgil Pop finishes cleaning the inside windows at a restaurant in Mount Prospect as owner Nick Patel offers a critique on the work.

In addition to his schooling, he also supports his wife through his job with First Impressions, a company based in Long Grove. He considers his work there as a gathering of life's stories and experiences that will touch him later no matter where God's path takes him. With more than 40 clients from Morton Grove to Glenview to Mount Prospect, he washes more than 100 windows daily in weather ranging from frigid to sweltering. His technique was picked up by watching his predecessor and the simple innovation of using a towel to wipe the watery window sills.

Pop shares his views with clients and others while on the job, and he believes that most people are searching to fill a void in their lives that only God can fill. "When I meet the Lord, the Lord's comment of 'Well done' will be enough, Pop says, "Everything beyond that will be gravy."

More Window Cleaners Fall From Height

A window washing platform hangs from the side of the SSM medical building at 1035 Bellevue Avenue in Richmond Heights on Thursday, June 20, 2013. Four window washers were rescued after the counterbalance on the roof pulled away and dropped the washers.

Window washer injured in platform collapse at Richmond Heights medical building; A window washer was injured this morning when the platform he and three other workers were standing on collapsed, authorities said. Four workers, all men, were standing on a platform that collapsed about 10 a.m. at a 5-story SSM medical building at 1035 Bellevue Avenue across from St. Mary's Health Center. Three of the four window washers were pulled safely through a window. A fourth dangling from his harness was close enough to the ground to reach a ladder that someone leaned against the building.

A woman looks out a fifth-floor window of the SSM medical building at 1035 Bellevue Avenue in Richmond Heights on Thursday, June 20, 2013. Part of the roof above her was torn away when the counterbalance for a window washing platform flew off the roof, leaving four window washers hanging from their harnesses.

The washers were about four stories high when the platform collapsed, authorities said. Authorities said the workers' rooftop rigging apparently came loose but it was not immediately clear how. The dangling worker suffered minor hand injuries and was taken away by ambulance. The other three were not hurt. The workers were with Icon Window Cleaning based in Brentwood.

Two of the four window washers involved in an accident in Richmond Heights on Thursday, June 20, 2013, talk to the police about the accident.

One of four window washers left dangling after a platform fell recounts what happened in Richmond Heights.

Two of the four window washers who were involved in an accident in Richmond Heights on Thursday, June 20, 2013, stand across the street from the accident scene at the SSM medical building on Bellevue Avenue.

One of the uninjured workers wouldn't give his name but said the collapse happened quickly and that all four men were attached by their harnesses. He joked the fall was "kind of fun" and that, under the circumstances, he "wouldn't mind doing it again." A representative from the company could not immediately be reached Thursday. Richmond Heights and Clayton firefighters responded to the building this morning.

Window washer platform fails; workers OK -  Four window washers are OK thanks to their harnesses after their platform collapsed while they were working in St. Louis County. The accident happened Thursday morning at a medical building in Richmond Heights. Three of the workers were unhurt. One man had minor hand injuries and was taken to a hospital for treatment. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the workers were standing on the platform, about four stories off the ground, when the platform collapsed. Authorities believe rooftop rigging came loose, but the men were attached to harnesses. Three of the men were pulled safely through a window. The fourth dangled close enough to the ground to reach a ladder someone leaned against the building.

Window cleaner injured in fall at Weymouth hospital (Quincy, MA) - A man cleaning windows at South Shore Hospital was injured Wednesday morning when he fell more than 20 feet from scaffolding onto a third-floor roof area. Weymouth Fire Dept. Capt. Steven Murray said the accident occurred shortly after 8 a.m., and that firefighters, police, an ambulance unit and hospital personnel responded. Murray said the worker was cleaning third-floor windows on the hospital's Emerson Building when he fell to a roof area. Murray said the cause of the accident is under investigation. The worker was rushed into the hospital for treatment. Murray said his condition wasn't known as of Wednesday afternoon. The six-floor, $43 million Emerson building is the hospital's newest wing. It opened in December 2012.

Window Cleaning Business Owner Magazine 14

The latest WCBO mag - you can't afford not to read it.

Free Window Cleaning Business Magazine Issue #14 can be yours now totally free! Go to this link to download the most read window cleaning magazine in the World. This is a huge issue, changes in the Window Cleaning World means you will fall way behind if you don't get your eyes on a copy. Brought to you by Window Cleaning Resource (WCR), the biggest window cleaning forum in the World. Featuring:

• Street Bidder - The biggest thing to hit window cleaning this year - flyers are dead!
• An interview with Henry Grover Jr. - The inventor/chemist talks window cleaning.
• ServiceKick - How to make your customer testimonials count.
• RIP AUWC - The demise of an association.
• 5 questions to ask - Your window cleaning software.
• Better Business Bureau, extortion or worth the money ?
• Inside look with Jam ie from Titan Laboratories - Questions you wanted answering!
• Understanding Glass Corrosion - Glass does corrode - educate yourself!

Issue 14 is big - Alex proves it.

New Jersey Window Washer Rescue

Window washer trapped on the side of the Mary Roebling Building in Trenton

Window washer dangling from Trenton high-rise is rescued (Trenton, NJ) — A window washer was stuck hanging in the air between the 8th and 9th floors of an office building in downtown Trenton for more than half an hour this afternoon before being rescued. The man was washing windows on the Mary Roebling building at 20 W. State St., at the corner with North Warren Street, when his rigging failed, Battalion Chief Ron Kosztyu said. Fire crews were called just after 4 p.m. and found him suspended on the outside of the building.

With a small crowd watching from the sidewalk below, firefighters first extended a ladder toward the man, which was not quite long enough to reach him. The crews went in through the building to a roof ledge on the 9th floor, above the spot where the window washer was hanging, and were able to pull him to safety, Kosztyu said. They initially thought the man was unconscious, but he told them he never lost consciousness, and he was able to help himself onto the roof, Kosztyu said.

Witnesses in the crowd said the man had been hanging off the building for 15 minutes before the fire crews arrived. The man exited the back of the building after the rescue and declined to be interviewed. His name and the company he works for were not released.

Trenton firefighters rescue stuck window washer — A window washer working on the Mary Roebling building on West State Street had to be rescued by Trenton firefighters after getting stuck between the eighth and ninth floor Monday afternoon.

Engines 1 and 10, Ladder 4 and Rescue 1 were called to the first block of West State Street around 4:00 p.m. to find the man dangling in his safety harness. The man was stuck due to a jam in his safety harness that left him unable to lower himself to the ground. Ladder 4 initially attempted to reach the man, but the ladder came up short. “Our ladder is 100 feet long and he was about 20 feet higher than us,” Btl. Chief Ron Kosztyu said.

To get the man to safety, crews threw a safety line to him and set up a hauling system on the roof to pull him upwards. “Since he was a window washer, he could do the rigging himself when we threw him a line,” Kosztyu said. Initially, firefighters thought the worker was unconscious because he did not appear to be moving, but once the worker got on the roof, he said never lost consciousness, Kosztyu said. After 45 minutes of hanging in his harness, the man was pulled to safety. There were no reported injuries.

Window Wars Part 2

WARNING: contains swearing from the off set.

Lee Burbidge of the Window Cleaning Magazine UK follows two warring window cleaning competitors as they compete for clients & professionalism. Fun & high jinks as Lees camera follows All County Window Cleaning & A Sparkling View in this sometimes laugh out loud brilliant documentary.

WARNING: contains swearing from the off set. FILM QUALITY: Lee Burbidge says: This film was recorded in the highest HD quality, however, YouTube struggled to upload the 3GB file where as previously it has.... to get this film out to you after 3 upload fails ( 3GB takes about a day to upload) I decided to release this film on the lowest quality setting.

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM: WCM follows two competitors that are just 10 minutes away from each other during their day to day life and the drama that sometimes unfolds....

Click this link to watch Window Wars Part 1 first (recommended).
Click this link to watch Window Wars part 2 at source (recommended).