Aug 08 2009
Window washers rescued in downtown Boston
The dangers of window cleaning came full circle when the scaffolding Kyle Redmond was on gave way.
“I’m angry. I’m a little miffed over this,” Kyle Redmond said of his ordeal on the scaffolding. while talking to Wcvb-Tv, Channel 5 Boston.
Two window washers were rescued from the 37th floor of a high-rise at 53 State St. on Aug 5th when rescuers broke the windows of the building and pulled the men inside, according to officials and witnesses at the scene.
The story Window washers rescued from 37th floor of Boston high-rise
One of the cables holding a window-washing platform 37 stories above a downtown street Wednesday morning may have wedged into one of the platform’s engines, causing the engine to let go and the platform to plunge with two workers aboard, according to one official who was briefed on the initial investigation into the accident.
The official, who asked for anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the investigation, said officials are looking away from human error. “It was just a freak thing that happened,’’ the official said.
That scenerio is a frightening and all-too-common occurrence with the type of permanent scaffolding that was housed at the Exchange Place building in the Financial District, said one specialist in scaffolding safety.
“They [federal authorities] have a whole code specific to powered maintenance, and it talks about these buildings, specifically,’’ said Stefan Bright, the safety director of the International Window Cleaning Association, an industry group, and the founder of a national company that consults on rigging from buildings.
“My guess is, it’s not being enforced,’’ he said, “And that comes to light typically when an accident occurs.’’
However, Massachusetts does not regulate window-washing scaffolding.
