Window cleaners rescued after dangling 300m above the ground for an hour
TWO window washers were at the top of a 75-storey tower when their cleaning rig malfunctioned, leaving them dangling at a 45-degree angle.
TWO window washers were at the top of a 75-storey tower when their cleaning rig malfunctioned, leaving them dangling at a 45-degree angle.
The men were 300 metres off the ground on a platform suspended from the roof of the 75-storey JPMorgan Chase Tower in Houston, Texas’ tallest building, when one of two elevation motors broke down.
KHOU 11 News reports the platform was left listing for about an hour before firefighters could rescue the workers on Monday morning.
Fortunately, the workers were secured with additional safety harnesses separate from the window washing platform. Rescuers removed a window on the 71st floor and pulled the men to safety.
“That looks like just about my worst nightmare. It’s pretty terrifying. I’m sure those guys are really cold up there too,” witness Tyler Ferguson told KPRC.
Witness Amy Lafargue said: “They were hanging on for dear life, for sure. They were facing the building looking in. So I’m sure that everybody inside the Chase Tower was freaking out hoping that they were going to be OK. They were just holding on.”
Houston Fire Department spokesperson Kenyatta Parker said the rescue was challenging but the men were safe.
“When you’re dealing with something so high, that’s when you have to bring in the rescue team for a high-angle rescue,” Parker told KPRC Houston. “Certain things that they know that an ordinary person wouldn’t. It’s tedious, I’m certain, on their end. Just sit back and let them do what they do.”
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the incident. The window washers worked for Jobs Building Services.
2-11 Building fire in NW Houston (update) https://t.co/S1vRIRcVfB
— Houston Fire Dept (@cohoustonfire) January 12, 2016
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