Domaszowec climbed out, hooked on, and leaned back on the belt, and the seven-inch bolts pulled straight out of the wall. He fell twelve stories to the street. New windows had been fitted recently, and for some reason, it emerged afterward, the anchor bolts on the inside of the apartment wall had been sheared off with a reciprocating saw.
The world above the fortieth floor is an almost silent one, where the isolation is often complete, and exhilarating. Employers paid for full-time staff but asked few questions about how much time a job might actually take.
Traditionally, window washing in commercial buildings has always begun in the early mornings, to avoid disturbing the tenants, and, in the summer, when the temperature on black glass can rise to a hundred degrees Fahrenheit by one in the afternoon, to limit exposure to the heat of the sun. But the culture of the trade has gradually changed.
The recession has led to less frequent cleaning cycles on the big buildings, smaller permanent crews, and layoffs. Ron Brown says that he doubts his son, who graduated in economics from Rutgers, will be following him into the business. Until then, the tallest building in the city will officially remain the one at Fifth Avenue.
Fifty-mile visibility! Here, on the hundred-and-third floor, bright sunlight streamed through two narrow glass doors: the highest windows in New York. Zeibig released a padlock that was chaining shut the easterly door, and Fitzgerald stepped out onto a narrow walkway, perhaps eighteen inches wide, bounded by a concrete parapet that reached halfway up his thigh. A light breeze rattled in the TV mast and antennas above us; the city below appeared in the pin-sharp miniature detail of a satellite photograph.
Beyond the parapet yawned an apparently immediate and endless void. My palms prickled with sweat, and I sank to my knees in what may have resembled an attitude of pure terror. Window washing at the Empire State Building is scheduled floor by floor, and never stops.
By Rebecca Solnit. Enter your e-mail address. Our Far-Flung Correspondents. Different methods are used by window washers to remain suspended outside a building and clean it. Many high-rises have rigging on the roof of the building, which window washers attach to a scaffold on ropes, which is then lowered down from the roof to give the cleaners access to windows.
In situations that are not quite so high up, it is not unusual for a window washer to clip onto a bolt driven into the side of a building and remain attached while washing the windows.
Safety harnesses, ropes, and belts are all used every day, and the lives of the washers using this equipment are always at stake. The biggest risk for window washers is, of course, falling from a great height due to a failed piece of safety equipment.
While washers often work hundreds of feet in the air, a fall of 50 or 60 feet is likely to be fatal. If a scaffold disconnects or breaks and a worker falls hundreds of feet, it is almost guaranteed to be fatal.
Even if safety equipment works properly, there are still other risks to window washers. At high elevations, winds can become quite strong, especially with the layout of the city as wind rushes between buildings and down streets. These winds often threaten to pull a window washer from the side of a building. Window washers are not the only ones in danger, however, as their position means that accidents can also impact the people below them.
Lines are suspended from the davit arm. The davit arms are generally swiveling, which allows washers to set up all equipment on the rooftop and then swing out over the parapet wall. Fall arrest lines are also used with this system, but have been removed from the graphic below for clarity.
For buildings with high parapet walls, varying setbacks, or other complex forms, a roofcar system provides the greatest flexibility. The roofcar arm allows for a greater extension that other systems and can adjust without much setup time.
The roofcar runs on rails or concrete pads and remains on the roof permanently. The single roofcar arm suspends both ends of the window washing staging. Work platforms are hung from the support system and provide a working surface for the window washers. Bosun's chairs are the most common form of platform used by window washers and facade maintenance crews. However, some companies and jurisdictions do not use them because of safety concerns.
The chairs carry a single person in the seated position. The diagram here shows the chair suspended from a portable outrigger system, but it can be used with any suspension system. There is always a secondary fall arrest line that is attached to the worker and tied to a different anchor than the platform. Bosun's chairs are descent controlled and cannot be used for ascending. Other window cleaners who work on smaller buildings, though, may use cell phones on the job.
And owners of window cleaning companies can earn more money than you might think. It's tiring, but I'm happy with the salary.
Judges and a referee oversee the competition, and competitors are penalized for any streaks, smears, and water residue that they leave on their windows. Lists job secrets. Subscribe to our Newsletter!
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