August 5, 2008
Two Windows Washers Killed in Lower Manhattan Accident
Two cousins working as window washers died early this morning at the World Financial Center, on Vesey Street. WABC 7 reports that they seemed to be moving the lift, "which can lift three to four stories into the air, when the vehicle hit a depression in the roadway. The lift toppled over, crushing them." The men, ages 35 and 37, died from their injuries. The police and other agencies have been investigating the incident throughout the night; the city has been trying to improve safety for construction and window washing practices after a series of fatal accidents.
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Here we go again, another building tragedy. A New Jersey company employs cousins from Las Vegas and Pennsylvania to do risky work on a NYC high rise. The questions are:
Were they properly trained?
Are the safety features up to date?
Which City Dept. inspects the equipment?
Were there previous violations?
My condolences to the families.
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or perhaps, the question is, was this a pothole that should have been fixed already?
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I'm surprised to hear the city is trying to improve safety for window washers.
I've seen guys standing on office window ledges without any harnesses (*which is illegal*) and I've called the cops. The 911 moron said to me, "I don't know--is that illegal?" And refused to do anything about it. I called the local precinct. The phone went dead after ringing, unanswered, for 20 minutes.
Perhaps if they took bicycles up with them there'd be some law enforcement attention?
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I guess most of you missed that they were both working as window washers for 13 years. Same company. They seemed to know what they were doing. Nice racist undertones #1
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If they knew what they were doing there'd be no story. Cherry pickers just don't fall over.
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Mel. they knew what they where doing. Cherry pickers fall over when they get hit by a car.
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I wonder what that "depression in the roadway" is about. That's not the same thing as a pothole and given both the sketchy subsoils down there as well as the heavy trucks that are everywhere there, I bet this could be a serious problem.
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#3, if you see safety infractions on the job site, you can anonymously all 311. Whether they take action or not is another thing.