Every worker who is involved in washing the windows of tall buildings has likely had a near-death experience in the course of his or her career. On a recent Wednesday, two window washers in Oklahoma came away from one such an incident without any workplace injuries. This was an on-the-job accident that could have claimed the lives of both workers had it not been for the skills of the rescue workers.
According to the chief of the Oklahoma City Fire Department, the workers were in a scaffold basket that was suspended on crane cables from a height of 20 to 30 feet above the tallest building in Oklahoma City. Reportedly, they were cleaning windows near the 50-story skyscraper’s roof at about 7:45 a.m. when heavy winds developed. The winds caused their suspended basket to swing uncontrollably while the workers likely clung on for dear life.
Roads were closed to protect motorists and pedestrians below from the falling glass sent down by the scaffold basket smashing into the windows of the roof extensions. The firefighters and police were praised for their exceptional rescue skills when they brought the two window washers to safety after about 45 minutes. They managed this by securing the basket with ropes and pulling it in.
Paramedics checked the window washers, but both were uninjured. They were lucky this time, but another such incident might have catastrophic consequences. Any worker in Oklahoma who suffers workplace injuries will be entitled to claim workers’ compensation benefits to cover medical expenses and lost wages. The injured worker will be free to utilize the services of an experienced workers’ comp attorney to ease the often-complicated process.