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Glasgow Live
Glasgow Live
National
David Meikle

Glasgow window cleaner fell to his death from third floor tenement flat when handle snapped

A window cleaner plunged to his death after falling from a third-floor flat, a sheriff has ruled.

Kenneth McGready, 69, had been holding onto a metal handle when it snapped sending him to the ground.

He hit a metal railing before landing in the basement area of the tenement property in Glasgow's west end.

READ MORE: Glasgow cop seriously injured after officers called to Drumchapel 'rammy'

Mr McGready's son, Christopher, had been working with him and heard him scream as he suffered his fatal fall in 2020.

A Fatal Accident Inquiry was held at Glasgow Sheriff Court earlier this year where the tragedy was examined by a Sheriff Jonathan Guy.

He has now ruled Mr McGready's death may have been avoided if he had used specialist equipment to carry out his work.

The inquiry heard the father and son had working together in Landsdowne Crescent.

McReady, who had 30 years experience as a window cleaner, but no council licence, had been standing on the outside ledge cleaning windows while holding a metal handle on the inside.

The handle snapped sending him falling from the window.

His son had been in another room and heard his cries before he rushed to the ground level to assist him.

His father was given first aid but succumbed to his injuries. A post mortem established the cause of death as chest and pelvic injuries caused by a fall from a height.

The inquiry heard from Cameron Adam, a senior Health and Safety Executive inspector, who said McGready should not have been on the window ledge and should have used extendable water poles to carry out his work.

Sheriff Guy has ruled failure to use water poles led to the tragic death.

In a written judgement, he said: " I accepted Mr Adam's evidence that the deceased could have cleaned the windows at the property using a water fed pole.

"As the use of such a pole would have avoided the deceased having to work at height, I accepted Mr Adam's evidence that this was the safest way to clean the windows; especially since it was not possible to use a fall arrest harness."

He concluded: "I would nonetheless hope that the tragic circumstances of this death, which must have been deeply traumatic for the deceased's son as a result of witnessing the accident, are sufficient to highlight to window cleaners the importance of carrying out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment, and having the appropriate equipment with them when undertaking this work, so as to ensure that they avoid working at height when it is reasonably practicable to do so."

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