A GLASGOW window cleaner fell to his death after a handle he was holding on to broke, a Fatal Accident Inquiry heard. 

Kenneth McGready tragically died on the morning of September 22, 2020, after falling from the window of a third-floor tenement flat at Lansdowne Crescent, Kelvinbridge.

The 69-year-old ran a window cleaning business known as “Westender Windows” and had been a window cleaner for around 30 years.

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On the day of the tragic accident, Mr McGready was cleaning windows at the property with his son Christopher. It was the first time they had been in the flat.

Mr McGready was standing on the outside ledge of the living room window holding on to a metal handle, which was on the inside of the window.

The handle broke, causing him to fall backwards off the window ledge, onto metal railings and onto the ground. 

Christopher was in another room at the time, but heard his dad scream and saw him fall to the ground. 

Mr McGready was given first aid by his son, as well as others, including a doctor, who took over until paramedics arrived. 

Paramedics provided CPR, but Mr McGready was sadly pronounced dead. 

A post-mortem established the cause of death as chest and pelvic injuries caused by a fall from a height.

The inquiry heard that “it would have been a reasonable precaution for Mr McGready to have used a water-fed pole to clean the windows, and had he done so, this might realistically have resulted in the death being avoided”.

Mr Cameron Adam, principal health and safety inspector of the Health and Safety Executive, gave evidence.

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He stated that Mr McGready should not have cleaned the windows in the manner that led to his death, because this was an inherently unsafe method of working, and the risk of him falling was significant.

He added that it was reasonably practicable for him to have used a water-fed pole.

Recommendations to prevent similar accidents in the future were submitted.

These included: “Before a window cleaner undertakes to clean windows at a height, the risk to their health or safety has to be assessed in advance, and in order to complete the cleaning, the window cleaner must use the most appropriate means whereby their health and safety are not unnecessarily compromised during the cleaning.

“This may involve the use of such equipment as a water-fed telescopic pole, safety harness and protective clothing.”