Window-washing firm is fined $447,000 after worker plunged 29 stories to his death while cleaning Boston skyscraper after two safety lines snapped

A window washing firm has been fined $447,000 after a worker plunged to his death from a skyscraper when two safety lines on his harness snapped. 

Nicholas J. Marks, 40, fell 29 stories from the 450-foot 100 Summer Street high-rise in downtown Boston on October 23 last year. 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Massachusetts firm Sky Safety Inc. had been responsible for two willful, four serious and two repeat violations of workplace safety standards linked to Marks’ death. 

Marks tumbled hundreds of feet while climbing into a bosun chair and preparing to wash the windows of the Boston building when the anchor line snapped, and a second lifeline gave way as he fell. 

‘Surveillance video showed the employee setting up and the instance when the employee fell from the building,’ the investigation report reads. 

‘The employee struck the parapet wall with such force there appeared to be damage to the wall.’

At the time of the tragedy, three ropes were visible hanging from one side of the skyscraper, and a fourth snapped line could be seen around 16 floors up. 

‘To ensure the safety of employees who work at heights, employers like Sky Safety Inc. must make their responsibility to provide comprehensive training on inspecting rope descent systems and fall protection equipment and components before each use an absolute priority,’ OSHA Regional Administrator Galen Blanton said in a statement. 

It’s not the first time Sky Safety Inc. has been found responsible for unsafe working practices. The employer was previously cited for safety equipment violations while operating under another name: Hi-Rise Inc. 

The alarm was raised over incidences of employees working on the McCormack State Office Building in downtown Boston in May 2019, and in August 2013 at 1 Congress St. 

In the later incident, investigators found that the safety rope designed to protect employees from falls was ‘badly damaged’ and should have been removed from service. 

The report added that the ‘rope descent system was not protected against damaged from rough and narrow wall and angle iron surfaces’. 

100 Summer Street is a landmark 32-story, 1.1 million square foot office tower located in Boston’s financial district. 

It’s one of the tallest buildings in Boston with 360-degree views of the city and harbor.