Window washer: “This shouldn’t be happening”: Window washer falling to his death outside Boston skyscraper sparks concerns online

A window washer fell to his death from the 100 Summer Street building, a 32-story skyscraper in Boston on Monday, October 23. Boston emergency crews responded to a call from the high-rise on Monday morning about a window cleaning service provider that had plummeted several stories to the ground.

The Boston Police Department said that the victim was declared dead by the time their crew reached the scene around 8 am. The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office identified the window washer as Nicholas Marks, 40, whose hometown is in East Weymouth.

A window washer in Boston died after falling from an unknown number of stories from a highrise building. (Image via X/@ChrisRogersTV)

Many took to X (formerly Twitter) to express concern over the incident. One user also commented on Boston 25's report and wrote that incidents like this are preventable.

Nicholas Marks' death by falling from a skyscraper sparks concerns about window washing job. (Image via X/@JulianneLimaTV)

Window washer's death is under investigation; sparks concern about the profession among netizens

Nicholas was reportedly employed under Sky Safety Inc., a window cleaning company providing commercial-quality cleaning. The company has issued no official statement regarding Nicholas's death yet.

100 Summer Street in downtown Boston is one of the city’s tallest high-rise buildings. A spokesperson for the 32-story skyscraper addressed the incident in an email to WBZ and wrote:

“We are deeply saddened by this incident, and our thoughts and prayers are with the individual's family and loved ones. We are actively supporting the local authorities in their investigation of the incident, which remains ongoing.”

The incident is currently being investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

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While everyone extended their condolences to Nicholas Marks' family and the two children that he left behind, several people raised questions about his job. They wondered why, despite so much advancement in modern technology, cleaning or washing windows in highrise buildings is still being executed by humans who put their lives at risk.

A few others shared how someone in their family works the same job and that they always worried about the workers' safety. People also noted that these jobs need to pay more to the employees due to the high risk it involves.

Nicholas Marks' death by falling from skyscraper sparks concerns about window washing job. (Image via Facebook/@Boston25News)

Deceased window washer's friend and coworkers' statement

Gerardo Ortiz, a friend of Nicholas who is also a window washer, said:

“I’ve known him for 18 years. We wake up every morning to go to work, and we don’t know what’s going to happen that day.”

Ortiz continued that window washers generally follow all the required safety procedures to ensure nothing happens. However, he said that one can never know what could have happened to Nicholas, adding that his equipment might have failed since the ropes carry a lot of weight. The statement shows that there are variables beyond one's control.

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Gerard Ortiz, who is employed under a different window-washing company, further explained that workers in this field rely on several ropes for safety. If one of the ropes fails, the employees can still hang on with the help of the other ones until help arrives.

Two of Nicholas Marks’ coworkers described him as a “great person,” adding that he will be greatly missed.

Though fatalities and accidents in the window washing field are relatively rare, OSHA reported 28 incidents related to window washing in the last five years. Eleven of these incidents resulted in fatalities.