Two window washers rescued after platform malfunctions at Montreal high-rise
Posted October 9, 2026 9:04 am.
Two window washers were brought to safety Friday morning after their platform malfunctioned outside a Montreal high-rise, prompting a rescue operation by firefighters.
The incident happened about 7:45 a.m. at a building near the intersection of Boulevard Robert-Bourassa and Rue De La Gauchetière in downtown Montreal.
The Montreal fire department (SIM) dispatched a high-angle rescue team after the workers became stuck on the platform.
According to SIM spokesperson William Murray, the platform became tilted and dropped about three feet while the workers were washing windows roughly 14 floors above the ground. The workers felt unsafe and called 911.
“(The platform) kind of derailed a bit, about three feet,” Murray said. “So we had to rescue them.”
Between 10 and 15 firefighters responded to the scene, along with Urgences-santé and Montreal police (SPVM). No injuries were reported.
As of midday Friday, the platform remains suspended outside the building and attached to the structure. The company will be responsible for bringing it down.
Groupe Picotte, the window-washing company, said the machine had stopped working.
The CNESST, Quebec’s workplace safety board, has taken over the investigation. Two inspectors were dispatched to the scene to gather information and determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Experts say the investigation will examine the condition and age of the equipment, whether proper safety procedures were followed and when the workers last received training, according to Université de Montréal professor of industrial relations Pierre Durand.
“It’s about the same thing as flying an airplane,” he said. “You’re always looking if there’s something broken in the motors or wings.”
Investigators will also look at whether the platform’s safety systems were working as they should.
Durand said the platforms are equipped with emergency lifelines, meaning the workers were not necessarily in immediate danger while waiting for the rescue.
He also says incidents involving window-washing platforms have become less frequent compared with the past, crediting improvements in equipment and worker training.
“You see a downward curve in the frequency of those events,” Durand said.
