Window Washing Accident Attorney in Chicago

A window washing accident attorney will tell you what many cleaners are never told: a window cleaner injured on the job is generally limited to workers’ compensation against the employer. But the building owner, manager, rigging contractor, equipment supplier or another trade on site is usually not the employer, so a separate claim may exist against them.

Loop and Near North towers send crews out in wind off the lake, and some injuries trace back to the building or the gear. If someone fell from inside a window, see window fall accidents.

Injured washing windows on a Chicago building? If the building owner or another contractor contributed, you may have a claim beyond workers’ compensation. Call 312-800-1534.

Workers’ Compensation Is Rarely the Only Claim

A window washing accident attorney starts by asking who was not your employer. Workers’ compensation, set up by the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act, 820 ILCS 305, is the exclusive remedy against your employer, meaning you generally cannot sue them in court.

What Workers’ Compensation Covers

It pays medical costs and a share of your lost wages while you cannot work. It does not pay for pain and suffering.

Where the Workers’ Compensation Lien Fits

If you recover from a third party, your employer or its insurer may be entitled to repayment of part of what it paid. That claim for repayment is the workers’ compensation lien, found in 820 ILCS 305/5(b). How it affects your recovery needs attorney review [Attorney review before publishing]. Other falls on the job are covered under work-related falls.

Who Else May Be Liable: Building Owner, Manager or Contractor

Under Illinois premises law, someone who controls a property owes reasonable care to people lawfully working there. Premises liability means that duty to keep a place reasonably safe, set out in the Premises Liability Act, 740 ILCS 130.

• Building owner: controls the roof, anchors and access.
• Property manager: hires and oversees the contractor.
• Rigging contractor: sets up the platform or ropes.
• Equipment supplier: provides or services the gear.
• Other trades: work on the same facade or roof.

None of these is your employer, which is why a separate claim may exist. Third-party claims on building sites raise similar questions, covered under construction site falls. Claims are filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County.

Workers’ compensation does not pay for pain and suffering. A claim against the building owner or a contractor can. Call 312-800-1534.

Suspended Platforms, Bosun’s Chairs and Rope Descent Systems

Facade work generally uses one of three setups.

[Suggested image: suspended scaffold and rope descent system on Chicago high-rise]

Anchor Points, Tiebacks and Roof Rigging

Every rope and platform on a high-rise hangs from something on the roof, and responsibility for it typically sits with the building owner.

A roof anchor point that is corroded, badly placed or never tested is a building problem before it is a crew problem. A tieback certification is the record that an anchor was inspected or tested. A fall arrest system, meaning the harness, lanyard and lifeline, works only if the anchor beneath it holds.

We do not assume how often anchors must be checked, and we confirm the current standard before relying on any figure. Chicago’s winter ice and lakefront wind add wear that records may show.

Equipment Failure and Product Liability

When a cable, hoist, or platform part gives way, scaffolding failure may point to a defect in the equipment itself. A defective product can support a separate claim against its maker or seller.

Ground-Level Window Cleaning: Ladders and Wet Surfaces

Not every claim involves height. Ground crews face ladders, wet floors and entrance ice in a Chicago winter, and these claims follow the logic of ladder accidents.

What the Investigation Records Will Show

OSHA standards help show what safe practice looked like. They are evidence of the standard of care, not a claim of their own. Slip & Fall Injury Lawyers asks for these records early:

• OSHA investigation files: what inspectors found.
• Rigging records: who set up the equipment and when.
• Anchor certifications: what was tested and by whom.
• Training records: what the crew was taught.

Medical records belong in the same file. Where a head injury is involved, see head and brain injuries.

Speak With a Chicago Fall From Height Lawyer

We will establish who controlled the site, who supplied and inspected the equipment, and what claims are open to you beyond workers’ compensation. Free consultation, no fee unless we win. Call 312-800-1534 or request a free case review.

Window Washing FAQs

Legally Reviewed By
Attorney Jonathan Rosenfeld

The information on this page has been legally reviewed by Attorney Jonathan Rosenfeld, founder and managing partner of Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC, a Chicago-based personal injury law firm. With decades of experience representing individuals injured in slip and fall accidents and other premises liability cases throughout Chicago, Mr. Rosenfeld is dedicated to protecting the rights of injury victims and helping them pursue the maximum compensation available under the law. His extensive legal knowledge and commitment to client advocacy ensure that the information provided is accurate, reliable, and aligned with current legal standards.

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