Window washers brave cleaning the Sunsphere

Kendall Morris, WBIR 12 a.m. EST November 13, 2014

2 workers rescued from 69th-floor scaffold at One WTC(Photo: Visit Knoxville)

(WBIR- Downtown Knoxville) Window washers gave the Sunsphere a cleaning this week.

Rex Richardson, assistant to the owner of Apex Window Cleaning, said it's one of the most difficult buildings their team washes.

"It's a challenge," Richardson said. "This one's much more difficult than any other building we do by a long shot."

The crew finished up Wednesday afternoon after national news broke about two window washers left dangling for two hours from the 69th floor of One World Trade Center before firefighters rescued them.

RELATED: 2 workers rescued from 69th-floor scaffold at One WTC

Shane Thornton, a window cleaner, said safety is a top priority for their team, especially when cleaning the curved surfaces of the Sunsphere.

"I was a little scared," Thornton said. "It was different than any other buildings that I've done. I've done higher, but I've never done a circle before, a sphere."

Thornton said the Apex employees use ropes to repel down the sides of buildings, which he said is safer than the swing stage or scaffolding that was used in the New York incident. He said the ropes can handle a lot more weight than what most of the employees weigh, and there is a primary line and a safety line.

Continued here:
Window washers brave cleaning the Sunsphere