The window washer who fell to his death while working at a building in Coral Gables has been identified, as the investigation into the incident continues.
Elmer Solis, 43, is the man who passed away Wednesday, according to the Miami-Dade medical examiner.
Solis was working on a scaffold at the Giralda Place condo building near Salzedo Street and Alhambra Circle when he fell around 2 p.m.
Miami-Dade Police, who are investigating the incident, said Thursday that it appears an equipment failure occurred while the man was working.
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"It’s actually been a real shock to the window cleaning community,” said Stefan Bright, safety director of the International Window Cleaning Association. "We haven’t seen that many high rise fatalities in the last decade."
Bright said it might be too early to determine what part of the man’s equipment failed before he fell to his death, but it could’ve all been prevented.
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“We provide safety training and education to our members who are primarily window cleaning contractors across the United States,” he said.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration told NBC 6 the company that hired the man is called QBS Cleaning Corporation, operating as Quality Building Services.
NBC 6 reached out to QSB for their safety requirements and protocol. They have not responded.
Bright said that company is not a part of IWCA and the association does not have any records of anyone from that company taking or attending training sessions.
Membership is optional, but Bright said the services and training they provide can help prevent tragedies.
"It almost seems like this is a case where there might’ve been a lapse in training or something was missed," he said. "I don’t like to speak without hearing the investigation result but it’s seven or eight steps that you need to follow and you learn that in your training. Clearly, something was missed here."
The medical examiner in Miami-Dade said Solis died from blunt force trauma.
