Construction worker teeters on skyscrapers 1,000ft above New York streets
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Someone has to do it! The New York City ‘skywalker’ shows off his skills as he erects scaffolding 1,000 feet above the sidewalk, just like Native Americans did in the 1930s.
- Terrifying Videos Show Skyscraper Scaffolding Working 1,000 Feet Above Manhattan and Brooklyn
- Unlike their predecessors, the workers are mostly in harnesses with individual lines attached to their backs.
- To get around the skyscrapers, Marcos Valencia and his co-workers slide on narrow boards
- They are reminiscent of the Native American Mohawk Skywalkers, prominent in New York City in the 1920s and 1930s.
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A series of videos show modern-day New York City skywalkers working on high-rise buildings and erecting scaffolding over a thousand feet above the ground.
The videos, uploaded by Marcos Valencia, show him and other construction workers climbing to the top of towers in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.
In one they can be seen passing tools around while working at 3 World Trade Center in Manhattan, 1,079 feet at its highest point. From these heights it is possible to see Governor’s Island and Staten Island behind.
In another, they are working on the Upper East Side, with views of Brooklyn across the Hudson River.
His videos often scroll down to reveal the terrifying heights on which the intrepid workers spend their days, as well as the spectacular views of the city.
Their dangerous work: Between 2009 and 2018, 78 construction workers died from falls in New York City, according to New York State data.
Valencia and his coworkers in boots and high visibility can be seen inching along narrow scaffolding planks and guiding aluminum construction materials into place with the help of cranes. He navigates a view from the top of 3 World Trade Center. The black building (right) is the US Steel Building
Falling from height is the leading cause of death in construction. Over the past 10 years, these accidents accounted for about 50 percent of all deaths, and that percentage is rising.
Unlike their predecessors, who used limited safety gear, Valencia and his colleagues are mostly equipped with full-body harnesses with lines attached to the back. Even some of the tools and materials they use are tied up to prevent them from falling.
In most of his videos, Valencia and his coworkers in high-visibility boots and boots can be seen inching along narrow scaffolding planks and guiding aluminum construction materials into place with the help of of cranes.
These videos of high-rise workers have become a sensation on TikTok, with half their viewers disgusted by heights and the other half in awe and asking where they can be hired.
Valencia included the name of Union Local 1556 in the subtitles of his video. The union’s website suggests that its scaffold workers make just under $50 an hour, while apprentices make just $20.
Valencia is shown at work while filming from the top of skyscrapers overlooking the Hudson River
A co-worker passes construction materials from Valencia as they stand on narrow boards 1,000 feet above the ground at 3 World Trade Center
Native American Mohawk blacksmiths working on the Chrysler Building
Famous photograph, captured in 1932, shows workers eating lunch in the 70-story RCA Building at Rockefeller Center.
Mohawk Blacksmiths on Park Avenue in 1970; they continue to work on steel structures throughout the city to this day.
A Mohawk blacksmith at a construction site on the northwest corner of 86th Street and Lexington Avenue in New York City