Scaffolders Working on Skyscrapers 1,000 Feet Above Manhattan Share Heart-Freezing View from Top of Buildings
The videos are not for the faint of heart.
A professional scaffolder is giving the public an insight into what he and his coworkers do every day via his TikTok account. A series of videos posted by Marcos Valencia shows New York City skywalkers erecting scaffolding 1000 ft above Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. The heart-stopping videos show the man walking on beams as they work (decked out in full safety gear, of course). Here's what Valencia's videos show.
Valencia's videos show what a day in the life of a scaffolder is like: In one video, they can be seen handing tools to each other as they work at 3 World Trade Center in Manhattan. Another shows them working above views of Queens across the Hudson River. Valencia makes a point of panning the camera down to show just how high up they are. Keep reading to learn more and see the video.
The responses to Valencia's TikTok videos are a mix of terror and fascination. "Y'all hiring? I would apply so I can enjoy the views from up there 😂," one person says. "Thank you for your service! The real soldiers of this country for real," another says. "I'm getting dizzy just from watching," says a third.
Make no mistake—even with all the safety equipment, working on skyscrapers is dangerous. Salary depends on experience and training. "The average Structural Steel Worker salary in New York, NY is $80,709 as of November 23, 2022, but the salary range typically falls between $78,280 and $95,206," according to salary.com.
Brooklyn native Memesha Davis is a structural ironworker and says the day usually starts at 6.30 am and wraps up at 3:30 pm. "The difference from being an apprentice, to journeyman, is drastic," she says. "As an apprentice, you can make anywhere from $100,000 a year to $120,000. As a journeyman, you can make anywhere from $120,000 plus."
"We never do the same thing every day," Davis says. "Today, for instance, it was windy and we had to bring a torch upstairs — a bottle of oxygen and a bottle of acetylene. And then we had to cut pieces out [of the steel frame] so that the plumbers and steamfitters can put their pipes through certain holes."
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