The Drop of the Scaffold

Yesterday in Boston, MA two window washers almost fell to their death while washing windows at a skyscraper on State Street. They were on a scaffold washing windows on the 37th floor when suddenly their scaffold dropped 20 feet and tilted in a 45 degree angle. They were dangling for about 20 minutes before any help came. Finally fire fighters had to break windows to rescue the two window washers. Many people saw it happening from inside the building and from the streets. It doesn't say why it fell but it looks like one of their cables snapped.
Window washers get paid a median wage of only $18,790 per year, so is it actually worth risking your life to get paid that wage?