Monthly Archives: November 2013

Arlington, VA – Elevator mechanic nearly loses hand after getting caught in traction sheave

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An elevator mechanic in his 60s nearly lost his hand on Wednesday, November 7, 2013, around 9:45 a.m. local time, when his hand became entrapped by a traction sheave while he was working on an elevator at 1300 17th Street North, a high rise office building in the Rosslyn neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia. The victim’s coworkers immediately called for paramedics, who arrived shortly after the coworkers were able to free the victim’s hand. Reports indicate that the victim’s hand was almost entirely severed, however, it was not clear at the time of writing whether doctors would be able to save his hand.

Traction sheaves are essentially the “pulley” through which an elevator’s hoist cables pass over, allowing the hoist motor to move the cab. As a result, the weight on each cable at the sheave is generally equal to the weight of the elevator car, the weight of any load within the car, the counterweight, the hoist cables, and half the weight of the traveling cable beneath the car. As a result, it is easy to understand how the incredible force of a sheave entrapment could result in a partial amputation of a limb. Given the victim’s age, it was likely that he was a seasoned elevator industry veteran, so it is not clear what factors contributed to the accident. Elevator mechanics are trained to understand the various hazards that motor rooms present, however even industry veterans can make mistakes. Working around sheaves is particularly dangerous, and sheaves will often bear orange warning labels indicating the entrapment hazard for this reason. Loose fitting clothing, tools, long hair, and even long facial hair can easily become entrapped when working around a moving traction sheave. Because of the hazards that elevator motor rooms present, the riding public should never attempt to access an elevator machine room or the equipment inside without proper training.

Sources reporting this story include:

Bangalore, India – LPG delivery man fatally crushed by descending elevator

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A 44-year old Indian man delivering liquid propane gas died Tuesday, November 5, 2013, around 12:30 p.m. local time, when he was fatally crushed by an elevator in an apartment building in Devara Jeevana Halli, Bangalore, India. According to early reports, the man had completed his delivery on the ground floor, and was on his way to the building’s first floor to collect payment. When he registered a hall call, the elevator doors apparently opened without the cab present. The victim apparently stepped through the opening, falling into the pit, where he was then crushed when the elevator descended seconds later to answer his hall call. Witnesses stated that they observed a significant amount of blood and were only able to see the victim’s hands, and used crowbars in an attempt to lift the cab off the victim. Local police are investigating the circumstances of the accident and had not yet released a formal statement, but noted that it appeared to be a malfunction and not foul play. The official statement also noted that they would investigate whether the elevator manufacturer, Lenzi Elevators India, was criminally negligent.

Typically, modern passenger elevators in the United States use a combination of an elevator car door and hoistway doors at each floor. A door operator mounted on top of the elevator car then opens the hoistway doors when the cab arrives. In such an arrangement, the hoistway doors will remain closed until the cab is lined up with that floor, allowing the door operator to open the hoistway door, which should never open to an empty shaft. However, even in the United States, there are often freight elevator door arrangements in which each floor has an independent door operator. In that case, a malfunction could potentially lead to an open shaft. In this case, it is not clear what the circumstances were. However, in India, “swing door” arrangements that resemble a typical building door are still relatively common, so it is also possible that this case involved a swing door with an independent hoistway door operator. We will update this story if additional information becomes available.

Sources reporting this story include:

Sharjah, UAE – Elevator mechanic dies after cab unexectedly plunges

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Shajo Sh. S., a 33-year-old Indian elevator mechanic working on an elevator in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, died around 1 p.m. local time Saturday, November 2, 2013, after an elevator cab he was working on fell unexpectedly. The victim was apparently performing routine maintenance on an elevator in a residential building in the Al Butaina neighborhood, cleaning the inside of the hoistway doors at each floor. When the elevator cab was around the third floor, it suddenly fell, causing the victim to become pinned between the hoistway wall and the cab.

Early reports indicate that authorities were not notified for at least 40 minutes after the accident occurred. During that time, the victim’s co-workers were apparently attempting to extricate him. By the time authorities arrived, the victim was already deceased. Sharjah Police released a statement urging the immediate reporting of industrial accidents to allow officials to carry out rescue and recovery operations and hopefully prevent future loss of life in similar situations.

This incident marks the third recorded elevator-related fatality this week. Earlier this week, a maintenance worker at a hospital in Decatur, Alabama, was fatally crushed when attempting to repair a freight elevator, and an elevator mechanic in Dallas, Texas, suffered a fatal fall down an open hoistway.

Sources reporting this story include:

Dallas, TX – Elevator technician dies after fatal fall into open hoistway

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A 45-year-old elevator mechanic from Mesquite, Texas, died after falling approximately 20-feet into an open hoistway at the parking garage of 1515 Elm Street, Dallas, Texas, around 8 p.m. Friday, November 1, 2013. The elevator technician, whose name was not yet released by authorities, was apparently servicing equipment in a mechanical room adjacent to the open shaft when he fell. The Dallas Fire Department urban search and rescue team was dispatched to recover the victim, who was declared dead on arrival by the responding paramedics. A spokesperson for the Dallas Police Department said they did not know what caused him to fall, but indicated that it appeared to be an accident, and that Dallas homicide detectives and OSHA were investigating.