Construction Injury Newsroom

Construction Accident Report On Elevator Falling

A certified elevator mechanic and three temporary mechanics were assigned the task of wiring an elevator and installing the permanent cables. Up until the time of the accident, a temporary hoist was used to move the elevator up and down the hoistway to provide a working platform for the various jobs required within the hoistway. originally a small hoist was installed in the pit but proved too small to handle the elevator cab; therefore, a larger 4 ton rated hoist was placed in the doorway of the sixth floor.

At the time the elevator fell uncontrolled to the pit, the foreman and his helper were working on the first floor position indicator. The two injured workers had spent the morning making electrical connections from. atop the elevator. By early afternoon the requirement for removing the temporary hoisting cable became necessary to permit the installation of the permanent main cables. The elevator car was raised as high as possible with the temporary hoisting cable. The elevator car was still approximately 3 feet short of the required height to make the proper permanent cable connection. The fatal worker had set up a six foot ladder atop the elevator for the purpose of attaching the "come-along" to the overhead beam and the crosshead above him. The non-fatal worker was attaching metal covers over a vertical channel designed to enclose electrical wires. Immediately upon ascending to the upper elevation in the hoistway, the survivor said the safeties were manually set' and the dogs on the governor were set.

At approximately 3 o'clock p.m. the elevator fell approximately 75 feet before crashing into the pit. Within 10 seconds the elevator foreman and his helper had opened the elevator door from the first floor. They found both workers atop the elevator car. The survivor was lying down on the rear of the elevator car and perpendicular to the elevator door. The survivor's injuries were less severe because he was in constant contact with the elevator car top and, upon impact, the roof of the elevator was flexible and, as a result, absorbed much of the energy. The fatal worker was found draped across the crosshead which is attached to the roof of the elevator car. It is believed that the fatal worker followed the elevator down and freefell until he struck the crosshead.

The crosshead, constructed of rigid steel, was unable to absorb sufficient energy to cushion the fall. The fatal worker received severe multiple injuries including a severed spine and a broken neck. Within five minutes, three registered nurses from the facility dispensary arrived on the accident site. One nurse was lowered onto the elevator where she applied mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to the seriously injured worker. A second nurse treated the other worker for shock. By 3:30 both victims were transported to a local hospital where the fatal worker was pronounced dead at 4 o'clock p.m. and the second injured worker was admitted for treatment.