I guess it's a paywalled article, so long story short:
Last year, a cleaning lady fell 12m down an elevator shaft of a new "high-tech" condo after she called the elevator, the doors opened and she walked backwards into an empty shaft.
Apparently, earlier, the cord of her vacuum cleaner had gotten stuck in between the doors, and because the sensors only detect objects larger than 1,5 cm, they couldn't register the cord, which caused the doors to malfunction.
According to the "arbeidsauditoraat" there is no negligence and no safety regulations were breached.
Case closed. Now, I can totally understand nobody was actually negligent in this case, and it's somewhat understandable that nobody is getting prosecuted for this, but how in the world is this the end of the story?
Shouldn't someone demand that these types of elevators be taken out of service or get some type of overhaul that prevents them from operating in this way? Seems to me that this should entirely be preventable.
by ScratchOnTheWall
10 comments
Sure, but also, who in their right mind walks into an elevator shaft without looking?
“walked backwards”
“Seems to me that this should entirely be preventable.”
Most accidents are preventable by LOOKING WHERE YOU WALK
Ik denk dat dit vooral aantoont dat poetspersoneel zodanig overhaast te werk moet gaan dat ze niet eens meer tijd hebben om normaal te bewegen.
Het is bijna een wonder dat ze niet meer van trappen vallen.
En zo weinig gerespecteerd worden door volk dat nog geen tien procent energie levert van wat zij doen.
How can a cord make a door open without the elevator being there?
Or how can the elevator leave with the door open?
How is the elevator manufacturer not responsible here? This could have been a child as well.
Did she survive? I can´t see it bc paywall
[Article without the paywall](https://archive.ph/kCQo6)
Weird that there is no requirement for a control mechanism around malfunctioning locks. An unlocked door is allowed to open towards an empty elevator shaft. That part doesn’t feel like failsafe design. Especially because a common act like requesting the elevator will – apparently – convert any problem with the lock into an accident-waiting-to-happen.
The regulatory system around elevators isn’t fast neither; if that wasn’t part of the old rules then they cannot issue a rule that all elevators must be retrofitted in the next 12 months. It might go in their new rulebook and if in then next 10 years (or so) the elevator gets its recurring major inspection then that new rule will also apply.
Ik ben all for de wet van de sterkste en ons wat minder aantrekken van debielen die domme dingen doen (doe ik soms ook), maar in dit geval vind ik dat de schuld meer bij de mechaniek dan de persoon ligt. Liftdeuren moeten nooit open gaan als de lift er niet is, simpel.
Accidents happen and they keep happening. It’s not possivle to prevent everything. Often also because people don’t think of every little thing that could go wrong or malfunction…
I hope the cleaning lady recovered well.
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