Do Elevators Pose A Risk Of Personal Injury In The Workplace?

Perhaps the most notorious incident occurred in New York City in 1999, when a worker became trapped in an elevator in the Rockefeller Center’s McGraw-Hill Building. While working late one night, Nicolas White took the elevator down from the 43rd floor for a cigarette break. One his way back up, the elevator became stuck. Despite pushing the alarm bell and even prying open the elevator doors and screaming into the shaft, White was stuck for forty-one hours. More than suffering physical injury, the ordeal left him mentally and emotionally traumatized.

More recently, a woman who had worked in the grants and contracts office of Cal State Long Beach for several years was fatally injured in an elevator accident. On Wednesday, December 7th, 2011, 48-year-old Annette Lujan was riding an elevator in one of the campus’ buildings when it became stuck between the second and the third floor. Just as she climbed out of the elevator, the car started moving again, ultimately crushing her, reported the Los Angeles Times.
Although escalators are more dangerous than elevators, with accidents resulting in injuries occurring about 15 times more frequently on them than on elevators, the latter can still be risky. Every year, such accidents claim about 27 lives, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Moreover, about 10,200 people suffer personal injury in incidents involving malfunctioning elevator doors, the misalignment of the car with the floors, and other issues, according to consumerwatch.com. Fifty percent or more of these fatalities and injuries are suffered by people who use elevators as part of their employment, such as office and maintenance workers.

Given the fact that workers in an office building use an elevator almost daily, their risk of being involved in accident due to poor maintenance or a malfunction is higher. A recent CNS news investigation found several elevators in Los Angeles, California that had expired permits, explains an attorney. As the incident in Long Beach illustrates, when stuck in an elevator, attempting to climb out could result in personal injury, so staying there until help arrives may be the safest option.

By: Larry Drexel

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Larry Drexel is a Public Relations manager. To obtain free, informative books or articles he suggests visiting California personal injury attorney.