Elevators, Escalators, Moving Sidewalks, Manlifts – all these mechanical devices are designed to move people from one point to another. Whether traveling from one floor to another, or to access things beyond our normal range of reach, people often rely on such mechanical devices to get us there.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that over 17,000 people are injured each year in the United States on elevators and escalators, and each year there are approximately 30 deaths. The injuries range in severity from abrasions and bruises to degloving and complete amputations of appendages.
Incidents where workers are in elevators or on platforms that collapse are struck by counterweights or other moving parts, or are electrocuted. Safety and fall protection equipment can also become an issue not only for workers in elevator shafts but also operators and occupants of manlifts.
Manlifts pose unique hazards unrelated to elevators and escalators. Manlifts are portable moveable pieces of equipment designed to elevate people vertically and some have the capability to move horizontally at the same time. Equipment operation can be hazardous if not done properly or without the proper safety equipment. For example, contact with overhead electrical lines poses the risk of electrocution or the operator could be knocked off the lift from the force of contact with obstructions.
Whatever mechanical device is involved in the incident, the cause is possibly rooted in a complex interaction of physical conditions and human error. The engineers at McDowell Owens analyze the incident and complex contributing factors in order to present a clear and easily understood finding.
