Insurance News
Lift engineer injured in fall
04th January 2012
A lift engineer remains in hospital in a serious condition after falling down a lift shaft at an apartment block in Birmingham.
The engineer, believed to be in his 20s, fell around ten to 15 feet down the open shaft on to metal grating at the block of flats located on the city's Paradise Street, just a short distance from the town hall.
The young worker sustained serious head, arm, pelvic and chest injuries as a result of the incident and was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital by an ambulance crew shortly after the accident.
Although a very unfortunate accident, landlords managing large apartment blocks will know only too well how often lifts can breakdown and require maintenance.
Only recently a number of elderly residents were left without lift service in their property after the elevator broke down.
Residents at the multi-storey block in Elland, Halifax had to use the building's staircase for several days after the lift stopped working, meaning many older tenants were unable to leave the block.
According to the European Safety Directive, it is a legal requirement that lifts be inspected every six months - no matter if the machine is located in a block of flats or commercial premises.
And while lift insurance or lift engineer insurance may seem like an unnecessary expense for some, all too often workers are injured carrying out this work and claims may have to be covered by landlords.
Data from the Health and Safety Executive shows that nearly 900 people were badly injured while at work in the West Midlands area between April 2010 and March 2011 with the construction industry proving to be one of the most dangerous.
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