Inspection Detail

Inspection: 106799349 - Sheraton Park Central Hotel

Inspection Information - Office: Dallas Area Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1, a bellman at a hotel, was riding a service elevator on a routine task when it stalled between floors. He called the switchboard on the emergency phone in the elevator and asked for help from the elevator maintenance department. About 15 minutes later, he called again and was told that help was on the way. When the elevator maintenance man arrived, he found that the elevator had stalled with the car floor about 13 inches below the ceiling on the 19th floor. The inner car doors and the outer landing doors were open and the employee was gone. He was later found dead at the 7th floor level, draped over the elevator power cable loop, having suffered a broken back. The employee apparently forced open the inner doors, released the latch, opened the outer doors, and attempted to move out on his belly and jump to the 19th floor landing. He missed and fell down the open shaft.

Keywords: FRACTURE, WORK RULES, BACK, FALL, ELEVATOR, MECH MALFUNCTION, ELEVATOR SHAFT