Inspection Detail

Inspection: 111877510 - United Technologies - Otis

Inspection Information - Office: Sacramento District Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 was on the 12th floor of an office building installing piping and wiring on top of a newly installed elevator car. As he stood on the landing, he put his left hand on top of the leveling indicator on top of the car. In order to run the car up a couple of feet Employee #1 hit the UP button on the temporary control run box but he "misjudged the distance" and the car ran up farther than he intended. His left hand was caught and crushed between the indicator and a vane bracket on the inside of the shaftway sill. When he heard the bones break, he hit the elevator DOWN button to free his hand. Employee #1's little and ring fingers were broken; he also sustained severe tendon damage, which required an 11 hour operation to repair.

Keywords: FRACTURE, TENDON, FINGER, WORK RULES, CONSTRUCTION, CAUGHT BETWEEN, CRUSHED, ELEVATOR, HAND, INATTENTION