Brakes of old elevators may pose a serious threat

The Safety In­ves­ti­ga­tion Au­thor­ity, Fin­land in­ves­ti­gates the el­e­va­tor ac­ci­dent that oc­curred in Kau­niala Hos­pi­tal on 11 May 2021. In the ac­ci­dent, a pa­tient died and a nurse trans­port­ing the pa­tient in a wheel­chair was in­jured. The ac­ci­dent was caused by the el­e­va­tor brake be­ing stuck in the open po­si­tion.

The Safety Investigation Authority issued a threat of accident alert, pursuant to section 25 of the Safety Investigation Act of Finland (525/2011), to the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes) in charge of elevator safety, the Ministry of the Interior and Rescue Departments regarding serious danger related to brakes of old elevators.

“The brake is essential for the safety of an elevator, and it must be appropriately maintained to ensure faultless operation. Elevator brakes must be maintained so that the elevator stays put when stopping at different floors. The Kauniala accident under investigation revealed a serious threat related to old elevators, and for this reason we decided to issue a threat of accident alert to Tukes, the Ministry of the Interior and Rescue Departments,” states Veli-Pekka Nurmi, Executive Director of the Safety Investigation Authority, Professor.

“Particularly the Ministry of the Interior and Rescue Departments must be aware that a poorly functioning elevator brake may pose a threat to rescuers,” adds Kai Valonen, Investigator-in-Charge.

The Safety Investigation Authority, Finland plans to publish an investigation report in late 2021.

Further information:

Veli-Pekka Nurmi, Executive Director, Professor, tel. +358 2951 50701

Kai Valonen, Investigator-in-Charge, tel. +358 2951 50707

Lasse Laatta, Substitute for the Investigator-in-Charge (enquiries after 5 July), tel. +358 20951 50709