Fatality during servicing of ship’s passenger elevator
The second engineer was unable to open the lift shaft doors A large container vessel was in port, undergoing a preliminary environmental compliance inspection, which, among other items, required the pit of the lift shaft (lift trunk) to be checked for oil residues. The lift car (elevator cage) was at the designated position on the lowest deck, but the second engineer was unable to open the lift shaft doors to gain access to the lift pit.The chief engineer intervened to resolve the problem. Without stating his intentions, he entered the lift car, climbed through the escape hatch on the top, and shut the hatch behind him.The second engineer reset the lift controls, incorrectly assuming that the chief engineer had taken manual control of the lift from the panel on top of the lift car. However, the chief engineer had not done so, and when the second engineer reset the system, the lift was returned to its normal automatic operating mode.Suddenly, possibly in response to a random call from a higher deck, the lift car moved upwards at its usual operating speed and trapped the chief engineer against the door sill of the deck above, asphyxiating him. It is not known ...
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