ELEVATOR ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORT RELEASED

Released on December 8, 1997

Saskatchewan Municipal Government today released an Investigation

Report detailing the circumstances and probable cause of an accident

involving an elevator door at the Howard Johnson Hotel in Regina on

September 19, 1997. On that date, two adult males were found injured

on top of an elevator car at the third floor landing of the hotel,

having fallen through the sixth floor elevator door entry.



The accident was investigated by Saskatchewan Municipal Government

under The Passenger and Freight Elevator Act.



The sixth floor door, which had originally been installed in 1974 and

had been in regular operation since installation, was designed to

withstand a minimum constant force of 250 pounds without dislodging.

The investigation determined that prior to the accident, the door was

in its normal closed and locked position and it had been maintained

within the existing industry standards.



The Investigation Report findings show that the door was dislodged and

driven into the shaft due to the application of a force on the hall

side door face that exceeded the design limits of the door.

Mechanical failure was not a contributing factor to the accident.



"The accident is the first of its kind to occur in Saskatchewan

and involved one of 8,670 doors designed to the same standard and

installed prior to 1985, which have been in regular daily

operation for several decades, without mishap," Nick Surtees,

Executive Director of the Protection Services Branch, said.

"While the accident has identified that under unusual

circumstances such doors can be dislodged, the probability, based

on safety history is extremely low. Doors of this vintage in the

normal operating environment pose no hazard to public safety."



The CSA B44 Safety Code for Elevators, outlined in the Passenger

and Freight Elevator Regulations, establishes minimum

requirements for the design, construction, installation,

operation, inspection, testing, maintenance, alteration and

repair of elevators in Saskatchewan.



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For more information contact:



Debi McEwen

Communications

Municipal Government

Regina

Phone: (306) 787-0531