Lift company not to blame in death
A coroner has cleared an elevator company of any fault after one of its employees was killed in a Wellington lift shaft accident.
Experienced lift technician Brendon Scheib, 54, died on January 14, 2016, while he was working on a lift shaft inside the Harcourts Building on Grey St.
Coroner Tim Scott released the findings of his inquest into Scheib’s death yesterday, saying that his employer, Otis,
‘‘takes and has taken the issue of worker safety very seriously’’.
‘‘It has produced what appears to me – as a layperson looking at only one aspect of lift safety – a very comprehensive manual or handbook for the benefit of its employees and sub-contractors.’’
Scott ruled that Scheib died as a result of neck and chest injuries, and crush asphyxia.
A WorkSafe investigation concluded it was likely Scheib either thought he had engaged the top pit switch in the lift shaft when he had not, or had knocked it accidentally, causing the lift to restart.
The report found Scheib, who had almost three decades of industry experience, was unlikely to have been misled by the status of the switches, although it was possible.
It also found adequate systems were put in place by both Otis and the building owners to manage the risks that came with working in lifts. No action was taken against the elevator company.
Last year, Scheib’s widow Deb Scheib planned, at one stage, to take a private prosecution against Otis because she had concerns over the conditions her husband was working in when he died.
These included the position and design of the pit switch used to stop lifts while working in the shaft, the fact technicians worked alone and not in pairs, and fears the lifts were not in a condition to be used.