Lift Safety Related Activities at Tukes
- Surveillance targeted at e.g.
- maintenance, repair, alterations and installation work
- the inspections carried out by accredited bodies
- lifts
- escalators, moving walks, motorized lifting doors (under the Machinery Directive, Tukes is responsible for the surveillance of safety during use)
- more information here
- The next tables represent the lift-related accidents that have been reported to Tukes. Tukes does not have knowledge of all lift-related accidents that have occurred in Finland. Companies working in the lift sector, accredited bodies and owners of lifts must inform Tukes of serious accidents. An accident is deemed serious if it causes the need for medical attention, like a fracture or a large wound.
- Near misses include minor injuries.
- The register of the Workers' Compensation Center (TVK) includes work-related accidents only. The statistics are available with a delay of 2 - 3 years.
- Since 2016 near misses include all events reported to Tukes, until then only those registered in the Tukes accident database VARO.
Lift-related accidents
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fatalities | - | 1(* | - | - | - | 1 |
| Injured | 8 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| Near miss | 5 | 4 | 4 | 27 | 15 | 9 |
| TVK database | 130 | 107 | 101 |
(* wheelchair stair lift
Accidents with escalators and moving walks
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fatalities | - | - | 1 | - | 2 | - |
| Injured | 1 | - | - | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Near miss | - | 1 | - | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| TVK database | 20 | 32 | 31 |
Accidents with motorized lifting doors
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fatalities | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Injured | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Near miss | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| TVK database | 31 | 25 | 29 |
Observations from 2018
- In the fatal lift accident the lower edge of a waste container with wheels got caught in the landing level threshold. The lift was moving down, and the waste container turned sideways pressing the victim against the back wall.
- Four events reported to Tukes were associated with the hand of small child getting caught between an opening lift door and the door frame.
- The fire and rescue services had approx. 800 missions (Source The Pronto database of the fire and rescue services), where someone was rescued from a lift stuck between floors. Nevertheless, rescuing people from stuck lifts is not primarily a task of the fire and rescue services, but of the lift maintenance companies. People are stuck in lifts approximately 3000 - 4000 times every year.
- During the past few years the periodical inspections of lifts have identified a high number of faults causing immediate danger (See Tukes guidelines 18/2017). The safety and reliability of lifts is ensured through proper maintenance and repair.
Occupational accidents related to lifts (2015)