Tuesday, September 29, 2009
A Lift Maintenance firm has admitted safety railings after one of its engineers was badly injured when his hand and arm were dragged into a lift mechanism. James Blount, an employee of Amalgamated Lifts, was carrying out routine maintenance in a lift motor room at 30 Cannon Street in the City of London when the rag he was holding was pulled into a lift’s exposed mechanism.
His arm became trapped between the pulleys and ropes and he suffered severe injuries to his right arm and right knee.
Amalgamated knew there were no guards around the moving parts of the lift machinery and had alerted the property’s managing agent, but still allowed Blount to work in the motor room. This contravened both its contract with the managing agents and the industry code of practice.
Amalgamated pleaded guilty to a charge under Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act for failing to ensure employees’ safety. City of London magistrates fined the firm £8015 with £8443 costs. Blount has been awarded compensation in a separate civil case.
Philip Everett, director of environmental services at the City of London Corporation, said companies must prioritise health and safety “above everything else, and if that means walking away from hazardous and risky situations to protect their employees and others, so be it”.