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2 die in separate elevator accidents

31 Comments

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© 2012 AFP

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I wonder if there is a connection between the age many of these elevators were installed and the recent accidents? I'm taking the stairs from now on!

-11 ( +1 / -12 )

The headline had me confused for a moment. I thought they were talking about a human dumb waiter...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

What where the safte ymeasures there? When was this service lift, aka dumbwaiter, last checked, especially for the security of people? How did the woman apparently got stuck in there? A little more information would be helpful to understand how this could happen and what can be done to avoid an accident like this in the future.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

@ skroknog

A dumb waiter is not an elevator to be used by people, It is a convenient transportation for the dishes and food used by service personnel especially when a restaurant has several floors.

Could not understand how she could be stuck on the floor when the dumb waiter normally when stop is constructed at 850 to 900mm from floor level with protective up-stand between floor and the stopping level. Unless there is no protection constructed between floor and stopping level and the woman accidentally slipped and caught between the dumb waiter and the floor

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Redcliff, more importantly, why the hell was the dumbwaiter built for that much force? To crush someone (well, enough to prevent breathing), we're talking about a good deal of force. The thing's only 70x60cm (no depth stated, but probably 60cm too), so it isn't meant for more than dishes and other "light" stuff . Usually you also have overweight sensors to prevent the motor from being overworked, and door open sensors to make sure you don't use the chute as a garbage dump, so why didn't those go off. If they didn't have them, were any laws violated by not having them?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

We can wager night and day on the nationality of this "dumb waiter" but the fact is that this poor Japanese lady is very, very dead. I do hope and pray this will never ever happen again to anybody else. RIP

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I had to read this article twice to finally understand what "dumb waiter" was. I thought it was actually referring to a person first and thought that it was quite rude to refer to someone who was just involved in a horrible accident. 70cm x 60cm info didn't really make sense (man, that's a short and chubby person) and so I thought there was something wrong with the English sentence (LOL). Yeah, dumb me.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Elbuda MexicanoDec. 03, 2012 - 05:28PM JST

We can wager night and day on the nationality of this "dumb waiter"

What wager? The nationality of the manufacturer is known to be Japan

From the article:

Broadcaster Nippon Television reported that the machinery involved in Sunday’s accident was built by a Japanese manufacturer.

As you can see, the name of the manufacturer is withheld for no reason, but they do at least state it was a Japanese company.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

Why do they call it a DUMBWAITER?

-10 ( +1 / -10 )

Altruist777: At least you're honest. I had to have my Japanese boss (I'm American) tell me what it was several years ago...never heard of it either until after coming here. Sad story though.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@Resurfaced, that's a name for an unspeaking , not stupid, waiter, a service elevator intended for food transport.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Did she think it would be fun to climb into the dumb waiter?...idiota

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Cramp, it's possible that she reached in to adjust the contents, maybe to prevent something from spilling or falling over, and the safety interlock failed to prevent the door from closing.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

IN other words, it seemed like there is less maintenance around the building which is why such kind of freak accidents tend to happen from time to time. I suggest the manager of those companies who're experiencing such unexpected freak (elevator) accidents must have a rotating schedule to check not just only the elevator but other parts that must be concerned of as well, like the doors (those that have motion sensor when people comes in and out), lights, wiring, etc.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

NHK TV news just said that the woman had been cleaning the dumb waiter when the accident happened. They didn't, of course, name the manufacturer.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

The details of the second incident are extremely vague. What happened?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Apart from the possibility of manufacturable defect of the dumb waiter, may be we should also consider the building code safety requirements. Did the original builder built and conformed to the safety building code when the dumb waiter was installed and has the inspector carried out his duty in checking any construction error prior to issue approval for completion.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Pretty sad to die in a lift. Condolences to their families.

On a side note, typo causes all sorts of confusions! "Dumbwaiter" without the space please!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

What on earth happened in this case? Was she trying to reach dishes or what? It might not be the manufacturers fault but human error. I for the life don't get how someone gets killed by one of these.

The other guy? Yikes. Did he notice the issue and was holding the door open when it dropped or what?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The name of the domestic manufacturer will be reported and brought to light once the ministry or the police decides to take specific actions against the company in question.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

In the US/Canada, dumbwaiters are mandated to have the same safety systems as passenger elevators, but apparently in Japan they don't need it so the cops will write it off as a simple accident rather than someone's fault.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

ugh final destination way to die rip

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

That last one sounded Brutal.. sad stuff.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Dumbwaiters have been around for a long time. Thomas Jefferson had one in his home (the car was manually raised and lowered by a rope and pully).

From WIki:

Building codes have regulated the construction and operation of dumbwaiters in parts of North America since the 19th century. Modern dumbwaiters in the United States and Canada must comply with American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) codes and, therefore, have features similar to those of passenger elevators. The construction, operation and usage of dumbwaiters varies widely according to country.

I guess the main question is why the woman was (even partially) in the dumbwaiter? Most dumbwaiters aren't deep enough to require leaning into the car to place or retrieve something.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

FadamorDec. 04, 2012 - 01:15AM JST

I guess the main question is why the woman was (even partially) in the dumbwaiter? Most dumbwaiters aren't deep enough to require leaning into the car to place or retrieve something.

It's a 60x60x70 (WxDxH) box, so big enough that a 140-170cm person would have to stick their head in to clean properly (she was cleaning it). A 150cm or shorter person would probably have to half climb in to clean everything.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

It's a 60x60x70 (WxDxH) box, so big enough that a 140-170cm person would have to stick their head in to clean properly (she was cleaning it). A 150cm or shorter person would probably have to half climb in to clean everything.

I suppose if she was cleaning the back wall of the car that would require leaning-in. Most motorized dumbwaiters have a safety interlock where if an access door at any level is open, the motor circuit is disabled. I wonder if someone bypassed the interlock, or if in the process of cleaning the car she inadvertantly leaned on the interlock while inside the car, making it look like the door was closed?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I'm sure this will once again be attributed to either faulty maintenance or neglected inspections; par for the course in Japan. Last night a commentator speaking about the tunnel incident commented that "safety is too expensive". May these two souls rest in peace.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I wonder when the offices of the elevator companies involved here will be raided. From the look of it, it should be tomorrow

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Thanks for posting. A dumb waiter is not to be used to carry human weight. Employers must run elevator safety campaigns in the wake of recent accents in Japan and around the world.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Elevator safety campaigns should include How To Use An Elevator http://www.elevatormalaysia.com

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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