Building on the elevator accident: “Should not happen”

On Monday, an elevator collapsed 20 meters on a construction site in Sundbyberg. Several people were in the elevator.
– You shouldn’t be able to go 20 meters away in an elevator like that, says Tomas Kullberg, chairman of Byggnads in Stockholm/Gotland.

On Monday morning, a construction lift fell 20 meters into the ground at a construction site in Sundbyberg, north of Stockholm. Four or five people were in the elevator when it collapsed.

– It is tragic. We have members and member companies affected by this. Above all, those who have been in the lift and their families. It will be a tragedy in the whole situation, says Tomas Kullberg of the Construction trade union.

The union has not received any detailed information about who was in the elevator or how they fared.

– What we know is that at least three are seriously injured.

Preliminary investigation initiated

The police have started a preliminary investigation into work environment violations. It is good in the first stage, says Tomas Kullberg at Byggnads.

– It’s good that you go for a work environment violation instead of the culprit, because it means that you get faster handling and can look at the organizational parts of the workplace, how the logistics part was managed.

You have been in contact with the company if it happened. What do they think?

– They think it is tragic that it has happened. Now it is not the main contractor who may be responsible, but someone who installed the lift. That is perhaps where the discussions will be held.

“Should not happen”

The serious accident must be investigated to find out what happened and why.

– They will investigate whether there is a material fault in the lift, an assembly fault or something, because this should not be able to happen. You shouldn’t be able to go 20 meters away in an elevator the way you have done. Something has gone wrong, says Kullberg.

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