13.12.2023
First findings from fatal hoist incident
Alimak, the manufacturer of the hoist involved in the fatal incident in Sundbyberg, Stockholm, Sweden, this week has issued details of its initial findings from the investigation into the cause of the incident in which five people lost their lives.
The statement is published in full below.
“On December 11, a tragic workplace accident occurred at a construction site in Sundbyberg, Sweden. Based on observations made by Alimak Group's experts on site, we can conclude that there is a significant deviation from the installation instructions.
"First of all, I want to emphasise that this is a deeply tragic and unimaginable event. Our thoughts are first and foremost with those affected and their families", says Ole Kristian Jødahl, chief executive of Alimak Group. "As soon as we became aware of the accident, we sent a team of experts to the site to be available for the investigations carried out by the relevant authorities."
"On December 12, three senior experts from the Alimak Group, together with investigators from the Swedish Accident Investigation Authority and the police, attended the accident site for observation.”
Based on the observations made, we can conclude that two of the mast sections holding the hoist in place have not been bolted together, which may be the reason why the hoist car fell to the ground. This is a significant deviation from the installation instructions. The installation has not been carried out by Alimak Group."
"Upon installation, there is an installation manual with clear instructions. In addition, there is an operator and maintenance manual that also includes daily safety inspections to ensure that the hoist works as intended. I want to emphasise again the importance of following the instructions that come with the product during installation and use," said Ole Kristian Jødahl".
The hoist used in the accident is an Alimak Scando 650, a standard hoist used on construction sites to transport passengers and materials at height.”
For more information on the incident click on the following links:
Five dead in hoist incident
Hoist drop in Stockholm
UPDATE
the Swedish Accident Investigation Authority has now released a report into the incident.
It confrimed that the hoist was originally installed on the 24th August and inspected by an accredited inspector. As construction continued, the hoist mast was extended, first in November and then again on December 5th, in order to allow the hoist to reach the ninth floor.
The investigation by the Swedish Work environment agency - Arbetsmiljöverket - found that five of the bolts and nuts that connect the mast sections were missing. All four were missing between two of the sections and the unbolted joints were simply not strong enought to support the forces applied.
The investigation report said: “The accident occurred when the load on the mast, where the four bolts and nut assemblies where missing, became greater than the structure could hold, leading to the mast sections separating and the hoist car falling to the ground. It is likely that the bolts were already missing when a mast extension was carried out on the first of November. However, this was not discovered in connection with the assembly, nor in the inspections and service measures taken after the assembly. The accident was caused by failure to perform relevant safety inspections on the mast and thus not picking up the missing bolts.”
Recommendations
The report recommends that an investigation be launched into how safety measures applied in the hoist assembly process can be improved, while also looking at how risks involving construction hoists are managed.
It has also issued recommendation to the contractor Andersson Byggnads and hoist supplier ABC Bygghissar och Byggmaskiner, essentially stating that they Integrate risks relating to hoist assembly in its systematic work environment safety management, and improve inspection routines, to reduce the risk for assembly errors occurring.
The following video report is in Swedish.
Chief
In response to Construction_Influencer I don't think Alimak's statement can be regarded as an excuse, rather as Graeme Davison says a quick initial report of their findings offering a possible cause of the tragic accident.
As regards designing anything in such a way that accidents cannot occur I believe this is simply impossible and it would be good if anyone knows of any examples.
I know very little of Alimak and have not seen the instructions for their equipment but I would be surprised if it was not comprehensive and recommend competent installers. If fitters and drivers almost never read operating instructions (which is not always the case) the manufacturer cannot be held solely responsible as it is the employer who is directly responsible.
Unfortunately many injuries and fatalities involve trained and certified persons so while that goes a long way it will not prevent all accidents.
We still need common sense and care which quite often is in short supply.
Construction_Influencer
Unfortunately, excuses like these don't achieve the goal. We know from experience that fitters and drivers almost never read the operating instructions. A product in this category must be designed in such a way that such accidents cannot occur.
Or, as a manufacturer, you insist that the fitters can provide evidence of training. You must have a certificate.
The manufacturer must not leave this deadly event unheard. He has to initiate technical changes.
Graeme Davison
What an absolute tragic way to die. It's refreshing to have such a quick initial report into the findings of the investigation - I hope that those responsible for the installation and day to day checks of this hoist are dealt swiftly and any lessons learned are acted upon.