The lift at Block 317, Ang Mo Kio Street 31, which suddenly shot up 17 storeys to the top floor.ST FOTO: MARCUS TAN
The accident involving Madam Khoo Bee Hua last Oct at Block 322, Tah Ching Road, was the 1st in a spate of high-profile lift incidents that prompted the authorities to ramp up checks.
In Jan, a lift at Block 114, Edgefield Plains in Punggol, was suspended from operation after an inner door remained open as the lift moved.
Most recently in Mar, a lift at Block 317, Ang Mo Kio Street 31, suddenly shot up 17 storeys to the top floor, causing a domestic worker, Ms Evi Lisnawati, to fall and hurt her back.
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Lift accidents: What to know and how to react
THIS is becoming worrisome. A recent spate of incidents involving lift malfunctions has caused much alarm among many Singaporeans. According to the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), there have been only 10 reported lift incidents since 2013. Yet, the death of a 77-year-old man on May 16 is already the fourth reported incident in the last seven months.
The first incident happened on October 9, 2015, when Madam Khoo Bee Hua’s left hand was severed by an elevator in Block 322, Tah Ching Road. Her dog, which had been on a leash attached to her left wrist, did not enter the lift with Madam Khoo before the doors closed. As the leash was only 2mm thick, the sensors – which can only recognise obstructions at least 10mm thick – had failed to detect the object, causing it to tighten around her hand as the elevator ascended. An Authorised Examiner (AE) appointed to conduct an independent investigation concluded that the “lift door protective devices did not fail”.
The second incident took place in January 2016, when a lift in Block 114, Edgefield Plains in Punggol, was suspended after the inner door failed to close as the lift ascended the block – most lifts usually have two doors, an outer lobby door and an inner lift door. Nobody was injured in this incident.
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Tighter maintenance schedule ‘may be needed to reduce lift incidents’
The “occasional” lift accidents happening in Singapore suggest that town councils may have to replace parts more promptly than what is prescribed by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), said Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure Khaw Boon Wan yesterday.
Speaking at a forum on infrastructure maintenance, Mr Khaw said: “You just take a look at the occasional lift accidents. It suggests to us that maybe our replacement schedule may have to be more prompt or tighter than what the OEM may have prescribed.”
Such a move, he added, means town councils may need more in their sinking funds, which are used for major cyclical works including lift maintenance. “We’re still not saving enough, maybe,” he said.
related: Man killed by fall after lift stops off the ground
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BCA to step up checks on lifts, review regulations: Lawrence Wong
The lift at Block 512 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 has been stuck on the 11th floor since Tuesday (Mar 8). (Foto: Loke Kok Fai)
Checks of lifts in Singapore, especially those in Housing and Development Board (HDB) blocks, will be stepped up after a spate of incidents.
In a FaceBook post on Friday (Mar 11), National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said he has asked the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) to step up independent audit checks of passenger lifts around Singapore.
The checks will be stepped up especially for lifts in HDB blocks, Mr Wong said, adding that the checks may cause some disruption to lift operations and inconvenience to residents.
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Govt to ramp up lift inspections islandwide
A spate of lift mishaps has prompted an islandwide ramp-up in inspections
The BCA said the checks will pay more attention to lifts in areas where incidents have occurred, before moving on to other places.
There are about 59,000 passenger lifts in Singapore.
According to the BCA, there have been 10 lift incidents since 2013.
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Town councils may have to set aside funds for new lifts
Town councils (TC) may be required to set aside a stipulated portion of their sinking fund to replace old lifts, a move the authorities are considering even as they pledge to step up checks on lifts in the light of recent high-profile accidents.
National Development Minister Lawrence Wong announced the potential measure yesterday when he said his ministry was looking into ways to help town councils manage their finances better.
It wants them to plan ahead and keep an eye on whether they have enough funds for the long term. To this end, it may require "town councils to submit their projections and plans for financial sustainability", he said.
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Mobility device user dies after lift accident
A 77-yr-old man died in hospital in the wee hours yesterday after his mobility scooter toppled as he was backing out of a lift on the ground floor on Sunday.
The doors of the lift at Block 247, Pasir Ris Street 21, where Mr Lim Hang Chiang lived, had opened when it was around 15cm above the floor of the lobby, said his younger son Lim Keng Swee, 45, a safety executive. But his father did not realise that.
Technical executive Mohamad Ahsurin, 35, one of two residents who were in the lift with the elder Mr Lim, said: "I was holding the lift door for him. The (mobility scooter) fell out of the lift backwards, and he hit the back of his head."
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Lift operations were suspended immediately after accident, MP Zainal on incident which killed 77-year-old
Mr Zainal Sapari, the MP of the ward in which the lift malfunction led to the death of the 77-year-old man, has commented in his Facebook about the incident.
Mr Zainal said that the town council was notified about the incident at 10.40am on Sunday (15 May), and that a lift rescue team was immediately sent to the site of the accident to suspend lift operations until the cause of the accident is established.
He further said that two town council officers went to the hospital to render assistance to the family of the injured man. He said that he was sad that the old man passed away on 16 May at 2.19 am and extended his deepest condolences to the family.
related: Wheelchair bound 77-yr-old dies in malfunctioning lift accident in Pasir Ris
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Faulty HDB lift kill handicapped elderly
A faulty HDB lift at Blk 247 Pasir Ris Street 21 which stopped 25cm above the ground used a handicapped elderly on a wheelchair to fall backwards and hit his head onto the ground. The 77-year-old man died in hospital today (May 16).
The incident happened on Sunday (May 15) morning around 10.40am when the elderly man on a motorised wheelchair was reversing to exit the HDB lift. He however did not notice the 25cm height difference between the lift landing and the ground, which resulted in him falling backwards along with the wheelchair. The elderly suffered a skill fracture and serious internal bleeding in the brain. His condition deteriorated before he was admitted into surgery and passed away at 2.14am on Monday morning.
This is the first fatal incident resulted from faulty lifts in HDB precincts. In October 2015, an elderly woman’s hand was severed by the doors of a faulty HDB lift. The maintenance operations is managed by local town councils, and it is unknown how frequent the town councils conduct a check.
related:
Elderly woman’s hand severed at HDB lift
HDB lift safety compromised as display of lift certificates no longer required
Third horror HDB lift incident saw lift sprung up 17 levels
Video: Slow response from Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council on faulty lift door
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77-year-old uncle died of head injury sustained from fall caused by malfunctioned lift
A 77-year-old man died in the early morning of 16 May after a lift accident that left him in a coma. Mr Lim Hang Chiang had reversed his motorised wheelchair out of a lift that had stopped 15 centimetres above the ground, causing him to fall backwards.
The accident occurred in a lift at Block 247, Pasir Ris Street 21 at around 10.30 am on 15 May. Two other residents also took the lift with Mr Lim. He entered the lift on the 11th floor and sat with his back facing the lift doors. When the lift reached the ground floor, Mr Lim exited by reversing his motorised wheelchair out of the lift.
However, as the lift was 15 centimetres above the ground, Mr Lim fell backwards as he reversed out of the lift, hitting his head on the ground.
related: Lift upgrading for blocks: Why are we being missed out?
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Elderly man dies after wheelchair tips over due to faulty lift
A 77- year-old wheelchair-bound man was killed in an accident yesterday morning (15 May) due to a faulty lift.
The victim, Mr. Chang LinHan had taken the lift up to the 10th floor at Block 247 Pasir Ris Street 21 where he stayed.
As he was reversing his motorised wheelchair out of the lift, he did not notice a 25 cm gap between the floor and the level where the lift had stopped. As a result, Mr Chang’s wheelchair tipped over and fell, resulting in skull fracture and bleeding in the brain.
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OLD MAN DIES AFTER FALLING OFF MALFUNCTION HDB LIFT IN PASIR RIS
In Pasir Ris New Town, an elderly 77 year old man died of his head injuries after falling off a HDB lift which was misaligned and stopped 20 cm above ground level.
The man had entered the lift with his back facing the door while on his mobility scooter. Without realising that the lift stopped 20 cm higher than usual, as the elderly man reversed out of the lift, he fell backwards and hit the back of his head causing a skull fracture and bleeding in the brain.
He was rushed to the hospital but 15 hours later died of his injuries.
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Elderly woman's hand severed by lift doors at HDB block
An elderly woman found her left hand trapped in between the lift doors at a HDB block along Tah Ching Road, near Jurong Lake, on Fri morning (Oct 9).
It is understood that her left hand was severed by the incident. She is a resident of the block and lives on the 16th storey.
An Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) spokesman confirmed that it was alerted to the incident at 07.27 am on the ground floor of Block 322. On the arrival of the SCDF officers, rescue tools were used to pry open the lift doors to release the elderly woman, who was stuck inside the lift.
related:
BCA suspends lift that severed woman's hand; JTC to investigate incident
I did not feel pain, I was just so scared: Tah Ching Road lift accident victim
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Tah Ching Road accident: Lift door protective devices did not fail, says report
The authorised examiner (AE) looking into the Tah Ching Road lift accident which left an elderly woman with her hand severed has delivered his final investigation report, announced the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) on Fri (Nov 6).
In his findings, the AE said that the "door protective devices cannot be proven reasonably to have failed to function properly on the day on the incident".
"It was clear that during the evacuation operations conducted by SCDF, the lift doors had clearly responded to obstructions several times when SCDF officers were in the door way at 07.26 am, time stamped by Police CCTV footage," he added.
related: Multi-beam sensors may not have prevented Tah Ching Road lift accident
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Tah Ching Road lift accident: Investigation report finds lift safety devices in working order
The safety devices of the lift that severed an elderly woman's left hand last month have been found to be in working order, according to the final investigation report submitted to the Building and Construction Authority (BCA).
"All the door protective devices were tested and verified to be working according to their specifications," said the BCA in a statement on Fri (Nov 6), citing findings from the report submitted by an authorised examiner (AE).
"The door protective devices cannot be proven reasonably to have failed to function properly on the day of the incident," the BCA added.
related: Woman's hand severed in lift accident at HDB block
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Hand-severing lift accident: leash too thin for safety sensors
BE CAREFUL when you are trailing any strap that’s less than 10mm or 1cm wide on getting into a lift. Lift accident victim, Madam Khoo Bee Hua’s dog leash was just 2mm, which was why the lift doors closed on it.
The 85 year-old had her hand severed in October when her hand was dragged through a gap in the lift door while she was inside the lift. She was holding onto a leash of her dog, which was still outside the lift.
A report by an Authorised Examiner (AE), who investigated the accident which occurred in Block 322, Tah Ching Road tells us what led to the accident on Oct 9.
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Jurong lift accident report delayed
WE’LL have to wait two more weeks to find out what’s wrong with that hand-severing lift in Jurong. The deadline for the authorised examiner’s report on the lift has been extended again to Nov 2 (next Monday), to allow for more tests. That report will only be made public a week later.
85-year-old Madam Khoo Bee Hua lost her left hand and broke her leg in the accident earlier this month. She is now recovering at a community hospital. Her family had been worried about her mental state last week, but said yesterday that she was “so far, so good”. Her son had initially asked the police for CCTV footage, declaring: “If no action is taken, I will take action.” But yesterday, he praised the professionalism of the investigators, and was preparing to help his mother readjust to life at home.
Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who is also MP for the area, knows Madam Khoo personally and has visited her in hospital. In response to claims that numerous complaints about that lift went unheeded, DPM Tharman reiterated that the town council should not “paper over problems”, but “take them very seriously”. He also promised continued support for Madam Khoo and her family.
related: Questions about that hand-severing lift in Jurong
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Maid rescued from lift that 'shot up 17 floors'
A maid suffered a 90-minute ordeal when she got stuck in a Housing Board lift which suddenly shot up 17 floors before trapping her inside.
Ms Evi Lisnawati, 36, was on her way to pick up her employer's children from a tuition centre when she entered the lift on the fifth floor of Block 317 in Ang Mo Kio Street 31 at about 7.15pm on Monday.
When it got to the ground floor, the lift door opened just 20 cm, then closed again. She pressed the "door open" button repeatedly, but to no avail and the lift then went up to the 3rd floor and stopped.
related:
AMK lift incident: Brakes were probably not functioning well, says examiner
Faulty lift at AMK HDB block shot up 17 floors, trapping maid for more than an hr
Probe into case of lift that shot up 17 floors
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BCA investigating Ang Mo Kio lift that shot up 17 floors
The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and Ang Mo Kio Town Council (TC) are investigating an incident on Monday night (Mar 7) in which a lift shot up 17 floors, trapping a domestic helper for about 90 minutes.
The lift at Block 317, Ang Mo Kio Street 31 has been shut down in the meantime, as BCA officials and staff from the town council carry out probes at the site.
The maid, who was freed by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) with the help of a lift technician, was reported to have fallen down, hitting her back on the floor. She declined to be taken to hospital, said the SCDF.
related: Elderly woman in stable condition after Tah Ching Road lift accident
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Malfunctioning lift moved rapidly throwing passenger to the floor
Shin Min Daily News reported the case of a malfunctioning elevator in block 317, Ang Mo Kio St 31
At about 7.15pm last night (7 Mar) a 36-year-old domestic worker who was to pick-up her employer’s two daughters from tuition, entered the lift. To her horror, once she entered the the lift at the 3rd floor, it moved rapidly up to the 20th floor, throwing the worker to the floor.
She was trapped in the lift for over an hour-and-a-half, until she was eventually rescued by the firemen from Singapore Civil Defence Force.
Despite being traumatised by the incident, she did not sustain visible injury. The worker has vowed never to take the lift again.
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Punggol HDB block's lift operation suspended due to faulty door panel
The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) on Sun (Jan 24) said it has suspended the operation of a lift at a Punggol HDB estate, after it was caught on video moving with the door partially open.
In a statement, BCA said it visited the site at 114 Edgefield Plains with representatives from Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council and the lift contractor.
The town council will be required to appoint an independent authorised examiner (AE) to inspect, test and certify that the lift is safe for use, said BCA. "The lift will only be allowed to resume operation when BCA receives the AE report and is satisfied with the findings," said the authority.
related:
Ang Mo Kio lift that shot up 17 floors reliable, seldom broke down: Residents
Punggol HDB block's lift operation suspended due to faulty door panel
Tah Ching Rd lift accident: Jurong Town Council launches probe
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“Dangerous Fault” – Lift’s outer-door did not close at Pasir Ris-Punggol town council
“Never lean against elevator doors!” Ben Tng captions his video which shows the malfunction of a lift in a block of flats in Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council (PPTC).
Mr Tng writes on his Facebook that he called the town council’s 24-hour hotline at 7.25am, while sending his child to school, but when he came back at 9.00 am, the problem was still not fixed.
“Residents (in that block) were worried about (their) young children”, he said, expressing dissatisfaction at the lack of action by the town council one-and-a-half hours after his feedback on the malfunction.
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Pasir Ris Lift Opens at Random Floors, Displays “14” when there are Only 13 Floors!
Another lift in Pasir Ris is causing concerns for residents. This time, it’s Lift “A” at Block 581 Pasir Ris St 53.
According to residents, the lift will at times open at random floors even though the lift button for the floor isn’t pressed.
What’s more startling is the lift display will at times show the number “14” when there are only 13 floors in the block!
related:
Wheelchair-Bound Uncle Cracks his Skull and Dies after Pasir Ris Lift Malfunction
Lift Death Shows MP’s Careless and Shoddy Management of Pasir Ris-Punggol
Lifts at Sengkang Leak when it Rains, Residents Carry Umbrellas for Safety
AMK Lift Breaks Down & Suddenly Races Up 17 Floors with Maid Trapped Inside
[VIDEO] Lift in Punggol Moves with the Doors Still Unshut!
AMK Lift that Shot Up 17 Flrs Breaks Down At Least 3X More Despite Certification
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Church lift that killed woman did not meet minimum safety standards: BCA
Ms Abanes was killed & Madam Tay was injured by this lift in the Catholic Church of St Michael in May last year FOTO: ST FILE, FACEBOOK
A church lift which malfunctioned and killed a woman was not installed by an approved contractor and had never been maintained before the accident on May 16 last year.
In fact, the lift, for use of the elderly and disabled, did not meet minimum standards for safety.
These findings were revealed by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) during a coroner's inquiry yesterday into the death of Filipina maid Clarita Abanes, who was 46.
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related: Elevator and Train Operate With 'Open Doors'