A report released from the Alabama Department of Labor said the freight elevator that killed a Decatur Morgan Hospital employee was “functioning as intended” and had “no violations to report,” according to an article on the Times Daily website.
According to Morgan County Coroner Jeff Chunn, the employee was working on a pump in the elevator shaft with two other men. At one point, the two others left to get supplies and when they came back, they found him trapped beneath the elevator, the article said.
Inspectors said in the report the elevator was blocked off and showed no signs of tampering, according to the article. The report said the mechanism designed to allow safe access to the elevator shaft was overridden. When active, the control would prevent elevator operation while the doors are open.
Because the controls had been overridden, the elevator was able to move, though the report did not say what could have caused it to descend.
The elevator, which was used exclusively by employees, has been closed since the incident.
Hospital spokeswoman Leigh Hays declined to comment in the article whether the elevator will be reopened after the report.
Read the article.
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