[size=75:2777rlj9]Sofia echo 4 March 2010

More than 70 000 lifts in Bulgaria are in urgent need of repair

A lift carrying a dozen people, three of them pregnant women, plummeted while descending from the seventh floor at Sofia's Maichin Dom maternity hospital on March 2 2010 injuring several people, in what was the latest such accident in the country. The event has caused widespread concern about lifts in residential buildings and institutions alike, regarding their safety.

Accidents with lifts in Bulgaria are not uncommon.

Bulgarian mass-circulation daily Trud said on March 4 that research had found that more than 70 000 lifts in Bulgaria did not satisfy the necessary safety requirements and thus represented a risk whenever used.

"
A lift falls every year. Scores of people have been seriously injured due to the lack of double doors, broken windows and other irregularities. The fleet of lifts should be replaced. Most accidents are hushed up,"
Iliya Zlatanov, Chief Secretary of the association of manufacturers and importers of lifts in Bulgaria, was quoted by Trud as saying.

In the latest incident in Maichin Dom, no one was seriously injured. Earlier reports said that the cable had snapped, and that the hospital had been warned before then that the lifts at the hospital were overdue for repairs and renovations.

One of the pregnant women injured in the collapse gave birth to a girl the following day by Caesarean section at the Military Medical Academy, the hospital’s press centre said.

According to Bulgarian news agency Focus, the other two pregnant women, aged 29 and 35, underwent operations to their legs.

[size=75:2s36rbyu]Sofia echo 3 March 2010

Woman injured in Sofia hospital lift accident gives birth prematurely

One of the pregnant women who was injured in an accident on March 2 2010 in a hospital in Sofia, when a lift fell a number of stories, gave birth to a girl the following day by Caesarean section at the Military Medical Academy, the hospital’s press centre said.

The woman (32) had been eight months pregnant at the time the baby was delivered. The baby, weighing 1.8kg, was said to be in good condition. The lift was capable of carrying no more than six passengers but 12 people, among them three pregnant women, got in.

The lift accident happened after about double the number of people permitted in such a lift rode in it, according to media reports on March 2. The lift fell from the fourth floor and lodged at basement level. The passengers were extracted by a team of firefighters.

Earlier reports said that the cable had snapped, and that the hospital had been warned before then that the lifts at the hospital were overdue for repairs and renovations.

According to Bulgarian news agency Focus, the other two pregnant women, aged 29 and 35, underwent operations to their legs.

They and their foetuses were in no danger, doctors said.

A 31-year-old woman, who had minor knee and ankle injuries, would probably be released on March 4. Her 48-year-old husband, a Dutch citizen, sustained a thigh injury and was to undergo treatment at the Military Medical Academy.

Very interesting

A typical lift has so many safety devices on it, that it should be impossible to get more than the maximum weight inside the car and for it to move. It is also supposed to be impossible for a lift to free fall without the safety gear coming in to stop it. Even if all the ropes were cut this could not happen (in theory). Sounds very suspicious to me in the UK the HSE would be there like a shot. Wow if I was still working I could have had a field day or two How this lift reached the bottom of the shaft god only knows.

I dont use a lift in Bulgaria, they are a complete NO NO, although I work in the resort and spend all my time going in and out of complex's to check apartments the only way is by stairs, There just does not seem to be the safety devices on them that there should be.

thats put me right off.

I think you are right to be put off starlite. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I went in a lift in one BG building and there were no internal doors [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

When that type of lift was allowed in the UK there were a high number of severed limbs hence they got banned. In the UK every lift engineer has to be Department of Trade registered and trained to very high standards. In fact they have to be qualified for every single type of lift they work on. E.g. A lift made by Otis is different to one made by Express.

Lifts in the UK are generally maintained to a very high standard especially the ones in public places. Looks like BG is somewhat different : [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

No, not used many lifts in the town of Silistra. The ones in the hotels all seemed fine

Oddy

We have some friends who live in a large tower block in Burgas, I think the 23rd floor, anyway first time we went there they got me to go into the lift. The floor was very soft so you felt you were going to fall through, the floor panel had no numbers on it as it had all fallen apart, they just pressed a hole as they new which floor was theres. Once the lift got going no internal door so you watched the floors go by, when we got to there floor it stopped halfway up there doors that open onto there floor, then after about a minute (seemed like 10 to me) it jumped to there floor. That was it for me came down by the stairs. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Health and what?? sorry I don't understand the question

dave b wrote:

Health and what?? sorry I don't understand the question

Would like call a friend, or ask the forum members

Oddy