DECATUR - Improperly installed wire ropes, inadequate third-party inspections and lack of maintenance were cited as reasons for the November elevator accident at Simmons Foods feed mill in Decatur, according to a report released by the Arkansas Department of Labor Elevator Safety Division last week.
Simmons Foods employee, Larry Joe Bingham, of Jay, Okla., was traveling inside the feed mill elevator from the second floor to the fourth floor on Nov. 23, 2012, when the elevator fell approximately three stories with Bingham inside, according to the 62-page report.
It’s not clear if the company will face any fi nes. Arkansas law allows the Elevator Safety Division to assess fines for violations of the Elevator Safety Law, however no decisions regarding the assessment of fi nes have been made at this time, Daniel Faulkner, attorney for the Arkansas Department of Labor, wrote in an email on Tuesday.
On Monday, offi cials of Simmons Foods, based in Siloam Springs, declined to comment on the report.
Witnesses reported hearing “a loud crashing noise”and “several small popping sounds and a loud crash shortly after,” according to statements in the report.
Bingham sustained multiple injuries and was transported to the hospital by Air Evac, Decatur Fire Chief David Flynt said at the time of the accident. Witnesses speculated that one or both of Bingham’s legs were broken during the fall, according to statements, included in the accident report, but Bingham’s exact injuries are not included in the report.
Bingham’s attorney, Timothy Myers with Taylow Law Partners in Fayetteville, declined to comment except to say that his client’s injuries were serious and he has not been able to return to work.
The Elevator Safety Division’s findings stated that wire ropes on the elevator’s counterweight side were improperly installed. Photos of the frazzled and broken wire ropes were included in the report. The accident report also stated the elevator’s speed governor was not properly maintained.
“A “speed governor” is a mechanical device - as opposed to electronic - that triggers physical safety devices or “safeties” on the car when a certain predetermined speed is met. These safeties - located on the top or bottom of thecar - are mechanical and actually clamp down on the guide rails in order to stop the car,” Faulkner explained in an email.
Every elevator car suspended by wire ropes must have a safety device attached to the underside of the car frame to provide a safe stop for the passengers in the event of an over-speeding descending car, according to the National Elevator Industry, Inc. website. The safety devices should be designed to reduce the elevator speed in free-fall condition, the website states.
According to the accident report, there was not a maintenance program in place and the state-required third-party inspections were inadequate.
The elevator at Simmons Feed Mill was last inspected on Aug. 28, 2012, by a private company - National Elevator Inspection Service of Batesville - and no violations were found. During theinspection, which took 20 minutes to complete, the elevator’s machine room, hoist way, pit and cab were found to be in good condition, the inspection report states.
All passenger elevators, wheelchair lifts and escalators must be inspected semiannually. Freight elevators and dumbwaiters must be inspected annually, according to the Department of Labor website.
The initial investigation into the elevator accident began on Nov. 27, 2012, with Department of Labor elevator inspectors making follow-up visits to Simmons Foods feed mill on Dec. 10, 2012, Jan. 11, 2013, and May 15, 2013.
A letter from Conner & Winters law firm, dated April 2, stated that Simmons Foods was in the process of removing the damaged man lift and ancillary equipment and the broken hoist cables would be available for inspection sometime mid-May 2013.
News, Pages 3 on 08/21/2013