Elevator position electronic fault results in sore lower back

Location: Victoria, BC

Regulated industry sector: Elevating Devices - Elevator

Incident overview

A passenger entered an elevator at the top floor landing of a building, then placed a down call to a lower floor. The elevator then moved in the up direction and stopped when the final limit safety switch was activated. The passenger was trapped until the elevator contractor arrived on site to release them. The passenger reported a lower back injury. It is likely that om-site construction dust collected in the tape head reader, which created the faulty reading.