Elevator technician falls down shaft in Bnei Brak accident

Two elevator technicians were injured in a workplace accident on Metzada Street in Bnei Brak during repair work inside an elevator shaft. The senior technician, 30, fell into the shaft and was moderately injured; his colleague, who tried to catch him, sustained light injuries.

According to reports, the two men were standing on a ladder inside the elevator shaft when one lost his balance and fell. His partner attempted to grab him but could not prevent the fall.

Hatzalah volunteers were called to the scene alongside Magen David Adom and Ichud Hatzalah teams. Hatzalah dispatcher Menachem Indig and medics Eli Biton and Moishy Indig reported: "When we arrived, we found an elevator technician, a man of about 30, suffering from injuries to his head, neck and lower limbs after elevator cables fell on him from a great height. Together with Hatzalah and MDA medics and paramedics, we provided initial medical treatment including stabilization and bandaging, and he was evacuated in moderate condition in an MDA intensive-care ambulance staffed by Hatzalah volunteers for further treatment in the trauma room at Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikva."

Ichud Hatzalah medics Yaakov Yisrael Malka, Aharon Lerer and Moishy Kroyzer reported: "We were told that the worker was engaged in elevator repair and slipped from a ladder into the shaft, and as a result was injured moderately on his head and limbs. An Ichud Hatzalah ambulance team provided medical treatment and evacuated to Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikva another worker, a young man of 23, who was lightly injured. In addition, Ichud Hatzalah's resilience teams operated at the scene due to the nature of the incident."

Workplace accidents involving elevators are not uncommon in Israel. Just days ago, a drunk forklift driver was arrested after running over and killing his co-worker at a factory in Kfar Bueineh-Nujeidat. In another incident this week, more than 20 children and a staff member at an educational institution in Jerusalem were injured following incorrect mixing of cleaning materials.

The Ministry of Labor and Welfare calls on workers and employers to strictly observe workplace safety rules, especially when working at heights and in dangerous locations such as elevator shafts.