The Foundation Building’s elevators may soon re-open for the first time since the elevator accident that resulted in a Cal State Long Beach employee’s death in December 2011.
The elevators may be re-opened as soon as the end of August, according to Associate Vice President of Physical Planning and Facilities Management David Salazar.
Both elevators have been undergoing modernization, according to Associate Vice President of University Relations Toni Beron. The modernization includes making the elevators equally accessible for those with disabilities and converting some of the elevator systems from analog to digital, according to Salazar.
Funding for the modernization project was provided by Foundation Building funds, Salazar said.
According to an investigation summary by the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration, elevator 1 has been out of service since October 2011 due to hydraulic fluid leakage.
Elevator 2 has been out of service since the accident in December.
The accident occurred when Annette Lujan of Huntington Beach, an employee at the Foundation Building, attempted to crawl out of the elevator when it was stuck between the second and third floors.
Lujan was crushed on the neck and shoulders when the elevator dropped. She died of traumatic asphyxia, according to Cal OSHA’s report.
Following the accident, Cal OSHA investigated the elevator and its parts. The examination concluded that there were no malfunctions.
As a result, Cal OSHA did not issue a citation.
According to Dean Fryer of Cal OSHA, investigators got elevator 2 to operate with its doors open following the accident by opening the manual lowering valve on the unit control valve.
Fryer explained that the unit control valve is located in the elevator machine room, which is protected by key card entry.
“There is no way Ms. Lujan could have accidently opened the manual lowering valve,” Fryer said via email.
According to Fryer, no one had entered the room before the accident, after a review of the key card entry logs.
“Investigators found no equipment damage, no debris that would indicate that there was a mechanical issue,” Fryer said.