On the occasion of the collapse of an elevator, which is located in the 3rd student residences of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, on Monday, October 7, at 9:00 pm – fortunately without casualties – the president of INEDIVIM, which is the responsible body, Mrs. Anna Rokophyllou.
Regarding the incident, it is reported that yesterday (7/10) evening, at 9.00pm, in building C of the student residences at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, a loud noise was heard due to the fall of an elevator. Firefighters rushed to the building. According to information, someone called the elevator to go down, but due to a malfunction, it stopped between two floors. The bang was caused by falling parts but the brakes worked and the cab came to a stop. Fortunately, there were no students inside, no one was injured.
Mrs. Rokophyllou, president of INEDIVIM (Youth and Lifelong Learning Foundation), the organization responsible for student residences, spoke exclusively to protothema.grregarding this, while she also shared the announcement, which she issued herself, as a matter of priority.
“We work with one of the best and most reliable companies in Greece, OTIS Hellas, which does elevator maintenance twice a month in all the centers controlled by the Foundation. Most importantly, after the competition that preceded my tenure for the repair and maintenance of elevators, in which this particular company qualified, all stoves were certified by the TUV Austria company. There is, therefore, certification for the good operation of all the elevators of the hearths. It should be noted that in Aristotle, there are four buildings of student dormitories and they serve a total of approximately 1,000 students – in the 3rd dormitory there are 351 beds.
Regarding protests heard from students about insufficient or non-existent maintenance, Mrs. Rokofyllou states: “I have the relevant documents, all the certifications. Twice a month, at each location, the elevators are continuously maintained. We have the invoices, the certifications of the work monitoring committee.”
As for the incident, she will say: “The brakes worked, the elevator stopped between floors. Personally, I was informed of the incident by the student council president last night, who called me – no one else notified me. I have a very good relationship with the focal students! Late last night, technicians from the maintenance company went to the scene but because the Fire Department had cordoned off the area, they were unable to check what exactly happened. They think that some part broke, some end bar and falling, caused the huge noise that was heard – the elevator car didn’t fall, it stopped.”
The next steps, which the president of INEDIVIM intends to take, are as follows: “We are starting a normal investigation into what happened, we are waiting for the findings of the Fire Department. Legally, we are fully covered – we have the certification, the maintenance, the contracts with big companies. I am also sending a technical consultant to check what has happened. And of course, I don’t rule out legal action against the company, because when we take care of the maintenance twice a month, they assure us that everything is being done correctly, and suddenly a handrail breaks in the elevator… the company says that no one was in danger, because the brakes worked, the cab stopped, so even if there was someone inside, they wouldn’t be in danger… At the same time, however, I plan to send a specialized workshop from another company to find out what has happened. I have also requested that maintenance be done on all elevators, of all INEDIVIM areas of responsibility. In any case, the fact needs to be investigated.”
INEDIVIM’s announcement in detail:
“The safety of the students who live in the INEDIVIM student residences is a top priority for us.
The president of INEDIVIM Anna Rokophyllou was informed yesterday 7/10/2024 late at night, about the incident of the elevator cage falling in the 3rd Student Residence of Thessaloniki.
Fortunately, there were no students in the elevator at the time of the incident. Immediately, on her personal order, she started an investigation to clarify the exact causes of the fall, assign the relevant responsibilities and ensure that a similar incident will not be repeated in the future. In addition, the president of INEDIVIM intends to request an investigation by an independent specialized body, which will also issue its own conclusion, in order to ensure the most objective of the process.
We must point out that in the context of the safe operation of the student residences, with regard to the repair and maintenance of the elevators, INEDIVIM had announced a tender from September 2022, which was approved by the well-known reliable company OTIS.
The repair work by the company was completed in August 2023, at which time the lifts were duly certified, as required by the current legislation, by the most recognized company TUV Austria with ISO certificates, which expire in 2026.
From 1/8/2023, until today, through the signing of relevant contracts, INEDIVIM has ensured that the elevators of the Student Centers under its jurisdiction, did not remain a single day without maintenance.
From the contract it has signed with INEDIVIM, the OTIS company has the obligation to maintain – and it does so, as certified by the receipt minutes sent every month – the elevators at the INEDIVIM areas of responsibility.
The contract even provides for regular maintenance twice a month by certified technicians and emergency maintenance, whenever required, within 24 hours.
According to the President of INEDIVIM, Anna Rokofyllou, “Our highest priority is the safety of the students who live in the residences. For this reason, we fully comply with what the legislation provides and all the necessary measures have been taken in terms of checks, maintenance and repairs, as well as the certifications of the equipment of the facilities”.
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