[modeleng] Re: are ye all trying to tell me something...

Peter,

I worked for many years (22) at a company that had "Paternoster" lifts. They 
came close to being banned in the early eighties, I think because of a nasty 
accident somewhere in N.E. England (C.A. Parsons?) where a car jammed and 
the drive system kept going and crushed several cars including one with a 
poor unfortunate woman in it.
Our system was completely stripped and many cracked welds were found similar 
to that which caused the accident.
The Safety People (Bless 'em) had a field day(s). They put up notices at 
every level that illuminated if the system stopped. The notices said 
"Dangerous when stopped". Us engineers laughed our socks off since the risks 
to life and limb were clearly much greater when the thing was running.
For those who have never come across "Paternosters". It is a system of open 
fronted cars linked one above each other in a continuous chain stretching 
the height of a multi story building. In operation one half of the cars are 
rising, the other half descending. As each car passes a floor in the 
building one or two people can take there lives in their hands and step 
(jump) in or out of the car. The system does not stop - it runs at a 
constant speed!
I'm sure that if anybody proposed such a system nowadays the Health and 
Safety Executive would lock them up.

Barrie


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <peter.chadwick@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <modeleng@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, November 19, 2006 12:48 PM
Subject: [modeleng] Re: are ye all trying to tell me something...


> Ron,
> Totally off topic, but does anyone make 'Paternoster' lifts any more? Are
> they even allowed under today's H&S regs?
>
> Peter Chadwick
> Swindon
>
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