SINGAPORE — Releasing findings made by an independent authorised examiner for the Tah Ching Road lift mishap — who found that the safety devices were working properly that day — the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said it will enhance public awareness on the precautions to take when using lifts.

It will also work with the industry to ensure that lift standards continue to be on par with the latest international standards, in line with the recommendations made by the examiner, the authority said today (Nov 6).

The authorised examiner submitted his final report and recommendations on the incident earlier this week, after a preliminary report was handed in on Oct 26. The incident resulted in an 85-year-old woman losing her left hand. Among the findings, investigations showed the lift door protective devices, namely the full height safety edge and the infrared sensor, “cannot be proven reasonably to have failed to function properly on the day of the incident”. The examiner’s conclusions were consistent with its independent investigation of the lift incident, said the BCA. 

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Madam Khoo Bee Hua’s left hand was severed on Oct 9 after she was separated from her dog while getting into the lift. In his report, the examiner provided an account of what happened that day, pieced together after analysing surveillance footage, a specialist medical report and other evidence gathered, and conducting interviews. He also performed tests on the lift and simulations of how the accident could have happened.

That morning, Mdm Khoo had entered the lift before her leashed dog. When the doors closed, the dog was still outside the lift with its leash straddled across the lift doorway. 

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The doors’ protective devices were designed to reopen or remain open if there is an obstruction in the doorway. However, they were not designed to detect objects less than 10mm thick. The dog leash was 2mm thick.

After the lift doors closed, the lift ascended, tightening the leash that was looped around Mdm Khoo’s wrist and pulling her down to the floor. On the ground floor, her dog was pulled upwards until it was caught at the top of the lift lobby door.  

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The pull could have caused the lift doors to open slightly, pulling Mdm Khoo’s hand through the small gap crushing and severing it between the doors and the inner parts of the lift lobby doors. The lift eventually stopped as the opening of the lift cabin doors triggered the emergency stop feature.

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“All the door protective devices were tested and verified to be working according to their specifications. The lift doors were also observed to have responded to obstructions during the rescue operation by SCDF (Singapore Civil Defence Force),” said the BCA.

The BCA also noted that its investigations showed the lift’s safety edges and sensors were working and that the door protective devices complied with both local and international standards.

Accepting the examiner’s recommendations to work with industry and lift owners, the BCA also said it will improve public awareness, “including the need to keep small and thin objects, such as a dog leash or dangling straps of backpacks, away from the lift doors”.  “We are saddened by what has happened to Mdm Khoo and hope that she recovers well from this traumatic experience,” said the BCA.

In a statement, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who is Member of Parliament for Jurong GRC, reiterated that Jurong Town Council will take responsibility to support Mdm Khoo. “When I saw her again at Jurong Community Hospital earlier this week, she was her usual indomitable self,” he added.

Jurong Town Council separately said their insurer, AXA Insurance Singapore, has offered to assist Mdm Khoo with her medical fees and post-hospitalisation home care support.

Mdm Khoo’s son, who wanted to be known as Mr Lee, raised some concerns after he read the final investigation report. The 59-year-old questioned whether the gap at the bottom of the lift cabin doors is too big. He had also taken issue with the fact that the lift was cleaned up before BCA investigators arrived. In response to queries, the BCA said the Singapore Civil Defence Force and the police were the first responders to the incident, and the site had been cleaned by the time BCA investigators arrived. The authority also reiterated that the specialist’s medical report on how Mdm Khoo’s hand was severed corroborated with the examiner’s findings. Mr Lee also shared that the town council would foot the hospital bills in full — which he estimates to be about S$30,000 — and pay for two months of post-hospitalisation home care support, estimated to be about S$10,000. ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY AMANDA LEE