A Hydraulic Lift Trolley Accident In Worli Results In The Deaths of Two Window Cleaners

Worli, Mumbai :

On January 9, 2023, two workers cleaning the glass windows of Avighna House, an 18-storey building on Dr Annie Besant Road in Worli, died when the lift trolley carrying them collapsed. When the incident occurred around 4:00 p.m., the workers were on a hydraulic lift trolley cleaning the windows on the building's exterior.

The police said they were informed about the incident at 4:30 p.m. Noor Alam(32) and Jameel Ahmed(25) were taken to Nair Hospital with severe head injuries, but the hospital authorities declared them dead. Alam was from Uttar Pradesh and Ahmed was from Bihar, and they both worked in Mumbai. The incident was followed by a loud thud, according to the locals.

Atul Khumbhar, sub-inspector, at Worli police station, said, "Every week, five to ten accidental death cases are reported, and this is one of them." According to the police, the workers had their safety belts attached to the lift rather than the overhead rope, and when the rope on the lift trolley broke, the lift fell, causing the incident. Their safety belts could have freed them from the crashing lift if they had fastened them to the rope overhead, said the police.

The managing director of Avighna Group, Nishant Agarwal, told the police that the safety test had been completed and duly certified three weeks before the incident by an external independent agency appointed by them. The police said they investigated the external agency, but that the safety test they conducted three weeks before the incident was successful, implying that there was no problem on their end. The police did not reveal the name of the external independent agency.

"It is known that the assigned contractor by Avighna House gave the work to another contractor, who was conducting this work," said the police. "All machines were sourced by the second contractor who is now held accountable in the case." The police said they continue investigating this case with both contractors