Essex firm failed to act on faulty lift which severely injured man

Nofax Enterprises Limited, which is headquartered in Tolleshunt Major, had been acting as the property manager for a block flats in London when an elevator which was carrying a group of people started to descend with the doors still open.

The lift started shuddering and began to fall, at which point a man inside the lift tried to exit but was crushed when he was caught between the ground floor and the top of the lift.

The firm admitted liability for the accident which caused injuries so severe that the man later required a liver transplant.

The legal case came after the HSE prosecuted the company, which was fined £40,000 on Tuesday at Southwark Crown Court.

The accident had taken place in a block of flats in Cambridge Heath Road in east London in 2019.

A judge also ordered Nofax Enterprises to pay the victim £8,540 in costs after an investigation by the HSE found the company failed to act when defects with the lift were identified.

According to the regulator, lifts should be inspected every six months and taken out of service when a defect is identified.

The firm admitted breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

HSE inspector Pippa Knott said: “As a result of this company’s failures, a young man who was simply returning from a night out with friends has suffered life-changing injuries.

“The fine imposed on Nofax Enterprises Limited should underline to everyone in property management that the courts, and HSE, take these failures extremely seriously.

“We will not hesitate to take action against companies which do not do all that they should to keep people safe.”

Nofax Enterprises was sanctioned as recently as March after receiving nine enforcement notices from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) because workers were exposed to harmful amounts of silica and wood dust at a London building site.

Nofax Enterprises has been contacted for comment.