Incidents and controversies
In 1992, an Otis trainee died on the job due to orders to violate workplace safety protocols. OEEU organised protests in response, forcing the company to permanently take on 98 temporary workers and to stop their recruitment for permanent jobs. This had been a problem for several years at that point.[35]
In 1998, two Otis workers died on the job in separate incidents in Mumbai, India. This led to a public discussion about the lack of safety training for contract workers at the company and an investigation by the Lokshahi Hakk Sanghatana Maharashtra, a democratic rights organization, which demanded that company management should be prosecuted for their negligence.[35]
In 2001, due to a dated design flaw, 8-year-old Tucker Smith from Bel Air, Maryland was crushed to death by an Otis Elevator after becoming trapped in the gap between the outside door and the inside gate.[36]
On August 14, 2002, Neil Raymond Ricco tripped while exiting an Otis Elevator while working at a Comerica Bank building in San Diego. He said it malfunctioned, causing the elevator to stop a foot below the floor level. Ricco was diagnosed with a concussion and a controversial investigation ensued.[37]
In February 2007, European Union regulators fined Otis Elevator €225 million (US$295.8 million) for being part of a price-fixing cartel in the Belgian, Dutch, Luxembourg, and German markets. Competitors ThyssenKrupp, Schindler Group, KONE, and Mitsubishi Elevator Europe were also fined for participating in the same cartel.[38]
On July 24, 2009, a group of eight people were trapped for eight hours in an Otis elevator in Toronto. A repair worker who tried to fix the elevator fell 10 floors to his death.[39]
On December 14, 2010, an Otis escalator installed in the International Trade station of Shenzhen Metro Line 1 reversed direction without notice, triggering a stampede that injured 25 passengers.[40]
On July 5, 2011, an Otis 513MPE escalator installed at Beijing Subway Line 4 Zoo Station changed direction without notice, causing 30 people to fall. One boy was killed and 27 people injured, prompting China to halt the use of the escalator model. A Beijing official said the 513MPE escalator had "defects in design, manufacturing and maintenance", and that Otis had "unavoidable responsibility for the accident".[41] Shenzhen Metro authorities confirmed that the cause of the accident was also similar to the Shenzhen accident on December 14.[40]
In March 2017, eighteen people suffered injuries at Hong Kong's Langham Place shopping mall when an escalator maintained by Otis reversed direction from up to down.[42][43]
On July 9, 2018, a one-year-old Otis escalator at Stockholm City Station changed direction from up to a rapid descent, in what local officials called a "free fall", causing minor injuries.[44] Inspection of the gear boxes of several Otis escalators revealed unexpected rust and heavy wear. This led to the newly built train stations Stockholm City Station and Stockholm Odenplan being temporarily closed on July 13, 2018, for security reasons until the problems were understood and resolved.[45][46]
