Investigation Launched into Supplier Chain Following Construction Elevator Catastrophe in Sweden

Brussels – The European Parliament is set to evaluate ways to limit the number of supply chains in industries like construction.

This initiative stems from a report by the Parliament’s employment committee, prompted by a tragic elevator accident at a construction site last year that resulted in the deaths of five workers.

It was later discovered that 119 companies were involved in operations at the site, spread across five different supply chains.

The incident occurred on December 11, 2023, when a construction elevator collapsed from a height of 20 meters at a site in Sundbyberg, just north of Stockholm. A Swedish state accident investigation revealed that crucial components, specifically screw joints, had been missing from the elevator for at least a month prior to the accident. Leading up to the collapse, the elevator had been used at various heights with inconsistent loads for nearly a week.

The investigation concluded that “control measures to detect assembly errors were not implemented, resulting in the missing screw joints going unnoticed.”

“The Sundbyberg elevator accident highlights a significant concern. We must address the issue of extended subcontractor chains, and I firmly believe that Europe should restrict this to a maximum of two tiers,” stated EU parliament member and Social Democrat Johan Danielsson following the announcement of the parliamentary review earlier in December.

(20 December)