The Tarrant County Hospital District Board of Managers approved by unanimous vote on April 11 a five-year agreement with SW Elevators Inc. for maintenance on the 51 elevators operated by the JPS Health Network.
“We are hopeful about building a relationship of trust and confidence with SW Elevators,” said Robert Earley, president and CEO of JPS Health Network. “This is a family run enterprise. The current CEO is third generation. And the only thing this company does is maintain and repair elevators.”
SW Elevator has agreed to provide two full-time mechanics to service the JPS contract. The company will take over maintenance activities on May 14.
In February, Earley said he’s seeking a new contractor for its elevators after a nurse in January was critically injured when she stepped onto an elevator that continued to move.
Earley said in February that hospital officials intend to hold the current contractor, Thyssenkrupp Elevator Corp., accountable for the Jan. 20 accident.
The nurse had stepped onto the elevator and then lost her balance as it continued to rise, crushing her. She suffered brain damage and internal injuries and has undergone surgeries. She remains hospitalized.
Documents obtained by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram show that the hospital’s elevators were out of service at least 42 times from January 2018 to this January.
Thyssenkrupp said in a statement that it will focus on why the nurse was hurt and preventing anything similar from happening again.