The INEDIVIM president Anna Rokophyllou was informed yesterday 7/10/2024 late at night, about the incident that collapsed the lift cage in the 3rd Student Residence of Thessaloniki. Fortunately, there were no students in the elevator at the time of the incident.
immediately, according to a notice from INEDIVIM, by his personal order, an investigation was launched to clarify the exact causes of the collapse, to assign the relevant responsibilities and to ensure that a similar incident does not occur again in the future. In addition, the president of INEDIVIM intends to request an investigation by an independent expert body, which will also issue its own conclusion, in order to ensure the main objective of the process.
The INEDIVIM shows that in the context of the safe operation of the student residences, regarding the repair and maintenance of the elevators, INEDIVIM had announced a tender from September 2022, approved by the well-known reliable company OTIS.
The company’s repair work was completed in August 2023, at which time the lifts were duly certified, as required by current legislation, by the most recognized company TUV Austria with ISO certifications, which will expire in 2026.
From 1/8/2023, until today, by signing relevant contracts, INEDIVIM has ensured that the elevators of the Residences for Students under its jurisdiction, do not remain one day without maintenance.
From the contract he signed with INEDIVIM, the company OTIS has the obligation – and it does so, as confirmed by the minutes of acknowledgment sent every month – the elevators at INEDIVIM’s areas of responsibility.
The contract even provides for regular maintenance twice a month by certified technicians and emergency maintenance, when necessary, within 24 hours.
According to INEDIVIM President Anna Rokofyllou “Our highest priority is the safety of the students living in the residences. For this reason, we fully comply with the provisions of the legislation and have taken all the necessary measures in terms of checks, maintenance and repairs, as well as the certification of the equipment of the facilities”.
Statement from the Rector of AUTH, Professor Charalambos Feidas
Regarding the elevator incident in the 3rd Student Residence in AUTH, the contracting company that did the maintenance of the residential elevators was called immediately. At the same time, the Youth and Lifelong Learning Foundation (INEDIVIM) was informed, which, as a competent legal entity, entrusted that company with the maintenance of all the lifts of the Student Centers in AUTH. It is expected that a technical report will be drawn up to investigate the specific incident.
For all the hostels serving AUTH students, INEDIVIM has the responsibilities for, among other things, the maintenance of the infrastructure and the corresponding contracts.
Despite that incident, strengthening the funding for upgrading the infrastructure of the student residence is a multi-year request from the institution and is a priority of the current Rector’s Authority.”