Coroner Edward King yesterday called on authorities to ensure standardised safety regulations existed for elevators throughout Bermuda.

Mr. King made his demand after recording a verdict of accidental death at the inquest into the death of John Caesar who was found at the bottom of an elevator shaft three days after he was last seen alive.

Yesterday Mr. King said: "There was evidence in the inquest which indicated that a sad state of affairs exists relating to the safety standards of elevators in Bermuda.

"I call on the powers that be to take action immediately to ensure that there is one standardised set of regulations applicable to all elevators in these Islands.'' The inquest heard that 27-year-old Mr. Caesar, of Acacia Lane, Sandys, was found dead on April 29, this year, at the bottom of a lift shaft at the Southampton Princess hotel.

He had been missing three days before his body was discovered by a maintenance man.

Mr. Caesar, who worked at the hotel, had fallen into the shaft after being hit by the lift's three-ton counter-weight when he looked into the shaft. The weight smashed his head and chest.

The inquest heard that Mr. Caesar probably had his head bent over the balancing portion of the shaft, with his head turned upward to the right.

He was hit in the head by the counter balancing weight as the lift moved throwing his body down the shaft.

The inquest was told that the hotel's elevators were inspected by Government inspectors was 1994.

By law all elevators are supposed to be inspected and certified by the planning department annually.

However Assistant Planning director Aideen Ratteray-Pryse stressed the onus was on the owner to call the department once a year to get their elevators checked under both sets of regulations.

Ms Ratteray-Pryse explained there were two sets of regulations in place governing elevators.

These were the Building Authority's Elevator and Lift Regulations, 1962, for older elevators and the Building Code of 1991 for newer lifts.

She added there were no plans to establish a single set of codes to govern elevators "immediately''.

Under both regulations, elevator machine rooms had to be kept locked so only authorised people could have access to them, she said.

However under the new regulations, she continued, a grill had to be placed over the opening of the shaft as well as locking the machine room.