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Elevators are among the safest modes of transportation, with over 325 million daily riders on some 700,000 elevators in the U.S. Yet incidents involving elevators kill more than 25 people and seriously injure another 10,000 each year, according to data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Although television and movies often depict dangerous elevator failures, reality is quite different. Elevators are supported by multiple steel cables, and each cable alone can support a fully loaded car. So a plummeting elevator car full of screaming riders is more Hollywood fiction than fact.

In early 2020, the ASME A17.1-2019 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators received a number of revisions. Important changes include: Updates to door requirements in private residence elevators and occupant evacuation elevators. Seismic requirements for elevators and escalators were clarified. Updates were made to emergency communication requirements for an elevator to ensure communication with trapped passengers, including those who are hearing impaired. And requirements were modified for increased door protection on passenger elevators.

Nevertheless, there are several steps and best practices repair workers and riders can follow to help ensure their safety when using or working on an elevator. Check the elevator safety tips and resources below for details.

Elevator Safety Tips for Workers, Employers and Building Owners

Elevator and construction workers are at highest risk for elevator-related injuries. Almost half of elevator-related deaths occur to people working on or near elevators – including those installing, repairing and maintaining elevators or working in or near elevator shafts. The most common incidents are falls into the shaft, workers caught between moving parts or platforms and workers struck by elevator cars or counterweights.

To help prevent elevator-related deaths and injuries, employers and workers should take these steps:

Ensure workplace protective practices and training are adequate.
De-energize and lock-out electrical circuits and mechanical equipment when elevators are out of service or under repair
Establish a permit-required confined-space program for elevator shafts
Provide adequate fall protection during work in or near elevator shafts
Develop an adequate inspection and maintenance program
Use only qualified repair companies or workers for elevator repair and maintenance
Post appropriate elevator safety signs for emergency operation, freight elevators, counterweights, elevator shafts, inspection tags, etc.

Elevator Safety Tips for Riders

When waiting for elevators:

Look and listen for the signal announcing your car’s arrival
Stand clear of the elevator doors and stand aside for exiting passengers
If the arriving car is full, wait for the next car
Don’t attempt to maneuver in or stop closing doors, wait for the next car
In the event of a fire or other situation that could lead to a disruption in electrical services, take the stairs

When boarding elevators:

Allow passengers exiting the elevator to clear before boarding
Watch your step – the elevator car may not be perfectly level with the floor
Stand clear of the doors – keep clothes and carry-ons away from the opening
Push and hold the DOOR OPEN button if doors need to be held open, or ask someone to push the button for you
Never try to stop a closing door, wait for the next car

When riding elevators:

Hold the handrail, if available
Stand next to the elevator wall, if available
Pay attention to the floor indications and announcements when provided
If the doors do not open when the elevator stops, push the DOOR OPEN button
Stay calm if you find yourself stuck in an elevator. Use the elevator’s alarm button or emergency contact button to get help. Elevator cars are designed to be “safe rooms”, and the safest place is inside the car.

When exiting elevators:

Exit immediately at your floor. Do not wait for others behind you
Do not push the people in front of you when exiting
Watch your step – the elevator car may not be perfectly level with the floor

In case of an elevator emergency:

If the elevator stops between floors, don’t panic – there is plenty of air in the elevator
Reassure and calm anyone who is panicked about being stuck in the elevator
Use the ALARM or HELP button, the telephone or the intercom to call for assistance. Follow the posted instructions for their use.
Don’t attempt to pry open the doors
Never climb out of a stalled elevator. Wait for qualified help to arrive
Emergency lighting will come on in the event of a power failure

Elevator Safety Resources:

Eco-friendly elevators?

The first question probably running through your mind is what is an Eco-friendly elevators. Some people refer to them as green elevators. One thing to keep in mind is that energy consumption is key. For Eco-friendly elevators the processes we apply, the machines one needs and the type of technologies that you use are used as determinants when integrating the elevators. Other aspects we consider is the lighting, the type of control panels and the HVAC systems plus flooring and painting. All this contribute to an elevator being Eco-friendly thus becoming very key on its outlook and general operations.

We use inventions such as Machine room less Technology which was initially introduced in the mid-1900s. Miniature versions of the technology have made it convenient to run an elevator incorporating a gear less traction design. Our elevators look to save up to 50% of energy reduction than earlier inventions. Some make use of already used energy by recovering the used energy and putting it back to the electrical system. Looking at the large scale of things, you’d comfortably save a lot of energy in a month alone. They are known as regenerative drive system.

How they work
We use current technologies that make use of double deck elevators. They are called group control systems, mostly used in buildings with high traffic. It moves traffic to one lift at a time and minimize on the number of stops to be made. You’ll find one lift only makes stops to even numbered floors or on odd numbered floors. This makes it possible for us to help ease flow especially in urban areas with high traffic.

There’s also the use of in-cab sensors that allow elevators to go into idle mode. The same way phones would go to sleep mode when they’re not being used. Therefore, when the lights go out, the music stops, video screens are off, the ventilation system slows much of electricity. Even the energy consumption is reduced thus helping cut on costs incurred as well.

Lastly, we have the use of destination dispatch software. It takes elevator stops in batches and then makes all the necessary stops in one trip. Other elevators would make every person going to one floor wait for the next trip. This makes a passenger take longer to get to where they’re going.

The advantage of using eco-friendly elevators is that your buildings will use less water, energy and other materials especially when looking at the long term aspect. In order to meet your needs, we are enhancing our products with the capabilities that will decrease large energy consumption as well as help conserve the environment.

They help improve the building’s efficiency as well as property value. Systems with destination control software would help avail transportation much faster and much more efficient travelling capabilities. This would let the building owners to welcome more tenants with traffic needs.

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Elevator Safety Tips