Elevators & Covid 19

Questions abound everywhere these days around the safety of riding elevators during the Covid pandemic. Specifically owners and managers of residential and commercial buildings are asking what they can do to help promote safety for occupants (and their visitors) and, as caring landlords, keep them as happy tenants. Common questions include:

• What new developments are available right now to help make elevators safer during pandemics such as Covid 19 currently underway?
• What can property managers do right now to help promote passenger safety in their buildings? 

New Technologies Currently Available from D&D

 In progress are various technological developments designed to help make elevator cabs a safer environment – several of which D&D can already provide for new construction and modernization projects

• Voice-Activated Elevator Control Buttons
• Touchless Buttons
• Cab Air Purifier
• Cab Air Purifier with Sterilization System
• Dual UVC Germicidal & Dual HEPA Air Filtration Unit
• Car Sterilization & Purification Fan

Details for Covid Safety Products

What Property Managers Can Do Right Now

• Create queuing lines in lobbies, marking paths on the floor to direct people in and out
• In commercial buildings, schedule staggered employee arrival and departure times to avoid crowded elevator cabs
• Post signage in the lobby suggesting behaviors for passenger safety, assuming, in all cases, the wearing of masks:
  • Self-limit the number of passengers per ride and load the elevator in a checkerboard pattern, face forward
  • Have each passenger announce their desired floor, with the person nearest the button panel selecting for everyone, using their knuckles
  • Avoid conversation in the cab during the ride

D&D Stands Ready to Help!

Right now, D&D is able to offer several of the above new technologies for your building! Call (914) 347-4344 to learn how D&D can help put you at the cutting age of elevator safety.

D&D At The Forefront

In the elevator field, safety has become a top-line topic as licensing standards are increasingly becoming law all around the country. In New York State, it’s the Elevator Safety Act, which requires the state Labor Department to license mechanics and others involved in elevator maintenance and other conveyance work, and to participate in more extensive education and training, to gain the knowledge, experience and expertise to provide the highest degree of safety. Because D&D historically has been widely regarded as a go-to resource for elevator safety and education, principals of the company, including President and CEO Bob Schaeffer, were called upon to participate in the formulation of the Act. Says Schaeffer: “For quite some time now – beginning many years before this bill was even envisioned – D&D has met or exceeded the standards that the law is now defining. Our mechanics have been and are trained using the CET™ (Certified Elevator Technician) program, which is ANSI and ISO accredited, and adheres to federal and state apprenticeship requirements. At D&D, education/training traditionally has been and continues to be a top priority as we deliver the highest level of experience and expertise to our customers.”

Reducing Unsafe Elevator Hazards Via Training

An elevator industry veteran, Schaeffer has throughout his career been a strong advocate for education. Among his many accreditations, he served as board president of the National Association of Elevator Contractors (NAEC) and, as Education Chairman, was instrumental in creating the CET certification. This nationally-recognized program provides the elevator industry with the means of obtaining and verifying knowledge and experience requirements related to compliance with industry codes, elevator and escalator specific technical theory, components, and competencies. Most recently, Schaeffer has established a 2,500-sq-ft Elevator Learning Center in Yonkers, NY, minutes north of New York City, with classes taught by highly-experienced and certified instructors.

Tap Into D&D’s Expertise and Experience!

For the ultimate in peace-of-mind, the experts at D&D Elevator right now stand ready to deliver service to you at the highest level of safety standards!

Call (914) 347-4344 with any questions you may have.

For the details of the New York State Elevator Safety Act,    Click Here

The N.Y. State Elevator Safety Act

New York State contains 10% of all elevators in the country, making it a prime area of concern. The state’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, has approved a bill (S.4080-C/A.4509) requiring the licensing of the state's elevator mechanics, but, in a deal worked out with the legislature, has delayed its taking effect until January 2022. The "Elevator Safety Act" requires the state Labor Department to license mechanics and others involved in elevator maintenance, other conveyance work, and to participate in more extensive education and training. The bill, which creates a thirteen-member Board of New York State Elevator Safety and Standards, is structured in two parts; part “A” requires the licensing of persons engaged in the design, construction, operation, inspection, maintenance, alteration and repair of elevators and other automated people-moving devices covering cities with a population of less than one million, while part B relates to the licensing of approved elevator agency directors, inspectors, and technicians performing elevator work in the City of New York.

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Found these days in older residential buildings, Single-Speed AC (SSAC) electric traction elevators are now obsolete and are no longer made or installed. Current owners and managers of such properties who continue to operate these elevators are urged to seriously consider upgrading their equipment to modern standards, since continued operation of this outdated technology presents many potential hazards and problems best to avoid:

• Risk of sudden age-related failure and downtime
• Code compliance issues
• Ongoing repair and insurance costs
• Risks to passengers and exposure to trip-and-fall litigation

SSAC elevators first appeared during the post-World War II period, often installed as upgrades to earlier, prevalent DC systems as the municipal trolley grids that powered them became extinct, with installation continuing well into the 1970s. Popular at the time because they were attractively priced, they typically appeared in low- to mid-rise residential buildings, including condo conversions and rental apartments. These elevators are slow, low-capacity passenger units that are prone to intermittent leveling fluctuations. Since they rely on brakes to stop the car in properly level position – which often can be imprecise and inaccurate – they present trip-and-fall hazards, particularly to elderly passengers and those with mobility disabilities who may find it extremely difficult to negotiate level differences.

Conversely, today’s elevators have abandoned the use of brakes to stop the car, instead employing VVVF (Variable Voltage-Variable Frequency) control systems that consistently stop the elevator at floor level within tolerances of ¼-inch. As their name implies, these adjust both the voltage and frequency of the power applied to the hoist motor, thereby varying the speed at which the motor operates. With this technology, the hoist motor can be brought to a so-called “electrical stop” – with the hoist motor energized but not turning. This allows floor stops to be accurately specified, without regard to the load in the car.

Current New York State code requires that elevators, when arriving at a floor, stop accurately and consistently within a finite limit of ½-inch above or below floor level. This is reflected in the current edition of The American Harmonized Elevator code (CSA B44/ASME A17.1). The Technical Standards & Safety Authority (TSSA) has also written on the matter, recommending that these elevators, because of their poor leveling ability, should be upgraded.

D&D Can Help

The experts at D&D Elevator stand ready to help you evaluate your particular needs, to cost-efficiently achieve safety, code-compliance – and peace-of-mind!