With the onset of Covid-19 came persistent questions and public concern as to whether, in a pandemic, elevators are safe to use. While information on this subject is currently widely available, now is a good moment to step back and review the topic of elevator safety in general. Although elevators are considered among the safest of all transportation modes, there can be accidents, operational failures and injuries. For building owners and managers, preventing injurious accidents in and around elevators is largely a matter of keeping your equipment properly monitored, maintained and updated. It is also helpful to guide tenants toward safe behaviors via direct communication.

What Building Owners and Managers Can Do

As a concerned owner or manager, you can convey safety information to tenants in a number of ways. These include posting suggestions in cabs, lobbies, landings, and communal gathering spots around the property, placing copies in mailboxes, and having handouts distributed by doormen and facilities staff. You can provide copies to superintendents, co-op/condo boards, etc., for their review and appropriate distribution to tenants. If the building maintains a tenant database for newsletters, such suggestions can be emailed as attachments that can be printed and retained. 

Top Tips

Shutdowns

Advise tenants, that, if they are caught between floors in a suddenly-stopped elevator, the car will not free-fall; that they should remain calm, not jump up and down, attempt to pry open the doors or escape via the ceiling hatch, but instead stay put, use the emergency phone, and wait for help.

For the convenience of building owners and managers, D&D has prepared an Elevator Safety Guide for posting in your cabs, advising passengers what do to in the event they find themselves entrapped.

Download Safety Guide HERE - pdf will open in new window

Signage

Raise awareness of fire safety and evacuation signage around the property, strongly emphasizing, in the event of fire, never to call or board an elevator and always instead take the stairs 

Child & Pet Safety

Prompt tenants to caution young children that elevators are not “rides” for amusement and can be potentially dangerous; to emphasize the necessity for always keeping their hands and feet clear of moving doors; to show them how to use the emergency button and telephone in the event they become entrapped alone. Assure children that the car will not “crash,” and that there will be plenty of air to breathe and instant emergency lighting in the event of a power outage.

Remind tenants, including children, that, in an elevator, pets should always be held or restrained and attention paid that dog leashes not become entangled in the doors.

Move-Ins and Outs

Advise tenants doing their own moving work to wear well-fitting shoes with good traction to avoid slipping and tripping in the elevator; to avoid baggy and loose clothing that could become trapped in the doors; to wear thick gloves to protect fingers and improve grip; and to never jam objects into the doors to force them into open position. And, that best practice for heightened protection of passengers and pets, and to prevent damage to the cab, is to attach some type of padding to the walls. 

Flood Damage

During the recent tropical storm Ida, if your building’s machine room or pit experienced flooding, even though the water long ago receded, there may have been damage to various components that could result in a safety issue. Best would be to schedule an inspection of your equipment to make sure it’s safe and not causing a possible future shutdown, disruption of service, and costly emergency repair.

Talk To Us – We Will Help!

At D&D, our friendly team stands ready to support you in achieving the best-possible safety protocols for your elevators and update you on the very latest techniques. Call (914) 347-4344, email Support@DDElevator.com

As the pandemic appeared to be receding from its peak, we all began envisioning life as returning to “normal.” But now, with Covd-19 reemerging as a potential deterrent to public life as it was before, new questions are heard about the safety of riding elevators in view of the highly-contagious Delta variant. As a property owner or manager – to be seen as caring about the health and safety of your tenant community and their visitors – a good move would be to openly communicate with your building’s occupants, suggesting best behavioral practices for the well-being of all riding your elevators.

The Current Reality

With the imminent onset of Fall, many businesses made plans to have their staff return to the office on a full- or part-time basis, thereby significantly increasing elevator traffic over the past year’s levels. Coinciding with this, however, is the current spread of the Delta variant of Covid, being described as much more easily transmissible than the original. This presents the need for renewed caution as people increasingly gather, especially in confined spaces such as elevators. While, even during the pandemic’s peak, elevators were not cited as one of the major sources for spread, the highly-contagious nature of Delta may place the current situation in a different light. Here, therefore, are some common-sense suggestions to make to the tenants of your building(s);

• Regardless of vaccination status, wear appropriate face coverings
• Self-limit the number of passengers per ride
• 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
• Avoid conversation in the cab
• Continue to keep distance when queuing for the elevator

What You Can Do

As a service to building owners and managers, D&D has prepared a “Suggested Elevator Guidelines” document covering the above and other points.

• Post copies of the Suggested Guidelines in your elevator cabs
• Make copies available in the lobby, on landings, and at other communal gathering spots on your property
• Provide copies to superintendents, co-op/condo boards, etc., for their review and appropriate distribution to tenants
• If your property maintains an email and/or text database of tenants, distribute the document digitally to these lists

The Suggested Elevator Guidelines may be viewed online here and printed as a hard copy:

Suggested Elevator Guidelines

Also, consider upgrades using technologies that support passenger safety while enhancing your property’s reputation and market value. New technologies are rapidly emerging, alongside already-available approaches such as air purification, touchless buttons, voice-controlled operation and more. D&D currently offers several such solutions to its customers, which you can see by going HERE:

Covid Safety Products

Talk to us – we will help!

As we navigate the future together, D&D remains committed as ever to supporting the health and success of your property.

With any need you have, contact our friendly team at
(914) 347-4344 or Support@DDElevator.com

What Is Non-Proprietary Equipment?

Original elevator equipment manufacturers market their own hardware and software products as the preferred choice for new installations, modernizations and replacement parts. As an owner or manager, however, it benefits you to investigate the open market for equipment provided by non-proprietary, open-source makers of products that provide the same functionality at often lower costs to you in dollars and time. Such an approach is also referred to by some as “vendor neutrality.”

The Benefits of Non-Proprietary

To begin with, you can rest assured that installing non-proprietary, open-source equipment does not mean compromising safety or dependability, since such products are required by government authorities to be compliant with all standards, building safety codes and provisions of the American Disabilities Act. And along with this assurance come many benefits for you and your property:

• Lower Cost
  Because they are non-proprietary and subject to open market competition, such equipment and parts tend to be less expensive than those from original manufacturers. For ongoing maintenance, this reduces your cost of building ownership and makes this option a good investment both in the immediate and long term.
  
  
• Easier, Faster Installation & Maintenance
  In the event of an emergency or other sudden repair need, your equipment can be easily maintained by a wide array of companies with readily available, appropriately trained technicians. This helps you avoid having to wait for service by an original-equipment technician, who must rely on the availability of exclusive tools, components, keys, maintenance codes and other information.
  
  
• Quicker Access to Parts & Technicians
  As your system ages, to keep your elevators safe and reliable, you will at various times need to replace various components. The non-proprietary approach allows you to install interchangeable equipment that can be purchased anywhere, and, in the event of emergency, enable you to easily acquire the parts you need to get your elevator restored quickly to service. Open-source installers, with their broad range of knowledge and experience, can advise you as to which equipment options have proven easiest to maintain and most reliable under actual field conditions.

Non Proprietary = Flexibility & Options

By installing non-proprietary elevator equipment in your building, you can enjoy the freedom to choose any maintenance partner you wish and shop for a price you wish to pay. Here at D&D, we stand ready to guide you to the open-source providers most ideally suited to your particular need.

Talk to us about saving money and time!

For help evaluating your options, contact our friendly team at
(914) 347-4344 or Support@DDElevator.com