For property owners and managers, life today brings the major challenge of maneuvering through a pandemic, the uncertainties of the current rapidly-evolving real estate landscape, and the intricate maze of tenant relations. Across the commercial real estate landscape, tenants are actively considering their future strategies: whether to stay put where and as they are, downsize by converting to a full or hybrid remote work model, or relocate entirely to another building. In this environment, one of the surest ways to retain and attract tenants is to operate a building that is known for adhering to the highest standards of safety and caring for its occupants and visitors.

A prime component of this is the safety of the elevators, both for passengers, and for the technicians who service the systems. To support our customers, D&D has prepared a comprehensive Safety Guide for Building Managers, addressing the following key topics:

• The Covid-19 Risks
• Building Managers’ Responsibilities
• What to Expect from Passengers
• Safety Products Available
• How D&D Supports You

The Guide outlines various practical steps that property managers can take to create the safest possible environment for all those moving around the facility. It also addresses various commonly-asked questions, including whether elevators are hot spots for Covid-19 transmission and the relative dangers of various surfaces.

Learn More and View/Print Guide - 800 kb pdf

Details re: Covid Safety Products Available from D&D

D&D Stands Ready To Help!

Call (914) 347-4344 with any questions you may have, to and to review how we best serve your particular needs.

For property owners and managers, it is vital to avoid elevator-related violations and to resolve them as soon as possible if and when they occur. The consequences of unresolved violations can be severe, including costly penalties, disruptive shut-downs and possible legal liabilities. It is equally vital to check whether there are any “violation skeletons in the closet” – old violations that may have been forgotten or ignored, certain to resurface and haunt later – which do not “go away” and must be addressed. To stay on top of this, it is important to be aware of the various issues and requirements surrounding violations, one’s own responsibilities, and what actions are best to be taken.

The Solution for Violation Avoidance & Management

A top priority is to proactively review one’s inspection paperwork, and, while this is the building owner’s/manager’s responsibility, today’s demanding life can easily cause this to be overlooked and lead to problems. Best practice, therefore, is to establish a program of inspections to stay on top of the issue.

How D&D can help!

• Conduct regularly-scheduled maintenance inspections to identify problems that can be corrected with minimal repairs and downtime, before they become major problems that can lead to violations and fines
• Carefully review and process all recommendations offered by D&D Elevator to remove existing violations
• Consider following all recommendations offered by D&D Elevator to improve your elevator’s service and reduce potential fines and liabilities
• For New York City properties, support registration of the building(s) with DOB NOW, the Department of Building’s self-service tool enabling Owners and Managers to conduct all business with the Department entirely online

Resources

• DOB NOW Registration Form
  
  
• LINK to the NYC DOB’s Frequently Asked VIOLATION Questions
  
  
• LINK to the NYC DOB’s Frequently Asked SAFETY Questions
  
  
• Info about D&D’s Violations and Testing Division

Typical Violations

• PVT VIOLATIONS (Private, also known as E-Elevator) are issued by third party elevator inspectors under contract with the Department of Buildings. Such violations are issued during routine inspections and can be hazardous or non-hazardous.
  
  
• ECB VIOLATIONS (Environmental Control Board) are issued by the Department when a property does not comply with the NYC Building Code and / or Zoning Resolution, or if a complaint is received by the City. There is an administrative court that provides hearings on violations issued by City agencies for "quality of life" infractions.  ECB renders judgment and collects all penalties assessed at hearings.
  
  

Typical Inspections

• CATEGORY 1 Inspection is a no-load safety test of an elevator device that must be performed between January 1st and December 31st of each calendar year. The filing deadline is 60 days from Date-of-Test.
  
  
• CATEGORY 5 Inspection is a full-load and speed safety test that must be performed within five years from the month of issuance of a final certificate for a new elevator or within five years from the month of the most recent CAT-5 Inspection/Test on an existing elevator. A CAT-5 Test can only be filed as satisfactory and the filing deadline is 60 days from Date-of-Test. If the CAT-5 Test is found to be unsatisfactory during a testing process, the elevator must be shut down. If the CAT-5 Test is not done at the proper time, there is an automatic $5,000 penalty fine.

D&D Stands Ready to Help!

Call (914) 347-4344 to discuss how D&D can help bring you peace of mind by keeping your property free of violations, fines, legal jeopardy and disruption! 

With late Fall and Winter very soon upon us – bringing frigid temperatures and possible major storms – your elevators now require some focused extra attention. First and foremost, make sure that your motor room is properly heated, ideally to at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and any broken windows and other outside air leaks are repaired. While preventing the motor room from becoming unduly cold helps prevent solidifying of the system’s vital fluids and potential system failure, there are other possibly disruptive and costly problems that the coming season can create for your elevator systems, which proper maintenance can help to avoid.

The Importance of Clean Door Tracks

Best practice is to keep your elevator door tracks clean and functional year-round – on both the car and hall sides – by establishing a regular maintenance program to help prevent costly downtime, needless emergency service and providing you peace of mind. But it is particularly important at this time of year, when clogging by pine needles from holiday trees, packed snow, ice, salt and all manner of dirt can severely aggravate the problem and create door-opening and closing issues.

Here’s what this type of maintenance typically entails:

• Thoroughly vacuuming out the door tracks
• Using stiff paint brushes to loosen and remove common track obstructions
• For more stubborn obstructions, using a stiff nylon parts-cleaning brush

Prepare for Harsh Weather & Major Storms

Under more temperate weather conditions, winter storms can bring severe flooding with its own special, potentially dangerous problems. To best protect your elevators and passengers when such conditions are expected to or do occur:

Before the storm arrives

• Check the condition of the pits and make sure that sump pumps are functional and not clogged
• In severe flooding areas, barricade the motor room to prevent, best as possible, entry by major amounts of water
• Close any vents and openings atop the hoistway to keep water out of the shaft

During potential flood conditions

• Position the cars at the top floors and shut down the system and power, making sure there are no remaining building occupants dependent on the elevators to vacate

D&D Can Help!

Regular preventative maintenance can go a long way toward avoiding trouble while saving unnecessary expense and inconvenience. As always, D&D stands ready to assist with a maintenance program custom-designed for your building, and any seasonal difficulties you may encounter!

Call (914) 347-4344 to make arrangements or with any emergency service you require.