Over the course of this summer, one of the main topics I have been covering is the importance of elevator maintenance and upkeep. This is especially important during the hotter months, when power outages or “brown-outs” cause elevators to stall and sometimes remain stuck for hours in the shaft. There are also issues with buildings that cannot comply fully with Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires handicapped access in most buildings around the country.

As public buildings across the country start new restoration projects, sometimes elevators are left out of the planning and process. However, this is not true in Nebraska, where the State Capitol is getting a modern addition to its completed restoration. According to the Lincoln Journal Star:

“Lincoln’s tallest building is about to begin a two-year, $3.7 million elevator renovation project. No, the four elevators in the state Capitol tower won’t get bigger, for those of you who avoid going to the 14th floor for fear claustrophobia might overtake you. But the 30-year-old elevators — which measure about 4 1/2 feet by 5 feet wide — will get updated machinery, controls and technology, Capitol Administrator Bob Ripley told the Nebraska Capitol Commission on Tuesday.”

One of the major reasons for the update – according to the story – is the difficulty that staff has had finding replacement parts for the older lift models, which have been around for several decades. The biggest change will not be new elevator cabins, but the actual control panels within these commercial elevators. Even though they won’t be changed to accommodate the current disability standards, the constraints are not terrible:

“The elevators will not be made to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, he said, because of the limitations of their location around the edges of the rotunda and historic architectural features. Most standard-sized wheelchairs can fit into the cabs, however, they cannot turn around once inside.”

Stair lifts are arguably as ubiquitous as elevators in the buildings that we visit on a daily basis. This is probably truer when it comes to older buildings that need handicapped access but do not have room for a whole elevator. Since these older structures have looser restrictions when you consider safety regulations, stairlifts are usually the best option for many building managers. So what are some of the factors to consider when choosing a stairlift for your building or home?

Reliability – One of the biggest selling points when choosing a stair lift is the reliability of the product. This may seem like an obvious consideration, but it can be a burden for a handicapped homeowner to consistently have to bring in professionals to fix fault mechanics or other parts on a stairlift. It is an issue of safety and sometimes the money just isn’t available. Choose a good brand – don’t skimp.

Power Source – The power source for a stairlift can be a major area of concern for homeowners, even if it’s not a big problem for large building owners, who may have necessary plugs available for various sources. Normally, stair lifts will have an AC unit that you can plug into your normal power outlet. However, if power outages are a concern for you, you may want to have a stair lift installed with a DC power source as well.

Safety – There is no reason to buy a stairlift just because it is of a lower cost than another. You may be neglecting your safety if you do so. Make sure to purchase a stairlift that offers not only the standard safety features like guardrails and secure seat belts, but also emergency stop sensors that can shut off the unit if stability is compromised. Insist that the company you buy from also has strict safety standards and testing that can be checked with the proper regulators.

It hasn’t been a particularly good year for elevators so far – primarily the commercial elevators in office buildings and apartment high rises. These types of elevators have been run through the gamut of problems, especially when you consider the lack of maintenance going on in major cities that rely on these lifts to get others from floor to floor with no trouble. These errors in maintenance have been a huge issue, as I have mentioned in previous blog posts.

However, in this rough economy, some elevator companies are relying on their reputation to make ends meet. The Manchester Evening News recently had a profile on a company that is making headway in the elevator maintenance industry after construction jobs had dried up:

“Ansa’s engineers work on almost all the landmark buildings on the Manchester skyline, including the CIS Tower, Urbis, MEN Arena, the Town Hall and the Midland Hotel. Around two thirds of its business is the day-to-day maintenance of lifts for clients like the Co-op, AstraZeneca, Bruntwood and Emerson Group.”

This maintenance focus is predicated on Ansa’s push for customer service, which is harder to come by in the current world economic climate. The move is paying off for Ansa and other elevator manufacturers, who are seeing financial dividends:

“[Ansa’s] turnover for the year to October 31, 2009 was just over £7m, but fell back to £5.4m the following year as new build projects dried up during the recession. But Ansa quickly refocused its business to win more stable lift service contracts, and the business is headed for revenues of £9m in 2011.”

If you are a building manager who has a number of elevators, you definitely need to follow through with elevator maintenance on a monthly basis. This action will keep accidents from occurring during the summer months when power outages can cause incidents. If you have a residential elevator, have your manufacturer complete inspections as well.

Last year, I wrote a heavy dose of blogs about the number of elevator outages that occurred around the world during the summer months. The main problem behind these breakdowns was the power losses caused by hot temperatures and thunderstorms. However, this summer has shown that a number of the elevator problems are simply due to lackluster inspections and other human error.

This seems to be the case in Philadelphia, where a law office’s headquarters is located. Complaints put up by Cozen O’Connor say that the landlord has not been ensuring that the elevators in the building work. According to Daily Business Review:

“The firm has sued its landlord in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court in an effort to be released from the five-year lease obligation it began this year with 1900 Market GP because the landlord has failed to properly maintain the Class A building and refused to arbitrate Cozen O’Connor’s complaints, according to the court filing.”

Added to the already existing problems in the building is the firm’s decision to extend its lease for another 4 years. The lawsuit stipulates that the 9 elevators in the high rise are constantly breaking down and trapping employees for extended periods of time. There are also serious problems with elevator malfunctioning as well:

“The elevators take people to floors they didn’t select or do not take people to floors they did select, the firm said. The buttons, directional lights, audible function and emergency phones have malfunctioned and the employees complain of long wait times, slow-moving elevators, bumpy rides or elevators that won’t move at all, according to the complaint.”

This story (and subsequent lawsuit) should give landlords and other authority figures to make sure that their elevators are in working order. Not only is it an issue of safety, but the financial implications of not keeping up with proper elevator regulations can be incredibly damaging to your ability to manage a building, whether it be an apartment complex or office building. Keep your commercial elevators in working order to avoid problems.