Although elevators are one of the most overlooked and important modes of transportation in the world, there are stories that sometimes make them look bad. If you look back on previous posts in this blog, you’ll see how many areas in the United States have elevator problems due to a lack of maintenance and/or inspections. One state is bringing the issue of elevator safety to the forefront: Michigan.

Recently, Michigan had a full week of elevator and escalator safety awareness with the aptly named Elevator and Escalator Safety Week, which focused on giving tips to some of the millions of people nationwide who use these modes of transportation. A press release from the State of Michigan says this particular safety week has been observed for over a decade:

“The Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation estimates that more than 575 million people nationwide ride elevators, escalators, and moving sidewalks daily. Elevator Escalator Safety Week has been recognized nationally since 1994.  The Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation estimates there are 700,000 elevators and 35,000 escalators nationwide with more than 210 billion riders traveling every year.”

The press release also provided a list of safety tips for elevators that should prove useful to riders, whether you are in a residential elevator or commercial elevator:

• Enter and exit carefully.  Step up or down if the elevator floor and hall floor are not level with one another.
• Watch out for closing doors. Do not touch closing doors or try to stop them from closing.
• Keep clothes and carry-ons away from the opening. 
• If the doors do not open when the elevator stops, stay calm, ring the alarm button and wait. Never force the doors open or try to exit.
• In the event of a fire, never use the elevator, use the stairs.

You should also be aware of the importance of elevator maintenance, regardless of the type of elevators you frequent. If you have a home elevator, get your lift regularly checked out by a licensed repairman. Check your owner’s manual for more information. The same goes for building managers and landlords with commercial elevators – statutes in your area require inspections and maintenance at various times, so please keep your lifts safe for passengers.

Elevators are significant in daily life, even if you don’t use them every day. You may not even realize how many elevators are crucial to a person’s ability to move around certain buildings and their own homes. As of July 2008, the United States had more than 600,000 elevators installed in all areas, whether or not they were operational or not. Consider the number of commercial elevators being installed daily and add four years – you can see the growth and importance of elevators swelling across the country.

However, as we have mentioned, some states are having difficulty keeping up with elevator repairs, which are important for the safety of cabin passengers. One of the worst situations being reported about is in Hawaii, according to the Hawaii Reporter:

“Some 4,000 elevators in Hawaii are overdue for safety inspections and to clear the backlog, the state must double the number of inspectors now on staff, lawmakers heard today. But hiring new inspectors will be difficult because the starting salary of a state inspector is $42,000, while their counterparts in the private sector are paid $50 per hour and earn as much as $110,00 annually before overtime.”

Due to the economy and various other factors, these repairs and inspections haven’t been completed, but Hawaii lawmakers realize how important this work is to the disabled community. The Legislature in Hawaii is going to be asked to approve increases in inspection and permit fees, so that safety and finances can be handled appropriately in years to come. Unfortunately, other areas need work as well:

“A similar backlog of safety inspections of boilers has also built up around the state and the same pay disparity applies, said Keith Rudolph, chief boiler inspector.”

Thankfully, some authorities said that safety is not a problem in most elevators at the moment, there is merely just a backlog to deal with:

“Elevators and boilers around the state are regularly serviced and maintained by their owners and there has not been an elevator-related fatality here since 1992. The department is working with private industry and with the public employees labor union to impose new fees which will flow into a special fund that will increase salaries for state inspectors, witnesses told the committee.”

The department is also exploring the possibility of turning over inspections to private third parties, but that solution would require the state to pay the higher prevailing wages in the private sector, witnesses said.

More and more, stairlifts are becoming a major part of in-home mobility. This is especially true in homes where an elevator isn’t needed, but some type of mobility option is necessary for a family member to move freely between various floors. As you know from reading this blog, there are a number of different types of stairlifts, but we haven’t really covered how to maintain your in-home stairlift properly. While it is true that a technician is best suited for major repairs, there are a number of things you can do before you call your local stair lift repairman:

-          If your stairlift isn’t working at all, make sure the power source is connected properly. If the stairlift isn’t powered by an AC wall adapter, check your battery’s power level.

-          When the battery unit is drained, it can take up to 14 hours to fully charge, so be patient when waiting for the stairlift to get back into working order.

-          Put the chair into its travel mode, usually meaning that the back of the chair is facing the wall of the stairwell. If your chair isn’t in this position correctly, the unit will not operate as a safety measure.

-          Put all of the stairlift’s switches into the on position. Depending on your particular brand and model, this can include the battery isolation switch, on/off switch and also the key lock usually located on the arm of the chair.

-          Carefully inspect the safety censors on your unit – if any of these sensors are pushed in, the stairlift will not operate. Use your fingers to make sure these sensors are not stuck in anyway – they should be able to move freely, ensuring your safe travel up the stairs.

These simple steps can be a major help, especially when you consider calling a stairlift repair technician. You don’t want to spend any money fixing your unit if you don’t have to!