Common Issues

August 11, 2021 Published by Huronia Chapter - By Rolly Mechler

Top 5 Elevator Safety Tips

From the CCI Huronia Summer 2021 Newsletter

Elevators are critical pieces of any apartment or condo as they transport precious cargo (people) every day. You don’t tend to get many comments when they are working well, but when they are working improperly, they become a critical item because they affect mobility and, in some circumstances, even safety.

Here are 5 elevator safety tips for anyone responsible for elevators:

1. If you are on a condo board or you are a property manager, understand that you have potential liability as the elevator code is written. “Every director or officer of a body corporate has a duty to take all reasonable care to prevent the body corporate from committing an offence under subsection (1) 2000. c. 16 s 37 (2)” (TSSA Act 2000 & Regs). Check log books (MCPs) to make sure your maintenance is being performed as is legally required.
2. Trips & falls and door strikes remain the #1 source of injuries on elevators. Do periodic reviews of the elevators to ensure the elevators are stopping level at floors. Put your hand in the door opening to make sure that the door reopens when it senses an obstruction. If your elevators have the old manual strike door reopeners (get a quote immediately to replace them because they are a claim waiting to happen).
3. Confirm that your cleaning staff is monitoring the door tracks of the elevators to ensure that debris is not building up (i.e. vacuum them) and that carpets are not getting stuck in doors. Note this is most applicable in winter months. These items can lead to elevator shut down and thus mobility issues for your residents.
4. Keep track of any elevator issues you see or hear and pass on to the elevator technician. Keep in mind that your elevator technician may only be in your building once per month (or sometimes once per quarter, depending on the contract) so anything you can pass on is critical.
5. Inform your residents that elevators are statistically the safest means of transportation that exists. Numerous safety devices shut down elevators when irregularities occur. Injuries occur when people try to exit a shut down elevator. Stay calm, press the emergency call button and wait for the technician to come to release you. In medical emergency situations, the fire department can release passengers but a good elevator contractor should be able to release them quicker and with significantly less costly damage.

Rolly Mechler Elevator One Inc. - Sales & Marketing Manager