Safety Responsibilities For Building Owners/Managers

As an owner or manager of an elevator or escalator system, you have a number of responsibilities to the public. Chief among them is to provide a safe environment for those who use the equipment. Here are a variety of suggestions to help you meet those responsibilities.

Maintenance Programs
Many of the safety features found on elevators and escalators require regular inspection, maintenance or adjustment to function as designed and to continue to contribute to the safe use of the equipment. The best way to help assure that all of the safety devices are doing their job is to implement a thorough program of regular inspections and preventive maintenance. You should perform many of these inspections on a daily basis.

For other requirements, Schindler's Preventive Maintenance program offers a comprehensive service routine that includes the safety devices for your elevators and escalators. In addition, the program helps protect your investment by lubricating and adjusting a wide variety of components, helping to prevent failures and prolonging the interval between trouble calls. This, in turn, gives your tenants and guests more satisfaction with the elevator and escalator service, and with your building in general.

Here are a few suggestions specifically relating to safety devices. You or your maintenance supplier should be sure to address each of these regularly.

Governor and Safety
On traction (roped) elevators, ASME A17.1 code requires a low-speed, no-load test of these critical components each year, with a full-load, full-speed test at five-year intervals. These tests should be performed only by fully trained elevator technicians. A report of the test results may have to be submitted to local authorities.

Door-Edge Protection Device
Whether your elevators use older electro-mechanical "safety edges" or newer infrared detectors, regular checks should be made. As the building owner or manager, you should make a quick check daily to see that these devices stop or reverse the doors as intended. A regular check should also be made by your elevator service provider.

Safety Switches
Both elevators and escalators include a number of safety switches that serve either to confirm normal operation, or detect unusual conditions. These switches should be regularly checked by a qualified technician.

Running Clearances, Escalator Visual Check
On escalators, the running clearance between the step and skirt should be kept to a minimum. Sometimes the skirt can be bumped out of position by a person or object, so part of daily upkeep should include a ride on every escalator to assure that the proper clearances are maintained. This ride should also check to be sure that the handrails are moving at the same speed as the steps, that all combfinger teeth are intact and in proper position, and that there are no unusual noises or vibrations in the equipment. If problems are detected, shut down the equipment and have it inspected by a trained technician. Similar checks should be made whenever your elevator service provider inspects the equipment.

Skirt Friction Reduction
A friction-reducing material such as silicone should be regularly applied to escalator skirt panels, unless they have a built-in friction-reducing finish. This will help reduce the chance of objects being trapped between the step and skirt. Care should be taken to prevent any of the friction reducer from getting onto the escalator steps.