We have all been in an elevator at some point in our lives. Most of us know that they are guided by certain rules and regulations. For instance, if a residential building has more than five floors, then an elevator must be included. We also know that elevators are often essential to allow access for people with mobility issues. Furthermore, we live in an urban society filled with skyscrapers and tower blocks, and we wouldn’t be able to use these buildings were it not for elevators.
Then, there are the horror stories. You may have seen the movie ‘The Lift’, for instance, as well as many others that show people getting trapped in elevators. Getting trapped in an elevator is very uncommon, but because of the various Hollywood blockbusters, a significant amount of people actually chooses not to use them if they can avoid it, experiencing a type of localized claustrophobia.
Elevators are also, to a degree, believed to have played a part in the obesity epidemic that is plaguing the world. People tend to choose to use the elevator instead of the stairs, which means they don’t get as much physical activity. Of course, this is quite a simplified view, because it isn’t always possible to actually take the stairs to 45th floor, for instance.
Clearly, elevators are a huge part of our lives nowadays. But do we ever really think about them? We tend to see them as a standard part of a building, like the lighting, the doors and rooms. So who holds responsibility over them?
Elevator Responsibility
Next time you enter an elevator, take a look to see if you can find the company that is responsible for it. What you will find is that is one of the world’s various elevator companies, and not, in fact, the owner of the building that the elevator is in. These companies will have manufactured and installed the elevator, either when the building was constructed or at a later stage. They also offer maintenance contracts, regularly coming to make sure every element of the elevator, including all the cablings and electrics are still fully functional.
Depending on the type of building, the elevator company may have a permanent member of staff there. They will usually be part of the security team. Alternatively, a member of security or maintenance may be trained in some of the basics of the elevator itself. That way, if something does go wrong, someone stuck in the elevator won’t have to wait for a very long time to be rescued.
Elevators are hugely complex machines that we often take for granted. If you ever have a chance to take a look at the mechanics behind it, you should take the opportunity to do so. They are truly fascinating boxes, effectively suspended from the ceiling on cables that lift the box, which is the elevator itself, up and lower it back down at a precise speed. And do also try to ride in a high speed elevator once, just for the experience.