What To Do if You Get Trapped in an Elevator

What To Do if You Get Trapped in an Elevator

Picture this – you’re going about your normal workday. After a busy morning of meetings in your second-floor office, you decide to go outside and get some fresh air. You step into the elevator and push the ground floor button. The doors close, the elevator starts to descend… and then jolts to a stop between floors. You wait a few seconds, frantically push the buttons, and nothing happens. You realize you are trapped in the elevator.

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With millions of people using them multiple times each day, elevators are the busiest, most popular form of transportation in the world. While they are also one of the safest forms of transportation, from time to time, members of the riding public can occasionally find themselves stuck in an elevator.

In the unlikely event that this was to happen to you, it’s important to know precisely what to do – and, perhaps even more importantly – precisely what not to do in this situation. Let’s take a closer look at elevator entrapments, and what members of the riding public, building managers, and other building personnel must do to ensure that nobody gets hurt.

What if I Get Trapped in an Elevator?

If you ever find yourself trapped in an elevator, the first thing to remember is not to panic. There is no danger of the elevator running out of air – the ventilation systems installed in the elevator system guarantee a steady supply of fresh, breathable air, even in the event of entrapment.

Despite the stories you may have heard about elevators falling, the likelihood of an elevator falling is incredibly low (in fact, because of the way an elevator is designed, it is far more likely to ‘fall up’ than to fall down!). But – in the extremely rare event that you do find yourself in a falling elevator, you can’t jump at the last second to save yourself. Thankfully, the odds of someone being caught in a falling elevator are so slim that the “jump” is essentially a non-issue.

The great majority of the time, the reason the elevator stopped in the first place is because of a building-wide power outage or because the elevator’s safety features kicked in. All elevators are equipped with sophisticated monitoring systems equipped to detect irregularities in functioning and speed. Should it detect a problem, its braking system will automatically engage and hold the elevator in a safe position until a skilled elevator technician can arrive on the scene to assess the situation, free the trapped passengers, and then diagnose and correct the issue that caused it to stop.

Do not attempt to force the doors open, do not pry open the escape hatch in the ceiling, and do not interfere with any other parts of the elevator’s equipment. Especially in a situation where a power outage caused an elevator to stall, the elevator could re-start abruptly at any moment. Passengers attempting to free themselves from stuck elevators have been hurt and even killed when the power came back on and the elevator started moving again unexpectedly.

One piece of equipment that is there for use by passengers is the elevator’s emergency phone or communication device. If you are trapped inside an elevator, immediately call for help. This device will automatically connect you with building security, emergency services, or an elevator service company. All have people ready to answer calls 24 hours a day.

You can also press the elevator’s alarm bell, which produces a loud ringing noise others in the building can hear; this will alert them to the fact that you are stuck.

The Protocol for Building Managers

If you are a building manager who receives notice that someone is trapped in your building’s elevator, your first responsibility will be to contact emergency services or your elevator service company immediately. If there is a medical emergency, call 911 or your local emergency services department right away. After giving them information about where the building is and what floor of the building the elevator is on, reassure the trapped person that they are not in any danger, they must not panic, and they must not attempt to free themselves or interfere with the elevator equipment until a professional arrives. Communicating with the people inside will help relieve their anxiety.

Once the elevator constructor or emergency services arrives to free the trapped occupants, you and your staff may be asked to accompany them to the stalled elevator and/or the elevator machine room. Once you’ve given them the information they need, it’s time to sit back and let them do the work they’ve been trained to do.

Professionals: They’re Trained for This

While elevators are extremely safe for the riding public, they contain complex and potentially dangerous machinery behind the scenes. The industry’s most qualified elevator constructors participate in years of training and education through a nationally recognized registered apprenticeship program like the National Elevator Industry Educational Program (NEIEP). NEIEP apprentices must complete 4+ years of classroom courses along with 8,000 hours of supervised on-the-job learning under the supervision of an experienced mechanic – and pass a capstone mechanic exam – to achieve status as a mechanic.

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) has created extensive elevator safety codes that vary by jurisdiction. IUEC elevator constructors are knowledgeable about how to interpret and apply these code requirements to ensure the safety and well-being of the riding public. Don’t put your elevator equipment and the people who use it at risk by allowing individuals without the proper education and experience to service it.

Final Thoughts

Remember – if you ever find yourself trapped in an elevator, don’t panic, and don’t ever attempt to get out of it yourself! Use the emergency phone/communication device to speak with building security, emergency personnel, or a dispatcher from the elevator service company, and someone will be on their way immediately to help you safely exit the elevator and resume your daily routine.

For building managers, your primary responsibility is to ensure that the professionals and/or emergency services can get to where they need to be to assist the trapped passengers. It’s important to know what to do in an entrapment situation, but it’s even more important to do everything you can to prevent one from happening in the first place. The best way to do this? Make sure your elevator systems are inspected, tested, and serviced regularly, including receiving the recommended preventive periodic maintenance. And don’t forget to test the alarm bell in your elevator!

Contact ElevatorInfo to be connected with a reliable elevator service company who can help ensure your conveyance systems are running the way they should.

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Learning by Doing: NEIEP and the Apprentice-Mechanic Partnership

NEIEP apprenticeship

Several times a year, engineers, writers, and other Development staff along with Area Coordinators from the National Elevator Industry Educational Program (NEIEP) travel from the NEIEP Instructor Training Center in Warwick, Rhode Island to locations throughout the country to showcase the elevator industry’s most comprehensive education and training program.

This year, the state of Texas featured prominently on the list of places where NEIEP fairs were held. International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC) Local 133 members Pat Coker, Jarred Baker, and Bobby Harper stopped by a NEIEP fair in Austin. Pat, Jarred, and Bobby all work as elevator constructors in the field for TK Elevator. While they were checking out demonstrations of the hands-on lab materials at the NEIEP fair, they also had the chance to spend time talking with Development Department head Lester White and some of the other experienced staff and subject matter experts who write the textbooks and lab manuals and design the hands-on labs NEIEP uses in its IUEC elevator constructor apprentice and mechanic training in classrooms across the United States.

Pat told us that years ago when he became an elevator constructor, he didn’t have access to the type of intensive, hands-on training that IUEC apprentices participate in through NEIEP today. “It’s a lot different,” he said. “They are required to be there four hours a night – it’s more hands-on with the labs.” He continued, “all the lab work that you see in here today – we didn’t have that when I went through (the education program), so seeing the technology and the growth – it helps them out in the field so they can apply what they do in the field in the classroom, and vice-versa.”

Through on-site classes held weekly at IUEC Locals across the US, as well as online classrooms that the students can access using their home computers, NEIEP courses teach IUEC elevator constructors the foundational and specialized skills they’ll need to build, modernize, maintain, troubleshoot, and repair complex pieces of conveyance machinery including elevators, escalators, moving walks, Automated People Movers, wind turbine conveyance systems, and more – all safely and efficiently. A USDOL-registered apprenticeship program held to the highest standards, NEIEP’s is the most respected education program in the trade. In fact, a number of colleges and universities recognize NEIEP courses as equivalent to college-level learning.

The NEIEP apprenticeship program for elevator constructors doesn’t stop at classroom learning; incoming apprentices also log 8,000 hours of field work under the supervision of an experienced mechanic. After that, they must pass a capstone Mechanic Exam to advance to mechanic status. This combination of classroom courses and field work is why incoming IUEC elevator constructors quickly become the best-trained, most well-rounded workers in the conveyance industry.

Bobby, an IUEC elevator constructor apprentice who works under Pat’s direction, spoke about how important the apprentice – mechanic partnership is, and how being able to apply the skills he learns in the classroom to his work in the field has enhanced his learning all around. “Whenever you mention following in his lead, that’s step-by-step,” he said. “When it comes to safety or troubleshooting, we’re starting our process off in the truck in the morning – what are we doing today? What are we getting into? From the start – even before work starts – we’re brainstorming how we’re going to tackle this task efficiently, and most importantly, safely.”

“He and I have a routine,” Pat continued. “It’s always, ‘let’s go look at it’ first. ‘Let’s go get a visual game plan of what we want to do, how we’re going to accomplish it’ – then we’ll tool-up and we’ll discuss it all the way back and forth to the jobsite. So the stuff that they’re learning in class, that goes along with it. I think it’s a great benefit to have.”

“Coming up as an Apprentice, your Mechanic is a person to lean on every single day,” said Bobby. “Pat has been around the nation working on elevators from two-stops all the way up… I’ve devoted the past five years of my life to an education program to get to where I am now – to hopefully fill (his) shoes.”

 

For more information about the most comprehensive education program in the elevator industry, check out https://www.neiep.org/.

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A Service-Based Company in a Service-Based Trade: An Interview with TriStar Elevator

ElevatorInfo recently traveled to Nashville, Tennessee to speak with Stacey Jackson, owner of TriStar Elevator and Brandon Jackson, TriStar’s Vice President. Headquartered in the suburb of Columbia, TN, TriStar’s crew of 14 IUEC elevator constructors install and service conveyance systems across the middle-Tennessee area. Described as “a full-service elevator company,” TriStar provides residential and commercial services including modernization, repair, and new installation.

While Brandon started his career as an elevator constructor years ago, the decision to launch a new elevator company as a family business was fairly recent. “We started this four years ago – it’s very hard, but it’s very rewarding as well,” said Stacey.

Being an IUEC-affiliated elevator company was a priority for TriStar from the start. “We are an independent union company. We look at each one of our employees like they’re a family member,” said Brandon. “When we hire somebody, we want them to succeed – so being able to provide that workplace for them – (that’s important) to me, knowing that everyday they’ve got a company that wants them to work safe, wants them to go home safe – and we have resources to make that happen.”

Stacey spoke about how the reputation of IUEC-trained mechanics as highly-skilled and safety-focused has benefitted TriStar when it comes to securing new work. “When a potential customer finds out that we are a union company, it changes the game in the fact that they know what they’re getting. They know the safety procedures, the training – they’re going to get good-quality workers.”

Brandon described it as an investment. “A lot of our larger, new equipment installations – our contractors, that’s one of the first questions they ask. ‘Are you a union company?’ And when you say yes, they realize we have resources to find employees that are trained. We’re not hiring off the street, we’re hiring people who have come through an apprenticeship program. They’ve been properly trained and have those elevator safety resources and that safety background to do the job right.”

While in many cases non-union elevator constructors aren’t required to participate in any formal training program before beginning work in the field, upon hire, IUEC elevator apprentices are immediately enrolled in the industry’s most comprehensive education and training program through the National Elevator Industry Educational Program (NEIEP). NEIEP administers a four-plus year USDOL Registered Apprenticeship with hands-on training in the classroom and 8,000 hours of supervised training under the direction of an experienced mechanic. Once an elevator constructor completes their apprenticeship and passes a capstone Mechanic Exam, they can keep learning through NEIEP’s continuing education courses, available online and in classrooms nationwide.

NEIEP training prepares apprentices and mechanics not only to work on the latest conveyance equipment on the market, but also to service, troubleshoot, and repair older equipment that many elevator constructors encounter on their service routes. Brandon describes how having access to this type of education and training when he was just starting out made him a well-rounded elevator constructor ready to handle whatever type of conveyance equipment his customers needed help with, and how it drove him to prioritize staffing TriStar with elevator constructors who have diverse and varied field experience. “While TriStar is a younger company, we have years of experience,” he said. “Most of our mechanics are 10 years plus – and we have a great new group of young workers coming into the trade,” he said.

Describing his own experience as an apprentice and field mechanic, he said, “I learned how to work on generators, I learned how to work on relay logic – and I think that’s something that a lot of people are losing sight of. We as a company pride ourselves on being able to work on that because so many other companies have lost a lot of that over the years. I feel like that’s one thing we’ve done well at TriStar elevator – we’re able to go in where other companies couldn’t necessarily keep the equipment running. We have the experience level to go in and still maintain that equipment. I learned from someone, and we’re doing the same thing – we’re trying to make sure that our apprentices are learning those skills.”

While in Tennessee, ElevatorInfo staff visited several of TriStar’s active job sites including one at a major airport, one at a busy parking garage, and another at a building under construction on lower Broadway in the heart of downtown Nashville. We were impressed with both the state-of-the-art systems they were installing in the new building as well as the meticulously clean and neat machine spaces around the elevator systems they were maintaining.

The knowledge that TriStar employees are taken care of by a generous benefit plan is also a plus for Brandon and Stacey. The IUEC provides the best health care coverage there is for its members and their families, without extra premium costs. Through the National Elevator Industry Health Benefit Plan, their employees have access to medical, prescription drug, mental health/substance abuse disorder, dental, vision, and hearing benefits well beyond what other companies offer.

Top-quality education and training, a robust health care plan, and the security of a reliable plan for retirement through the IUEC’s Pension, Annuity, and 401K benefits allow the elevator constructor apprentices and mechanics who work for TriStar Elevator to focus on getting their work done without the worries or distractions that workers at companies without this security may face. Consistent quality work and attentive customer service are the result.

“(With) a company like TriStar as an independent, you get specialized care – we do better with our goals in customer service. We answer the phone, we respond to emails, this is a service-based company, a service-based trade,” said Brandon. “When we can take that elevator off of that property manager’s mind, they can worry about the rest of their building. When we can take that elevator installation off of the project manager’s mind… we’ve done our job.”

To learn more about the advantages of becoming IUEC-affiliated or about hiring an IUEC-affiliated company like TriStar Elevator to install, service, troubleshoot, modernize, repair, or inspect your elevators, escalators, or other conveyance equipment, contact ElevatorInfo.

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BE SAFE: IUEC Safety Directors on Improving Safety in the Elevator Industry

ElevatorInfo visited the Memorial Garden at International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC) headquarters in Columbia, Maryland, to speak with Mike Langer, IUEC Safety Director, and Eric McClaskey, IUEC Assistant Safety Director about the work the IUEC is doing to reduce injuries and fatalities in the conveyance industry. They told us about BE SAFE, a targeted strategy developed to address the Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA)’s Construction Focus Four hazards.

 

According to OSHA, construction is one of the most dangerous industries in the country. Construction inspections make up a staggering 60% of all of the inspections OSHA performs each year. OSHA found that United States Bureau of Labor Statistics show that in the year 2009, there were 816 fatal on-the-job injuries to construction workers – comprising nearly one out of every five work-related deaths in the country. They also reported that the fatal occupational injury rate for private industry construction workers was close to triple that of all other US workers1. When OSHA dug deeper to identify the most common accidents in the construction industry, they discovered that injuries and fatalities resulting from four categories were at the top of the list: falls, caught-in-or-between, struck-by, and electrocution.

The IUEC Safety Director and Assistant Safety Director wanted to build on OSHA’s work by developing a safety-focused program tailored specifically to the needs of people who install, service, maintain, troubleshoot, repair, and inspect elevators, escalators, and other conveyance equipment. That’s why they launched the BE SAFE awareness campaign.

“BE SAFE is a phrase that we use when we’re saying goodbye to one another – hey brother, hey sister, be safe,” said Eric. “We took those words and we wanted to associate hazards within the industry as a reminder for mechanics and apprentices out in the field.”

The major hazards they identified for elevator constructors included the following:

  • Barricades – Are proper barricades in place?
  • Elevator location – Have you identified/verified the elevator’s location prior to entering the hoistway?
  • Struck by – Is overhead protection in place?
  • Adjacent car – Is adjacent car protection in place?
  • Fall protection – Are you using a Personal Fall Arrest System (PFAS) where fall hazards exist?
  • Electrical protection – Are you using electrical safe work practices?

“BE SAFE really brings everything together for our safety culture, because within BE SAFE we have the OSHA Focus Four hazards where we see most of the injuries and fatalities in the industry – so we’re really trying to build upon that within (the IUEC) safety committee, local safety committees, and even within our alliance with OSHA,” continued Eric.

“If we keep talking about it, drilling it home every time we have an opportunity, creating the stickers that you can put on a wall, or a hard hat, or a door – it’s bringing home the awareness of safety,” said Mike.

When ElevatorInfo interviewed IUEC President Frank Christensen a while back, he emphasized how developing a culture of safety that allows all elevator constructor apprentices and mechanics to get home safe to their families at the end of the workday has been a major priority since the beginning of his time as president. “It never is going to be enough for me until we don’t have any fatalities. Never. No injuries is probably a dream or fantasy. But that’s my goal as long as I’m going to be the General President,” he said.

The best way for someone coming into the elevator trade to establish a solid foundation of safe work practices begins with the hands-on safety training students receive in the National Elevator Industry Educational Program (NEIEP) classrooms during their elevator constructor apprenticeship (and the continuing education courses that are offered to mechanics who have completed their apprenticeship). This is an important distinction that sets a NEIEP education apart from some of the other training programs in the conveyance industry, which are limited in scope and offered via correspondence course with no opportunity for hands-on learning.

Through NEIEP and the IUEC, elevator constructor apprentices and mechanics receive basic elevator constructor safety training including OSHA certification courses covering equipment, processes, and procedures they need to know to work safe (employers are required to provide more comprehensive safety training.). This safety training is one of the most important benefits members get from the IUEC and its union-affiliated employers.

For more information about the BE SAFE campaign and other ways the IUEC is working to improve safety for people who work in the elevator industry, check out the March 2023 issue of the Elevator Constructor magazine (a monthly industry publication sent to all active and retired members of the IUEC) for an in-depth article on the topic. Also, browse our article on the fundamentals of safety for elevator technicians and constructors.

 

1Source: OSHA Construction Focus Four: Outreach Training Packet Module Training Materials 

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IUEC Partnership with Helmets to Hardhats Helps Veterans Transition to Careers in the Building Trades

Nathaniel James is a former Marine and a third-year elevator mechanic apprentice with TK Elevator at the International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC) Local 10. He came to the elevator trade through the partnership between the IUEC and the Helmets to Hardhats program, which connects transitioning military service members with quality career training and employment opportunities within the construction industry.

A Stable Career Path

Nathaniel served in the Marine Corps from 2008 to 2012 as a crash-fire rescue operator, and after completing his military service, he worked for seven years as an ironworker. Friends from other building trades introduced him to IUEC Local 10 and told him about the elevator trade and the Helmets to Hardhats program. From there, Nathaniel was able to connect with an Area Coordinator from the National Elevator Industry Educational Program (NEIEP) – the conveyance industry’s most comprehensive USDOL-registered apprenticeship training program – who gave him an understanding of the Helmets to Hardhats program and its benefits, facilitating his transition from an ironworker to an apprentice elevator mechanic.

Today, Nathaniel is a part of the modernization department at TK Elevator, where he works on fabricating and retrofitting elevator systems. His role involves dismantling old systems and rebuilding new ones from scratch. The skills he acquired throughout his military career and his time as an ironworker have been instrumental in helping him excel in his role, allowing him to make a smooth transition to a career in the civilian sector.

As an IUEC elevator apprentice coming into the trade, Nathaniel was enrolled in the industry’s four-plus year USDOL-Registered Apprenticeship program at the time he started working in the field. Through classroom courses, hands-on experiential learning, and online virtual simulations, the NEIEP curriculum provides apprentices like Nathaniel with the theoretical foundations and practical skills they need to become the most highly-skilled elevator constructors in the conveyance world. Along with what he’s learning in the classroom, Nathaniel is working under the supervision of an experienced IUEC mechanic. Once he completes his classroom courses, logs all of his required on-the-job learning hours, and passes NEIEP’s rigorous capstone Mechanic Exam, he’ll advance to mechanic status. As a third-year apprentice, he still has some time to go – but his background as both an ironworker and a crash-fire rescue operator in the Marine Corps has given his career an advantageous start.

Through this ongoing partnership with Helmets to Hardhats, the IUEC is able to provide veterans a stable career path with great benefits and instill in them a sense of accomplishment Nathaniel describes as akin to what he felt during his military service. Just as he once protected the citizens of his nation, he now ensures their safe and efficient vertical transportation in city buildings.

It’s About Building Legacies

Nathaniel can point to almost any building in the city and say he’s worked on it, touched it, and left a tangible imprint of his hard work. This sense of contribution and legacy, of knowing he played a part in constructing the cityscape, is invaluable.

Through this partnership, the IUEC and Helmets to Hardhats have helped Nathaniel and many other individuals with military backgrounds transition into new careers in the building trades. It’s not just the elevator industry – bricklayers, boilermakers, carpenters, electrical workers, insulators, ironworkers, laborers, millwrights, operating engineers, painters and finishers, plasterers and cement masons, plumbers and pipefitters, roofers, sheet metal workers, teamsters, and construction managers – all of these trades have built similar partnerships with Helmets to Hardhats today. What’s the advantage for them to reach out to a program like this and bring more veterans into their workforce? It’s because individuals who have served in the country’s armed forces bring unique skills, perspectives, and a sense of duty that translates into their trade work. While the IUEC – Helmets to Hardhats collaboration offers veterans meaningful careers, at the same time, it enriches the elevator construction industry with their expertise and commitment.

Nathaniel James’ journey from Marine to ironworker to IUEC elevator constructor apprentice underscores the valuable opportunities provided by the Helmets to Hardhats program. It’s a testament to the power of industry-military partnerships in facilitating smooth transitions into civilian life and pathways to rewarding careers for service members. The IUEC’s partnership with Helmets to Hardhats is not just about job creation, but about building legacies.

Want to learn more about joining the IUEC? Get in touch with ElevatorInfo today and learn more.

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Working Together to Work Safe: An Interview with IUEC President Frank Christensen and ECA Chairman Neil Hussey

“There’s a couple of things about safety I brought to Neil Hussey, Chairman of the Elevator Contractors of America, when I became the General President– we need to get more involved with safety, we need to get the companies more involved with safety and we need to go at it with a different approach because whatever we were doing before that wasn’t working. So we did this together,” said Frank Christensen, General President of the International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC).

ElevatorInfo had the opportunity to sit down with Frank and Neil to talk about how the IUEC has been working collaboratively with the ECA to improve safety for all workers in the conveyance industry. Creating a culture of safety that allows all elevator constructors to get home safe to their families at the end of the day has been a top priority for President Christensen since the start of his tenure. “It never is going to be enough for me until we don’t have any fatalities. Never. No injuries is probably a dream or fantasy. But that’s my goal as long as I’m going to be the general president.”

While the bulk of the work in the North American conveyance industry is done by a handful of major corporations such as Otis, Kone, Schindler, TK Elevator, Fujitech, and Mitsubishi Elevator, there are hundreds of smaller independent elevator companies across the country that are also involved in this work. The Elevator Contractors of America organization was created to provide a network of support for these independent elevator companies. Lately, one of the top priorities for the ECA has been to develop a standard safety policy that ECA member companies can adopt as part of their own corporate safety policies for workers.

“We know that the majors are getting their hard hats, are getting their safety glasses, they’re getting their harnesses,” said Frank. This is largely because the major IUEC-affiliated companies have access to teams of safety experts around the globe, and have had comprehensive safety strategies in place for some time. Unfortunately, it’s been more of a challenge for some of the smaller companies who don’t have access to the resources the larger ones do to develop and implement comprehensive safety programs as quickly.

In recent years, it became apparent that this was an area where the ECA could be a great help to its member companies and to the industry as a whole. “Originally we had a lot of small companies that really didn’t have much of a safety program,” said Neil. “The mindset back in our day was if you spend a lot of time on safety, it was going to slow things down – but we found that quite to the contrary.” He continued, “Once we saw that, not only could you create a very safe work environment, some of the safety procedures and protocols actually ended up being very efficient.”

Maintaining strong communication and a positive working relationship with the IUEC has helped ensure that the ECA’s standard safety policy meets the needs of the industry. “I like to think that we’re partners with the IUEC in the promotion of safety,” said Neil. “The IUEC is our main supplier of labor and what we found very early on is that by including them in our general meetings, by spending time developing relationships, it all makes it easier,” said Neil.

Frank agreed. “When I became the General President, we got to know each other. We talked and he invited me to ECA meetings and after that, we built a friendship and an understanding of what each one does. I know that I can pick up the phone and call Neil anytime and he’s going to respond to me immediately, and he knows he could do the same for me.”

“We’re elevator people. We have a long history in the elevator business – although I might have started a little bit earlier than Frank, we started in the same place, as helpers in the trade,” Neil said. “We have a lot of things in common and we’ve been able to use that to our benefit, to further our goals – safety being one of the major goals.”

Making safety a top priority is more than just a goal for Neil – as Vice President of an independent elevator company himself (New England-based Stanley Elevator), it’s personal. Frank was quick to recognize this. “Some of his employees are like his family members – these are his friends. These are more than just employees. If something were to happen to them, the effect of that on their family and everyone that they know, well, it’s a hard thing to live with. I know because it’s a hard thing for me to live with when I lose a member.”

Frank continued, “When I see an elevator constructor on the street or I see them working on their equipment, I always ask ‘Are you working safe?’ For me, that’s one of the most important things I could say to somebody.”

Safety training is one of the best benefits all elevator constructor mechanics and apprentices get from the IUEC, its collaborators and union-affiliated employers, and NEIEP. To learn more, head over to our article on the fundamentals of safety for elevator technicians/constructors.

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Advancing Training for a Safe, Skilled Wind Tower Elevator Workforce

All across the country, skilled elevator apprentices and mechanics from the International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC) build and maintain the conveyance systems for the nation’s fastest-growing clean power energy sector. Installing, servicing, repairing, modernizing, and inspecting the elevators that transport wind turbine workers from the base of the wind tower to the turbine at the top is a natural fit for IUEC elevator constructors, who have extensive experience in this area – they’ve been working safely at heights and in challenging environmental conditions for more than 150 years.

Today, the elevator industry’s experienced and highly-trained mechanics take care of the conveyance systems in the offshore towers at Block Island Wind Farm in Rhode Island, land-based Tempest Group wind power projects in Texas, Missouri, California, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kansas, Colorado, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana, and other wind farms all over the United States.

A recent collaboration between the IUEC and Survival Systems USA in Groton, CT, brought Global Wind Organization (GWO) Basic Training to elevator constructor apprentices and mechanics to ensure they have the specialized skills required to safely perform this work. The Survival Systems GWO certification program includes the following courses:

  • GWO BST-1005 Basic Safety Training
  • GWO BST-WAH-1002 Work at Height
  • GWO BST-MH-102 Manual Handling
  • GWO BST-FA-2002 Medic First Aid + Trauma
  • GWO BST-FA-101 Fire Awareness
  • GWO-SS GWO Sea Survival
  • GWO-EFA Enhanced First Aid
  • GWO-ART Advanced Rescue Training

ElevatorInfo visited Survival Systems to tour their training campus and learn more about how their GWO training prepares elevator constructor apprentices and mechanics to work on the conveyance systems inside wind towers. “We don’t teach you how to do your job – Survival Systems teaches you how to do your job safely,” explained Maria Hannah, the company’s President & CEO. “You’re the expert in your job. We are here to make sure you understand the tools at your disposal and come home safe at the end of the day.”

Maria emphasized that in order for workers to be comfortable and confident putting their safety training skills to use during high-stress, dangerous scenarios, it’s important they have an opportunity to practice using them in a similar situation. “If you’re actually doing hands-on work in the industry, the best form of training and education that somebody can give you is to send you to a course that forces you to do the same hands-on things you do during the workday,” she said.

So that students get the most out of their training, Survival Systems employs a combination of hands-on and classroom-based learning. “Most of our courses here at Survival Systems start with some form of classroom,” said Keith Wille, a Development Manager for Survival Systems. “From the classroom, they’ll take a break and then they’ll transition to the 28-foot climbing tower outside.”

When ElevatorInfo observed a safety training session in action, Jackson DeSimone, a Survival Systems instructor, was working with a group of IUEC elevator constructors on that climbing tower. “Basically, what we’re trying to simulate is any kind of working-at-heights emergency where you have a partner and they get stuck on the ladder – they want to come down but they maybe can’t help themselves – you need to know how to get both of you down safely,” he told us. This is a vital skill for anyone who works at heights to have.

Dallas Nunes, a member of IUEC Local 39 in Rhode Island, was a participant in the training. There are a growing number of wind industry projects in and around Local 39’s jurisdiction, and while NEIEP’s elevator constructor apprenticeship training gives him the foundational skills he will need to install, service, maintain, and repair wind turbine elevators, Survival Skills’ GWO Basic Skills training will thoroughly prepare him with the safety skills needed to do the specialized work required by the wind industry. “This job is pretty dangerous. Working safe is definitely our number one priority,” he said. “After doing a week of training, I feel confident I know how to rescue someone.”

Maria Hannah talked about how Survival Skills must stay on top of advances in wind industry technology so that training can be continually adapted and improved to meet emerging needs in the field. “The courses have evolved and now we’re showing you new equipment, new procedures – the concepts haven’t changed, but the equipment and the way you apply them have changed,” said Maria. She encouraged any elevator constructor interested in working in the wind industry to take advantage of the collaboration between the IUEC and Survival Skills and come down to the facility in Connecticut to participate in the courses they offer. “You will have a good time here in training. It will not be boring. You’ll learn a lot.”

This week, staff from the IUEC and the Elevator Industry Work Preservation Fund (EIWPF) are exhibiting at the American Clean Power Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. They will also be at American Clean Power’s Offshore Windpower Conference at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts on October 3-4, and other wind industry conferences in the future.

Are you an owner, operator, or contractor in the wind industry? If so, you know how important it is to have experienced, highly-skilled mechanics taking care of your equipment. Don’t jeopardize your investment by allowing inexperienced workers to install, service, maintain, or repair your wind tower elevators and conveyance systems. Contact ElevatorInfo to be connected with an IUEC-affiliated company.

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Elevator Modernization: When, Why, and How to Upgrade Your System

Elevator Modernization
Elevator Modernization

An image from a street-level perspective looking up at Chicago’s Willis Tower and other tall buildings.

The number of elevators in use in the United States, Canada, and the rest of the world has been growing steadily in recent years, and advancements in elevator modernization have seen similar progress. Given that tens of millions of people ride elevators every day, ensuring that the traveling public is safe while riding is critically important.

As new technologies emerge, elevator safety requirements are changing to keep pace with these advancements. Ensuring elevators are modernized to keep the riding public safe is an important task undertaken by the elevator constructors who build, maintain, service, modernize, and inspect conveyance systems across the country.

To find out more about this important job, let’s take a closer look at the reasons why elevators must be modernized, how to know it is time to call the professionals to upgrade elements in an elevator’s system, and how these modernizations are carried out.

Safety First

Under no circumstances should a building owner, general maintenance worker, or anyone without the appropriate training and experience ever attempt to fix an issue with the elevator in their building, at their place of work, or anywhere else. If an elevator user recognizes that an elevator is broken, damaged, or malfunctioning, they should speak to the building manager, who should in turn contact the professionals. This point can’t be understated, as the safety of the riding public is paramount.

Elevator construction and maintenance work is heavy-duty manual labor that requires years of elevator training courses and on-the-job experience under the supervision of qualified, trained professionals. The reason that this professional training must be so rigorous is that faulty or outdated elevators can be extremely dangerous for the people who ride or work on them.

Let’s look at some common factors that necessitate a system upgrade or other form of elevator modernization.

When and Why Elevators Must Be Modernized

Given the complex electronic and mechanical components that make up an elevator’s system, regular maintenance is extremely important. But even elevators that are regularly maintained are likely to require modernization at some point – especially if they are more than 20 years old. Many things can happen that may warrant modernization, but generally speaking, they fall into seven different categories.

Here are some reasons your building’s elevator system may need an upgrade:

Unreliable Service

If an elevator can’t be relied on to transport people quickly, reliably, and safely to their chosen floor, and the elevator is up to date with its recommended routine and preventative maintenance schedule, some sort of elevator upgrades will be required.

Frequent Shutdowns or Entrapments

If an elevator regularly shuts down, or the traveling public is often stuck inside the elevator, some form of modernization is needed.

Code Violations that Have Been Cited by an Inspector

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), along with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA/NEC) writes the code for elevator safety in the United States. If an elevator inspector identifies any violations of the ASME or other code standards adopted in that jurisdiction, the elevator must be modernized in one way or another.

Excessive Wear

If an elevator is visibly worn, outdated, or shoddy, modernization work is needed.

Inability to Acquire Replacement Parts

If an elevator in need of maintenance cannot be fixed due to a lack of available or affordable replacement parts, the elevator’s system or some elements of it must be modernized.

Excessive Energy Consumption

Often, older elevators need to be modernized to meet certain energy efficiency standards. This is becoming more common as the industry moves toward becoming more green.

In essence, an elevator needs to be modernized any time it isn’t keeping up with the needs of the building. If potential safety issues aren’t addressed, there is a real risk of endangering the people who use these conveyances as a mode of transport. But what’s actually involved in elevator modernization? Let’s take a look at the steps involved.

What Does Elevator Modernization Actually Involve?

Elevator Modernization

An image showing a controller during an elevator modernization project.

Elevators must be modernized and kept up to code standards to guarantee the safety of their end users – the riding public. When any of the reasons for modernization described above come into play, building managers, owners, or other relevant authorities must take steps to ensure this safety.

When an elevator is found to be out of compliance with local, regional, or national code regulations, an inspector can “red tag” the elevator. This means that the elevator may not be used, and a building manager or owner could find themselves in legal trouble should they disobey this order. They could even lose their ability to hold occupancy of the building due to an unsafe elevator.

Rarely will a building require a completely new unit or model; changing and upgrading elevator components is typically what’s required. Whenever there is an upgrade, the elevator must be brought up to code. Ultimately, the degree to which a unit must be brought up to code will be decided by the relevant jurisdictional authorities in accordance with the particular set of code standards adopted in that jurisdiction.

Because of the inherent risk that can be involved in riding elevators, the elevator industry takes a strict, no-nonsense approach to safety regulations and standards.

Learn More About the Elevator Industry

The elevator industry boasts tens of thousands of brothers and sisters throughout North America who dedicate their professional lives to ensuring the safety of every person who sets foot on an elevator. The International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC) represents the most qualified and trained elevator workers in the world, trained by the National Elevator Industry Educational Program (NEIEP).

For more information about elevator modernization and the elevator industry as a whole, be sure to check out our other articles.

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Making a Great Program Even Better: Dave Morgan Appointed as NEIEP’s New Executive Director

The International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC) recently selected David Morgan to serve as the new Executive Director of the National Elevator Industry Educational Program (NEIEP). ElevatorInfo visited the NEIEP Instructor Training Center in Warwick, RI, to speak with Dave about his new role and his plans for NEIEP’s growth and advancement.

“When the opportunity arose, I was excited to be part of making a great program even better,” he said. Dave comes to the NEIEP program with experience that gives him a broad and unique perspective on the educational needs of the elevator industry today. “My experience in the field working on elevators, and then subsequently becoming a Business Agent/Financial Secretary and a Business Manager of a good-sized Local (IUEC Local 4 in Boston), allows me to understand the program from the ground up,” he said.

Dave became an IUEC elevator constructor in the mid-1990s. After completing the NEIEP program he became a NEIEP instructor, teaching Boston-area apprentices and mechanics the fundamentals of the elevator trade for 21 years. While working days as a mechanic, he enrolled in night classes at Boston’s Wentworth Institute of Technology – a college that NEIEP now has a partnership with – and earned a degree in electronic engineering. He has also held positions as a National Coordinator for the Elevator Industry Work Preservation Fund, a National Organizer for the IUEC, and an International Vice President.

ElevatorInfo asked Dave about how the NEIEP program has changed since his days as an apprentice. “My experience as a helper was prior to the apprenticeship program,” he said. “The program that’s in place now is far superior…(it requires) 4 hours per night per week for 18 weeks, resulting in 72 hours per semester. In the days of old, it was a two-hour program for 15 weeks, which is approximately 30 hours’ worth of training. So we’ve doubled the training, we’ve doubled the experience.”

The amount of time students spend in the classroom isn’t the only thing that’s changed – the classroom experience for IUEC apprentices and mechanics is different as well, with a shift toward experiential learning through the use of hands-on labs and virtual simulators. Especially with the type of work an elevator constructor does, it’s important for people who work on elevators, escalators, and other conveyance systems to be able to safely practice working with complex and dangerous equipment in a controlled setting before encountering it in the field. “Back in the day, the instructor stood at the front of the classroom and read from a book…now we’ve got a multitude of labs, learning aids, interactive whiteboards, computer-based programs – in addition to the hands-on labs, there’s 3D animation that actually allows for our students to train on the equipment for the elevator industry without the risk of being injured.”

New continuing education courses for mechanics, recent updates to the national apprenticeship curriculum, and a more comprehensive training program for NEIEP instructors have given the program a boost forward in recent years. Dave plans to continue that momentum by modernizing NEIEP classrooms across the country and bringing in more advanced technology to keep NEIEP at the forefront of the industry’s education and training programs. “We have over a hundred training facilities all over the United States (and Puerto Rico), and our goal is to build a classroom that’s the same no matter where you go…whether you’re in Albuquerque, New Mexico, or in Alaska, when you walk into a NEIEP classroom you’ll know you’re in a NEIEP classroom.”

The NEIEP Instructor Training Center, a 98,000 square-foot facility located near Rhode Island’s T.F. Green International Airport, will be training hundreds of NEIEP instructors in the upcoming year. OSHA Trainer Courses, American Heart Association Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED, Scaffold and Access Industry Association (SAIA) Competent Person for Framed and Suspended Scaffolding, forklift operation, and Basic and Advanced Train the Trainer courses for classroom instructors – along with training on how to use new, specialized lab equipment for apprenticeship and continuing education courses – are just some of the classes conducted there year-round.

The NEIEP Instructor Training Center also houses NEIEP’s Development Department, where subject-matter experts from across the country gather with engineers, writers, and mechanical designers to produce new courses for elevator constructor apprentices and mechanics. Incorporating new technology, including a Virtual Reality component, into these courses is a priority for Dave as well. The first step toward that involves updating the NEIEP website, a project he’s already got underway.

“I’m most excited about bringing the NEIEP program to the next level. Today, it is a great program. With some help and dedication from the staff, tomorrow, NEIEP will be extraordinary.”

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With Lift for a Vet Program, IUEC Elevator Constructors and Signatory Companies Assist Veterans with Disabilities

Earlier this year, ElevatorInfo traveled to International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC) Local 5 in the city of brotherly love (also known as Philadelphia, PA), to talk to elevator constructors involved in the Lift for a Vet program. A Lift for a Vet is a charitable effort started by Philadelphia elevator constructors that has since grown to help United States veterans across the country. Since its inception, the Lift for a Vet program has helped hundreds of veterans nationwide.

According to the Lift for a Vet website, the program’s mission is:

…to buy and install elevators, home lifts, stair lifts or wheelchair lifts in the residence of U.S. military service veterans with disabilities from any era, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War, Afghanistan or Iraq. Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan often require special modifications made to their homes so it is handicapped accessible. A wheelchair lift or elevator can be the ticket to getting someone back home and on the way to recovery. Many older vets, those from WWII, Korea, and Vietnam eras, have lost independence in their daily routine because they find it difficult to navigate stairs. A LIFT FOR A VET can help those veterans continue to lead independent lives with the installation of a stair lift1.

So how does this program operate? First, IUEC elevator constructors and IUEC-affiliated companies donate different types of vertical transportation equipment (including elevators, home lifts, stair lifts, and wheelchair lifts) to the program to be installed in the homes of the veterans who need it – recently, signatory companies Quality Elevator, Elevator Control Service (ELCON), and Schindler Elevator have generously contributed equipment and supplies. Then, IUEC elevator constructors donate their time, skills, and expertise to ensure the success of each installation. All equipment – and the labor to install it – are provided at absolutely cost to the veterans.

In a blog post from earlier last summer, ElevatorInfo wrote about the story of the IUEC elevator mechanic and veteran who co-founded the Lift for a Vet program, Mike Walsh.  After an injury during his last year of service in the United States Air Force, Mike Walsh joined fellow IUEC Local 5 member Ed Loomis to launch A Lift for a Vet. Their combined experience working in the elevator industry meant they understood exactly what it would take to get the program off the ground and begin providing this equipment to the United States veterans with disabilities who could benefit from it.

Walsh said, “our mission has always been to help veterans with disabilities any way we can…this is very personal. I know the name of nearly every veteran we’ve helped. This program has changed my life – it’s impacted the lives of every union member who has volunteered his or her time to help these heroes stay in their homes. At the end of the day, we’re helping these veterans maintain a sense of independence. Providing these lifts is our members’ way of giving back – it’s our way of expressing our appreciation for all these men and women have done for our nation.”

Through A Lift for a Vet, IUEC elevator constructor mechanics and apprentices have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those brave men and women who have served our country by giving them access to the home lift and residential elevator equipment that can help them live a better life.

A Lift for a Vet is funded entirely by donations. To support the program, in May of each year, members of IUEC Local 5 host an annual golf outing– similar to the way the IUEC elevator constructors in Local 2 Chicago host an annual golf tournament to fund the Diabetes Research Foundation. Because A Lift for a Vet has no operating costs, every dollar they raise goes directly to supporting veterans with disabilities.

All donations to A Lift for a Vet are tax deductible. “Your generosity – no matter the amount – will help A Lift for a Vet’s goal of providing the best lives possible for veterans with disabilities,” said Walsh. “Former members of the Armed Forces of the United States deserve our utmost respect and eternal gratitude, but perhaps even more importantly, fulfilling the physical needs of these men and women must be our priority – that’s critical.”

Find out more about the Lift for a Vet program or share information about a veteran you know who could benefit from it by visiting IUEC Local 5’s website.

 

1 http://iuec5.org/lift_for_a_vet.aspx

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