No matter how new and technologically advanced your elevator is, there is always the risk that one day it will simply break down. You can have the most rigorous maintenance schedule in the world, but wear and tear can always hit, and it’s good to be prepared for any eventuality.
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The most important thing to remember in the case of an elevator breakdown is not to panic. Even if the elevator breaks down when there are people in it, nobody is in any danger, and all that you need to do is keep calm.
Here are your best steps should you ever have to deal with the prospect of a broken down elevator.
When There Are People On The Elevator
If your elevator does break down, your first priority is to find out if there are people on board. All elevators should have an emergency button, so communication is easy whether it’s through an emergency bell or an onboard call system.
Most people have phones on them at all times, so there’s a good chance that they will take steps to contact either you or the authorities, but it’s important that you know whether or not they have done so.
That way you can be prepared to tell the relevant authorities everything you can about the situation.
Give Reassurance
Once you’re in contact with any passengers, ensure that they know that safest place for them to be is in the elevator itself and that they under no circumstances attempt to force open doors or try and leave the elevator through any other access points.
Maintain communication and reassure the trapped passengers that help is on the way.
Information Is Vital
You are going to need to let the authorities know which floor the elevator is stranded on so that they waste the least amount of time when it comes to a rescue.
You may not be able to work this out, even if you are in communication with the passengers, but finding out as much information as possible will make it far easier for the emergency services to cope and deal with the situation.
Contacting The Authorities
Whether there are people in the elevator or not, you will need to contact someone. If there are no passengers, then it’s simply a matter of calling your elevator company or maintenance engineer, and they can react very quickly depending on the situation.
However, for emergency situations, especially if there are passengers on the elevator, then you will need to call emergency services. Doing so will ensure that an emergency unit is dispatched as quickly as possible.
Recovery And Response
You aren’t going to want to deal with elevator emergencies more than once, so it’s a good idea to prepare for their eventuality.
You can do this in a number of ways, but your first should always be to have an action plan that anyone in your building can follow.
You should also consider having a generator on-site that makes use of ATS and generator panels, of which you can find out more, that may keep the elevator functioning in even the most long-lasting power cuts.
Keep your generator regularly maintained, and you significantly reduce the risk of dealing with elevator emergencies ever again.
Elevator breakdowns are very rare, but they can and do happen on occasion. Be prepared and remember not to panic.
