Have you ever rode an elevator or escalator and feared that it was going to break down? The U.S. government has joined forces with Canada to promote National Elevator Escalator Safety Awareness Week. Safety Week is recognized the entire second week of November.
According to the Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation, NEESA was invented to help the public understand the elevator industry on a local and national level. Knowing how an elevator or escalator works and being cautious can prevent accidents.
In the state of Florida, the escalator and elevator industry was privatized in 2002. Since then, accidents have increased 60 percent and a third of elevator and escalators provide no written documents of being inspected and certified annually, as written in the Tallahassee Democrat.
By law, elevators are supposed to be inspected every year. The Department of Business and Professional Regulations inspects over 43,000 state elevators and escalators. These inspections should insure safety, but there are pitfalls.
Elderly people and children pose the biggest threat to the elevator and escalator industry, according to an article in Skylines Magazine. The report stated that elderly people generally have poor eyesight and less mobility. By inspectors testing elevators and escalators maintenance and performance, riding a escalator or elevator may ease your mind. Understanding these facts will prevent acidents from happening.