Hey everyone, it’s Jake here – I’m the guy who runs the passenger elevator supply side of my family’s business, and honestly? I get more questions about elevator accidents than anything else I deal with. Like, last month alone I fielded calls from three separate building managers panicking because their elevator got stuck, or someone hit the wrong button and a door malfunctioned, or worst of all, a small kid’s jacket got caught in the gap. The thing is, most of the panic comes from not knowing what to do in those moments, right? And as someone who’s spent years installing, maintaining, and upgrading passenger elevators, I’ve learned that a lot of “accidents” are way less scary if you handle them right – and a few are totally avoidable. Let’s break this down like we’re chatting over coffee, no stuffy jargon, just real stuff I’ve seen first-hand. Passenger Elevators
First off, let’s get one thing straight: elevator accidents aren’t as common as movies make them out to be. The National Elevator Industry, Inc. does annual stats that back this up – like, only around 20 serious injuries per year in the US from elevator issues, and most of those are from people trying to get out of a stuck car on their own. That said, when something does go wrong, people freeze, which makes it worse. Let’s start with the most frequent “scare” we get called out for: a stuck elevator. I can’t tell you how many times someone texts me at 2 a.m. saying “my elevator died and there are people inside!” Here’s the rule, plain and simple: do NOT pry the doors open. I’ve seen people jam coat hangers, screwdrivers, even their keys into the gap to try and climb out, and that’s how injuries happen. Elevator cars are balanced like a scale – if you climb out while the car’s not perfectly level with the floor, you could fall into the shaft, which is way more dangerous than being stuck inside. What you should do instead: hit the emergency call button immediately. Almost every modern passenger elevator has one, and it connects straight to the building’s security or a 24/7 monitoring line – when we install our elevators, we test those call boxes three times before we leave, because they’re non-negotiable. Wait there, talk to the person on the line, and don’t yell. Most of the time, the elevator is just in a temporary power glitch, and a tech will be there in 15 or 20 minutes max. I had a call last month where a grandma and her grandkid were stuck on the 8th floor of a small office building, and the grandkid was crying – I hopped on the call line with them and talked them through playing I Spy until our tech got there, and it turned out the elevator just tripped a safety switch when someone used a heavy dolly. No drama, no injuries, all because they didn’t try to get out themselves.
Next up, door malfunctions – this is another super common thing. You’re waiting for an elevator, the doors open, you step in, and then they won’t close. Or they close way too fast, or they reverse for no reason. A lot of people think that’s a random fluke, but most of the time it’s from something tiny getting stuck – a soda can, a shoelace, a leaf, even a kid’s stuffed animal. Our technicians always tell building owners to check the door sensors monthly, because those little infrared beams (yeah, the ones you can’t see) can get dirty or blocked by dust, which makes the doors think there’s something in the way. If you’re inside the car and the doors won’t close, don’t wave your hands at them or try to push them shut – that’s how you get a finger pinched, which is actually the most common minor elevator injury. Instead, hit the door close button (it’s usually marked with an X or a door closing icon) and if that doesn’t work, hit the emergency call button again. Most of the time, it’s just a tiny piece of debris blocking the sensor, and a quick wipe with a microfiber cloth fixes it. We also install a secondary door safety feature on all our passenger elevators – a pressure sensor that stops the doors if they touch anything, even if the beam is blocked – because we’ve seen too many pinching injuries that could’ve been prevented with that.
Wait, let’s talk about the stuff that’s actually preventable, because a lot of “accidents” are just human error, and that’s where my side of the business comes in. I remember a café building we supplied elevators to two years ago – they let staff bring in big trays of dishes and drinks, and one time a waiter spilled a whole pitcher of water on the control panel. The elevator shorted out, got stuck between floors, and that was a whole mess of a service call. Now, we include water-resistant control panels as a standard on all our passenger elevators for commercial and multi-unit residential buildings, because that’s the kind of common thing people don’t think about. Another big one: overloading. I see this all the time – groups of friends piling into an elevator to go to a mall or an office, ignoring the sign that says “MAX 2500 LBS” or whatever. Elevators have weight sensors for a reason – if you go over, they’ll either stop moving or lurch, which can make people stumble, especially if there are elderly folks or kids. Last year, a apartment complex that bought our elevators had a group of college students try to cram 12 people into a 8-person elevator – the weight sensor kicked in, the elevator lurched, and one girl fell and scraped her knee. We did a free check-up on the elevator after that, and now we also put up larger, brighter overload signs on all our models, plus a voice alert that says “Elevator Overload, Please Reduce Weight” instead of just a beep, because sometimes people miss the beep.
What about if you’re on the outside, waiting for an elevator, and something goes wrong? Like, the doors open and there’s no car there, or the elevator is moving way too fast. That’s rare, but it’s scary. If you see the elevator door open and there’s nothing there – don’t lean in to look, don’t try to walk in. The shaft is dark, there could be maintenance equipment down there, or the car is on a different floor. I’ve seen a kid step into an open shaft once (thankfully it was a ground floor, car parked right there, but still) and that’s why we install those safety barriers on the doors when the elevator’s not at the floor. Wait, actually, that’s part of our installation process – we don’t just put an elevator in and leave; we do a full test of all the safety features, including the door interlocks that keep the shaft doors locked unless the car is exactly level with the floor. That’s a non-negotiable for us, no cutting corners. If the elevator is moving way too fast, hit every floor button immediately, and stay away from the doors. Most elevators have a speed governor that kicks in if they go too fast, so they’ll stop on their own, but your job is to hold onto the handrail and don’t panic.
Now, let’s get real about what my team does when there is an accident. I know as a supplier, people might think we just drop off an elevator and disappear, but no – we offer 24/7 emergency support for every single one of our passenger elevators. When a building has an issue, our techs are on the road within 45 minutes for calls within 50 miles, and we have a network of certified techs across the country so we can cover anywhere. We also do quarterly maintenance checks, not just once a year, because we’ve learned that small issues – like a loose wire or a dirty sensor – turn into big accidents if you ignore them. Last quarter, we found a frayed cable on a small residential elevator that a previous supplier had installed, and we fixed it for free before it ever caused a problem. That’s the part no one talks about: most elevator accidents are preventable with regular maintenance, not just good equipment.
I also want to address something that’s been on my mind lately: younger people, especially, think elevators are just “boxes” and don’t respect them like they should. I see teens jumping in elevators, playing with the emergency buttons, carrying big heavy things that they shouldn’t. We’ve started including small safety guides on all our new elevators – not a big fancy booklet, a sticker on the inside that says “Stuck? Call For Help, Don’t Climb Out” and another that says “Don’t Overload”. And for buildings that buy our elevators, we give free safety training to staff, especially for places like schools or gyms where there are a lot of kids. Because education is half the battle, right? People just don’t know what’s normal and what’s a problem.
Wait, let’s talk about a scenario that I haven’t mentioned yet: power outage while you’re in the elevator. That’s another super common one. The lights go out, the elevator stops, and everyone panics. Modern elevators have backup power – we install a battery system on all our passenger elevators that kicks in within two seconds of the power going out, so the car will move to the nearest floor and open the doors. But if you’re in an older building with an elevator that doesn’t have backup power, that’s where the emergency call button comes in. Again, don’t try to force the doors open, don’t scream – the call line will work even if the power is out, because it’s a separate line. I had a call during a storm last year where an apartment building’s power went out, and the elevator stopped on the 10th floor. Our tech got there in 20 minutes, and it turned out the backup battery was low (we’d noticed it on our last maintenance check and were waiting to replace it) but we got everyone out safe, and upgraded all the batteries for free after that. That’s the kind of thing we do – we don’t just sell you an elevator, we’re here for the long haul.
Let me wrap this up with a few key takeaways that everyone should remember, whether you’re a building manager, a tenant, or just someone who takes elevators every day. First: don’t try to get out of a stuck elevator on your own – that’s the #1 cause of elevator-related injuries. Second: if you have a door issue, don’t force the doors or wave your hands at them, use the call button. Third: don’t overload the elevator – those weight signs are there for a reason. Fourth: if something feels wrong (like the elevator is lurching, making a weird grinding noise), report it immediately, don’t wait for it to get worse.
And hey, if you’re in the market for a new passenger elevator, or you’re worried about the one you have – whether it’s getting old, having issues, or just needs an upgrade – we’re here to help. We don’t do cheap cut corners; every elevator we supply is tested multiple times, has all the safety features we talked about, and our team is on call 24/7 for any issues. Whether you’re a small apartment building, a retail space, or an office complex, we can work with your budget and your needs. Just reach out to our team to talk through your options, no pressure, no sales pitch that feels like a sleazy car dealer.
Now, I should mention that all the stats I referenced are from the National Elevator Industry, Inc. 2023 Safety Report, and the maintenance best practices I follow are aligned with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers A17.1 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators. That’s it for today – next time you step into an elevator, take two seconds to notice the emergency button (and don’t play with it, please) and remember that most “accidents” are just small issues handled the wrong way. Stay safe, and hit us up if you need anything with passenger elevators.
Escalator References
National Elevator Industry, Inc. 2023 Annual Safety and Performance Report
American Society of Mechanical Engineers. (2022). A17.1 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators.
Ningbo Dongao Elevator Co., Ltd.
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