Remember These 5 Things Before Stepping Into an Elevator
Elevators in high-rise buildings are one of the most important tools of daily life. The use of elevators is as important as their maintenance. Altınbaş University OHSAM Director Dr. Serdar Ay pointed out that 74% of elevator accidents are user error.
As a consequence of intense urbanization, elevators used in tall buildings have become essential tools in daily life. Every day, millions of people use these elevators, believing them to be safe. Dr. Serdar Ay, the Director of the Occupational Health and Safety Application and Research Center (İSGAM) at Altinbas University, emphasized the significant importance of elevators being operational and safe, stating that 74% of elevator accidents are due to user errors.
According to Dr. Serdar Ay, citing the Elevator Sector Report published by the Ministry of Industry and Technology in 2022, there are approximately 800,000 elevators in service in Türkiye, a number that has now approached 1 million. Ay noted that elevators should be manufactured and installed according to relevant standards, operated within the framework of instructions, and undergo periodic maintenance and inspections on time without interruption.
Dr. Serdar Ay from Altinbas University highlighted the categorization of elevator accidents into "User Error" and "Worker Accident," emphasizing the need for everyone to have a certain level of knowledge on this matter. He stated, "According to the 'Elevator Accidents Report in Türkiye Between 2010-2020' prepared by the Elevator and Escalator Industrialists Association (AYSAD), 74% of accidents are classified as user errors, while 26% are considered worker accidents."
Dr. Serdar Ay, examining accidents within the scope of occupational accidents, pointed out predominant incidents such as falling, jamming, and crushing in the elevator shaft, elevator dropping, falling with the cabin, electrical accidents, object falling, and machine/equipment-related accidents.
Addressing commonly encountered user accidents, Dr. Serdar listed five points that users should pay attention to:
(1) Users should not rush when entering the elevator to prevent accidents caused by opening the shaft/elevator well when the cabin is not at the floor. Boarding the elevator should be done in a controlled manner.
(2) In elevators without cabin doors, especially in residential buildings, elevators with cabin doors should be preferred to prevent accidents caused by jams between the moving cabin and the shaft wall.
(3) To prevent accidents caused by jamming between elevator doors, users should not rush when exiting the elevator, and doors should be checked before exiting.
(4) Elevators should be used according to the allowed weight and/or person capacity to prevent accidents caused by excessive weight.
(5) Users should avoid joking, smoking, and should secure their belongings while using elevators.
Finally, Dr. Serdar Ay reminded citizens of the reality of living in an earthquake-prone region and warned against using elevators in earthquake and fire situations. Emphasizing that the periodic maintenance and inspections of elevators should be conducted by a Type A inspection organization, Dr. Serdar Ay concluded by stating, "According to the evaluation, information labels indicating the defect status should be placed in the most suitable location around the control panel inside the cabin, visible to users, and attached to the outer call control panel next to the main stop or on top of the stop door casing."