Reminding that the majority of accidents occurring in elevators are claimed to happen during misuse and rescue operations, Dr. Rüştü Uçan said, “It is highly probable that a large portion of recent accidents occurred due to inadequate technical maintenance.” Dr. Uçan also reminded that managers in apartment buildings or dormitories are considered employers and are penalized under employer liability in case of any adverse event.
Head of the Department of Occupational Health and Safety at Üsküdar Üniversitesi, Dr. Rüştü Uçan, provided information and evaluations regarding elevator and escalator accidents.
Dr. Rüştü Uçan reminded that in recent days, fatal elevator accidents in locations where elevators are heavily used, such as business centers, shopping malls, hospitals, student dormitories, and school elevators, as well as escalator accidents, have frequently started appearing in the press.
However, Dr. Rüştü Uçan noted that various warnings on what to pay attention to during the use of escalators and elevators are placed in easily visible locations for users of all these escalators and elevators. He added, “In elevators, various warnings are given to users during the period from the opening of the elevator door to its movement, and even when the elevator is overloaded beyond its permitted capacity, elevators do not move as a result of audible and visual warnings.”
Wheelchairs or baby strollers should not be used on escalators
Dr. Rüştü Uçan explained what to pay attention to when using escalators as follows:
“Escalators should not be overloaded. Loads and goods should not be carried. Security devices of escalators should not be tampered with. To prevent any accidents during use, one must hold onto the handrail (hand belt). Extending the body outside the handrail (hand belt) is dangerous; there is a risk of hitting structural columns or getting trapped between floor slabs. Feet should be kept away from deflector brushes. Wheelchairs or baby strollers should not be used on escalators; elevators should be used.
Using escalators with flip-flops or rubber shoes is dangerous
Emergency stop devices (stop buttons) should only be used in emergencies. They should not be used unnecessarily. Children should not use escalators alone. Parents should ensure their children use them in a controlled manner by holding their hands. Using escalators with flip-flops and rubber shoes is dangerous. There is a risk of getting trapped between the steps or between the step and the inner skirting.”
Do not board an escalator moving in the opposite direction
Dr. Rüştü Uçan also stated that care should be taken to ensure that long garments do not get caught between the steps when worn, and continued:
“Ensure shoelaces are tied. Pet owners should use the escalator by holding their pets tightly or carrying them. Do not board an escalator moving in the opposite direction. To go up, use the up escalator instead of the down escalator.
Even if escalators are not operating, they are still machines. Escalators whose stopping reason we do not know pose an accident risk, and boarding them is dangerous. One should not slide over the handrails of the escalator or from parts between two escalators where there is a risk of slipping.”
The majority of elevator accidents are not due to misuse!
Regarding elevators, Dr. Rüştü Uçan emphasized that users are particularly advised to comply with the rules that must be followed when calling, entering, or exiting the elevator, and during travel, and what needs to be done within the framework of the elevator's operating instructions is specified item by item.
“Although it is claimed that the majority of accidents occurring in elevators happen during misuse and rescue operations, it is highly probable that a large portion of recent accidents occurred due to inadequate technical maintenance.”
What are the causes of elevator accidents?
Dr. Rüştü Uçan, recalling the inspection carried out in Izmir in accordance with the Elevator Regulation published in the Official Gazette dated December 31, 2007, and numbered 26420, by the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers, said, “During the inspection of 11,846 elevators, 9,239 elevators, or 78% of them, were found to be risky.”
Rüştü Uçan explained that the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers also listed the causes of elevator accidents at the end of these inspections, stating:
“Entrapments occurring due to the absence of a door inside the cabin. Falls into the shaft due to the cabin not being at the floor level due to malfunctions in the lock system. Accidents occurring due to level discrepancies of the cabin at floor levels. Accidents occurring due to uncontrolled downward or upward movement of the cabin. Accidents observed as a result of people inside the cabin attempting unconscious self-rescue or rescue attempts on intermediate floors.”
Dr. Uçan said, “Managers in apartment buildings are also considered employers. In the event of any malfunction or adverse event, they are penalized in that context because they assume employer responsibility. The situation is no different in dormitories.”
Elevators carry 50 million people daily in Turkey
Meanwhile, Ali Orhan Karacığan, Lecturer at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Department of Occupational Health and Safety, stated that according to a research conducted by the Elevator and Escalator Industrialists Association; 20 – 25 thousand elevators are put into service in Turkey every year, and added:
“In Turkey, elevators carry 50 million people every day. Just like automobiles and airplanes, elevators, which consist of numerous mechanical and electronic parts, require regular maintenance and inspections by experts.”
Ali Orhan Karacığan emphasized that in order to prevent accidents, fatalities, and injuries in elevators and escalators, which are very high compared to European countries, it is extremely important for users to be aware, and also for maintenance companies to be organized in a way that they can prepare maintenance programs tailored to the carrying capacities, densities, and weather conditions of the locations where these escalators and elevators are used, instead of a standard maintenance program, with their trained, competent, and authorized personnel.
Karacığan also stated that attention should be paid to the selection of companies that will carry out elevator and escalator maintenance, saying that this issue will greatly contribute to the reduction of accidents.
Karacığan also explained that qualification documents and certificates should be requested from maintenance companies.