Elevator Safety

What You Should Do

  • Watch your step when entering or exiting an elevator.
  • Stand aside and allow exiting passengers to get off before entering.
  • Push and hold the Door Open button if doors need to be held open for someone approaching to get on; don't hold open using your arms or feet.
  • If there is a fire in the building or other situation that could lead to a disruption in electrical service, use the stairs. Elevator shafts are often not sealed and act as a chimney when fire is present.
  • Check the posted capacity of elevators and do not get onto an elevator that is already at capacity. Wait for the next elevator if the car is full or if there is not enough room to stand comfortably in the elevator cabin.
  • Discourage unsafe behavior by others in and around elevators.
  • Report elevator vandalism promptly to the Department of Public Safety; reports may be submitted anonymously.
  • Report any elevator‐related accidents promptly to the Department of Public Safety.
  • If you suspect trouble or are attacked, push the alarm button and as many floor buttons as possible so that the elevator will stop quickly at the next floor. Don't get into an elevator with someone who makes you feel uneasy.

What You Should Not Do

  • Don't interfere with closing doors. Wait for the next elevator.
  • Never attempt to pry open elevator doors.
  • Never attempt to enter the hoistway outside the elevator cabin.
  • Never jump up and down.
  • Never swipe up others that are not members of the community.
  • Never cram into an elevator that is exceeding its capacity; actively discourage anyone else from cramming into an elevator.
  • Never block the doors open with any kind of equipment or box, or with your foot or arm. In newer elevators, holding the doors open will cause the elevator to "time out" and shut down as a safety feature. In that situation, a mechanic must reset the controller to re‐start the elevator. Use the Door Open button on the floor selector panel to hold doors open longer than the normal timing sequence allows.