Escalator Accident Injury and Damage Claims

Most owners/managers of escalators can attest that accident and property damage claims can be a distracting influence on their operation and budgets to put it mildly. While some claims have merit, others much less so. How does the owner of this most efficient people moving equipment ensure that all is done to provide a safe and non-eventful ride? We will attempt to provide some answers and methods.
Read a couple of articles recently that claim accident claims are up as much as 60% in recent years for elevator and escalator equipment. My professional observation has been that this is true and I see no less for the immediate future. We wish it were otherwise but the reality is that the equipment owner must take steps to alleviate claims. I know of no escalator owner who doesn't want to reduce the possibility of accidents, it the moral and responsible thing to do; and it makes business sense. The only people who make a nickel on escalator accidents are legal and, well, experts like me. The person who may be injured can suffer beyond a dollar amount. The elevator Service Company and owner face payouts and increased insurance premiums. This article discusses the riding public, not the workers who face certain injury if strict safety measures are not followed. We will discuss that aspect in a future posting.
So the goal is to reduce costly claims no matter the driving force that motive. The first thing we will look at is escalator lighting and access areas. We will cover several more escalator subjects in the next few weeks.
1. Lighting. Two areas to consider; Exterior and interior.
Exterior: Take a light reading in the escalator area. ASME Code requires a 5 footcandle minimum which is fairly dim, and the lighting must be even without contrasting areas. Of course meeting the minimum may offer some legal protection but it may not be in the owner's best interest. As our population grows older and we see more of that older crowd being active, it stands to reason that a greater number of seniors are riding escalators during shopping and social activities. I know that it requires better lighting for me to see as well now as I did 20 years ago, and I'm not alone in this (my eyes are just as good as they ever were, it's just that someone keeps turning the lights down). Brighten up the entrance, incline, and exit areas.
Interior: This is the under-step green light that is visible (hopefully) as you enter and exit the escalator. Check with local code and ask your service provider, or us, if increased under-step lighting is a viable goal.
2. Access & Exit Areas: There is a code required "Safe Zone" for the approach and exit areas of an escalator. As a general rule for a 48" escalator which measures 40" in step width, measure 80" out from the farthest arch point of the handrail as it goes around the end of the escalator; that is the safe-zone length. For safe-zone width; measure from the centerline of each handrail outward and then add 8". Below is a rough drawing showing illustrating the safe-zone.
Escalator safe-zones vary depending on the escalator step width. The example I used for this sample is a 48" escalator. We can assist you in determining your safe-zone and any other questions you may have.

Door Open Time – Hold the Door!

Door open time allows the passenger to enter or exit the elevator with enough time as not to unnecessarily hurry and to avoid contact with the closing doors. In large buildings with many elevators sharing the same lobby area, it's common for one or two sets of hall call stations to be located a considerable distance from some of the elevators. In that design, often passengers find themselves at the furthest away point from the available elevator and it seems the more you have to carry the farther that is!
Even for single elevator locations with one hall call station in a relatively small lobby, if the door open time is not sufficient you may experience the same problem.
The good news is; it all avoidable and should be easily fixed if there is a problem. Even if the door timing is within the equipments design and meets code parameters, the door times can usually be adjusted readily to meet the needs of the passengers. Elevator systems are configured with door timers that are adjustable and some deteriorate with age and use that is often affected by environmental conditions, poor maintenance, and mal-adjustment. Older systems use relay timers, resistor-capacitor timers (RC circuits) and early solid-state timers. All are subject to age limitations and usage failures. Newer systems implement programmable IC circuits and timers that hold their settings without gradual deterioration, and are very easily changed as needed. Some offer different door times for the same elevator depending on floor location; for instance the lobby may be afforded a greater door open time to allow more time for a greater number of passengers to access the elevator, while other landings may not require the additional time due to less traffic. These systems can be programmed by the service provider should demands change.
The older systems can also be changed by replacing worn or faulty components and times changed by altering the value of the timer components. For instance should more door open time be desired on a system controlled by RC circuitry; by changing the value of either the resistor or capacitor, the change is complete. Same with adjustable timers; by changing the resistor or other timer features, the time is altered.
In other cases a programmable timer may replace an older type and offer a much greater range of adjustments and not be cost prohibitive. Your service provider will be able (or should be able) to offer you options for keeping the door open time current to meet your needs.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has a minimum door open time required. The formula to calculate that minimum door time is: "The minimum acceptable time from notification that a car is answering a call until the door starts to close shall be calculated by the following equation, but shall not be less than 5 seconds":
T = D/1.5 ft/s (D/455 mm/s)
T = total time in seconds and D = distance in feet (millimeters) from the point in the lobby or corridor 60 inches (1525mm) directly in front of the farthest call button controlling that car to the centerline of its hoistway door. T begins when the signal is visible from the point 60 inches (1525mm) directly in front of the farthest hall call button and the audible signal is sounded.
Remember, a five (5) second minimum is required regardless of the physical setup of hall calls, signals, and elevators in your building for hall calls - not car calls registered in the elevator. We bring this point out because we have been often questioned about elevators having less than the minimum 5 seconds when seemingly responding to hall calls but were actually responding to car calls that have a lesser value on open door times. A passenger may be waiting in the elevator lobby, let's say on the third floor of a five landing building, and had placed a down hall call; the elevator stops, doors open and a passenger exits and the doors close in quick order before the hall passenger can access the car. Why? Well the elevator was continuing in the up direction to serve those upper floors and is not responding to the down hall call, but has delivered a passenger to the third floor. Hall passenger sees elevator action, assumes it for their demand, and reacts accordingly. This scenario is not rare; we've noted it often while performing traffic studies for performance evaluations and code compliance.
We will look at car call door times: ADA requires three (3) seconds of fully open door time in response to car calls. Fully open is taken to mean by us as when the door panels open to or clear the door returns or jambs and clear opening access is granted. Time begins at that point and ceases when the door panel(s) extend into the clear opening area. Do not take into consideration visual and audible signals for car call response door times.
The good news is that these times are adjustable and the 5 & 3 second respectively for hall and car demands are minimums; you can exceed those times as needed to provide for comfort and ease of use for your passengers.

We stand prepared to assist.