Elevator guides

Plain-English explainers for tenants, office workers, and riders — what to do when an elevator is broken, what your rights are, and how to report it.

• Broken elevator: what it means, your rights, and how to report it
  Broken elevator? Report it, document it, and escalate. A plain-language guide for tenants, workers, and anyone depending on the cab in their building.
• Elevator code: ASME A17.1, local adoption, and what it means for tenants
  ASME A17.1 is the US safety code for elevators and escalators: what it covers, how states adopt it, and what it means for tenants and riders.
• Elevator inspection: how often, what's checked, and how to read the certificate
  How to tell if your elevator is overdue for inspection, what inspectors check, what the certificate means, and what to do if it's missing or expired.
• Elevator out of service: what it means and what to do
  Elevator out of service: cab offline for repair or inspection. Tenants have rights, deadlines vary by jurisdiction, and documenting the outage matters.
• Elevator safety: what riders, tenants, and workers should know
  Modern elevators are one of the safest forms of transport, but there are warning signs worth recognizing, habits worth keeping, and reporting paths.
• Escalator accidents: causes, injury patterns, and what to do
  Escalator accidents: falls affect seniors most, entrapments affect children. Causes, prevention, and how to report a broken escalator to get it fixed.
• How long can an elevator be out of service? Rules by jurisdiction
  Repair deadlines, landlord obligations, and tenant remedies for a broken elevator in New York, Massachusetts, California, Illinois, and Toronto.
• How to report a broken elevator
  Decision-tree guide for tenants, office workers, and transit riders: report to the building, escalate to the right channel, add the outage to the record.
• Stuck in an elevator: what to do right now
  Press the emergency call button, stay calm, don't force the doors, and wait for help. Modern elevators are designed so riders stay safe while help arrives.