Elevator pit ladder installation requirements – Buyer beware

Off the 99 other posts the Colley Elevator Chicago Elevator Maintenance Blog has had the most readers for elevator pit ladder information!  Yes, we still have pit ladders out there that need to be modified and replaced.  All the pit ladders in the State of Illinois should have been modified or replaced by 1/1/15.  Due to the general confusion and evolving perception of what needed to occur with the pit ladders we still see some lurking around that need to be addressed.

That brings me to the point of this blog post. Beware of who you let do your elevator work and the prices you are getting from them. I was at a building on Friday that a very large elevator company maintains that required some work on the pit ladder.  I open the pit and see the following.

[The only item is the top right hand rail after 42" which after measuring will clear trough with no problem]

We have a qualifying take off for pit ladders to identify what needs to be done .

Existing pit ladder

Does ladder extend 48” above sill?   NO                    

If no how far does it extend? 42”

Do ladder rungs go to sill level?  YES

How wide are existing rungs?  15” GOOD

Distance from center line of ladder to nearest object?  5 ½” GOOD

Side rails/handles 4 ½” clear distance from nearest object?    NO but only ½” off right hand rail – Right handrail 4” and left – Very Clear

Is the hatch door unlocking means within 39” horizontal and 72” vertical from final rung? YES

Does car have any projecting objects r that could hit rigid ladder if moved out?    NO

Does it need a retractable pit ladder?               NO

How deep is the pit?  48 ¾”

After review of the information I told the property manager that he needed to install handrail extensions to bring his hand rail height from 42” to  48”.  He looked at me strange and said that his Intergalatic Elevator Company wanted to install a retractable ladder for $6,000.00.  I told him that we can do that for ½ the cost or install hand rail extensions for a fraction of that cost.  He said “if I get written up after you modify the ladder will you replace the ladder”.  I told him “yes, 100% guarantee”.  He still didn’t believe me and went to the machine room and found the write up

“MODIFY PIT LADDER PER 2.2.4.2.1”

2.2.4.2.1 - The ladder shall extend not less than 1200mm[48”] above the ill of the access door or handgrips shall be provided to the same height.

I showed him the elevator code and got very upset that someone was trying to take advantage of the situation.  We have been seeing a lot of similar predatory behavior by companies.  I’m not sure if the sales people do not know what is required, do not go to the buildings and just send out proposals from their desk or just want to maximize their commission benefit by selling buildings items they do not need.  When you are getting information from your elevator contractor be sure that it is correct, make sure you are working with people that you have a certain level of trust with.   You can always call someone to get a 2^nd opinion, you are not stuck working with a company just because you have a maintenance agreement with them.  If the company you have a maintenance agreement is behaving unethically, it may be time to find a new one.

Business school may lead a sales person/management to believe it is always best to maximize a relationship benefit by selling this $6,000.00 pit ladder.  Stop and think about the ethical aspect and the long term relationship implications if someone catches you.   We believe a service providers philosophy should be to sell the building what they need for a fair price.  Make sure that your service provider has the same philosophy so you can always expect fair proposals at a fair price.  A building owner may not like the idea of replacing equipment, modifying equipment or spending money, but contractors should be doing it in a ethical manner so there is a balance on cost/benefit for both parties. In this case there would be no benefit to install a $6,000.00 retractable pit ladder.  In most cases elevator personnel may choose to climb out of the elevator pit rather than use the retractable ladder.  In this case since we have a great pit ladder already installed that just needs modification, once modified will be used more than the retractable ladder that was being proposed.

If you have any questions or would like information from Colley Elevator you can go to www.colleyelevator.com, email Craigz@colleyelevator.com or call 630-766-7230.