Consumer Product Safety Commission [CPSC] and Three Leading Residential Lift Manufacturers Announce Recall

Colley Elevator does not service very many residential lifts but we support any effort to make the residential market a safer environment.  A great next step would be to mandate annual inspections by a licensed elevator/lift contractor.  Currently residential lifts do not need to have any safety inspections other than when they are installed in most jurisdictions. 

Main issue - The main issue that is being addressed is the gap between the hatch door and lift gate since a small person can get stuck between them. If the interlocks make up, there is a good chance of the car running while that person is stuck as the image above depicts.  

Recall Details

Description:

Manufacturers Providing Free Safety Devices to Address Hazardous Gap Spaces between Home Elevator Doors

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Bella Elevator, LLC, Inclinator Company of America, and Savaria Corporation, are announcing three separate voluntary recalls of about 69,000 residential elevators.

Young children can become entrapped in the space between the exterior landing (hoistway) door and the interior elevator car door or gate if there is a hazardous gap, and suffer serious injuries or death when the elevator is called to another floor.

Consumers should keep unsupervised young children away from the recalled residential elevators and contact the manufacturers for instructions on how to measure for space guards to correct any hazardous gap. Space guards will be provided free of charge and assistance with space guard installation will be provided on request.

Bella, Inclinator and Savaria have agreed that all current manufacturing and distribution of future residential elevators will comply with applicable voluntary safety standards to eliminate the young child entrapment hazard. CPSC previously warned consumers about residential elevators in July 2021.

Statement of Alexander Hoehn-Saric, Chair of the CPSC

“I am pleased that the CPSC and these three residential elevator companies, Bella Elevator, Inclinator Company of America, and Savaria Corporation have come to an agreement to rectify a dangerous hazard for consumers who use residential elevators in their own homes, the homes of relatives, or in rental or vacation homes. This is an important step that will prevent further harm from potentially tens of thousands of residential elevators. Industry and the CPSC still have work to do. We have not yet been able to reach agreements with all of the elevator companies to fix their residential elevators that pose the same potentially fatal entrapment hazard and in one case sued a company to force a fix. As long as this hazard persists, I am committed to continuing this work and preventing future entrapment injuries and deaths."

Joint statement from Bella, Inclinator and Savaria:

“We are pleased to be working with the CPSC on this recall, in which we are providing free space guards where needed to increase the safety of our residential elevators. Today’s announcement also reflects our three companies’ firm, continued commitment to working with our installer partners so that future residential elevators will be installed consistent with voluntary safety standards to eliminate hazardous gaps between home elevator car doors or gates and hoistway doors. We are proud to be leaders in the residential elevator industry in addressing this important issue, in cooperation with the CPSC.” 

Bella Elevator information

Savaria information

Inclinator information

Recall number:

22-048

Work cited - CPSC website

If you have any questions or would like additional information feel free to contact me at CraigZ@colleyelevator.com or 630-766-7230 ext. 107.