IUEC Safety Standdown 2024 4/28/24

 

Lets take a few moments this week to think more about safety.  Call your coworkers, call your industry friends, meet someone for lunch.   Most of us have had close calls, know of people who have been seriously injured or died.  Take a few moments, focus, think about complacency and how to avoid it.   Our goal is all elevator constructors walk out of our careers healthy and accident free.   We all have a responsibility here.

A17.1 Elevator 2 Way Communication – High Rise Requirements

Our newer State of Illinois requirements state that high rise buildings which modernize, or have new construction, have lobby 2 way communications. Here are the rules:

 

[Innovation building panel next to a Rath EM com panel]

• In buildings where elevators travel beyond 60 ft, ensuring effective communication becomes even more critical. The SmartView Lobby Communication Unit (designed to work with both SmartView 1 & 2, it is meticulously designed to bridge this communication gap, providing a direct line of sight and communication to every elevator in the building.
• Positioned strategically in the building’s lobby, this unit serves as the first point of contact for elevator maintenance teams and first responders. It offers them a comprehensive overview of the situation within each elevator, ensuring rapid response times and informed decision-making

[works in conjunction with the car operating panel]

How it works? 

Phone - You can pick up the phone and push the desired elevator you want to communicate with the elevator through the phone speaker in the car station.

Visual text - You can log into the elevator you would like to communicate with and type messages from the EM com panel. There is a windows based tablet acting as the computer and screen.

Recommendation - Have a meeting with the building, inspector and first responders to determine where the correct location for these devices in the building should be.

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.

Also check us out on Instagram @Colleyelevator see what we have been up to.

Chicago Elevator Association – April 24’ Meeting – Rath Janus Avire

 

The Chicago Elevator Association is the longest running elevator association in the United States. They had a great group at this month's meeting.

Rath Janus came by our April meeting to talk about the implications of the A17.1 2019 code.  The presentation was split up into two topic; visual communications and door protection.

 

Visual communication – in the 2019 code we have a new requirement to have visual communication in the elevator cab.  This requires a dedicated camera in the elevator for only emergency services use.  Our car station also needs the ability to receive typed messages from emergency services to the passengers and have them response “yes” or “no”.  The elevator will need to have a DHCP ethernet connection which can be accomplished with an existing building internet line or a new cellular connection.  The same person who answers the emergency phone will also need to be the same person who can access the camera and communicate with the passengers, in Illinois that requires having a 3^rd party monitoring service.

 

3D or approaching object door detection – in the 2019 code we need to have our door scan pick up approaching objects.  This is addressing people or things breaking the hatch door plain but not the car door plain.  In the 2016 and previous codes we only had the requirement of 2D door detection which was on the car door, this left a blind spot on the hatch door which could cause injury or damage to the elevator.  The goal of the new code and new technology is to reopen the door if the detector senses someone or something  before the hatch door closes on them.

Both of these items are newer to our area and we all[contractors and suppliers] are getting used to the new reqirement so it was great to have a vendor come talk about their product and the newer requirements.

If you haven’t ever been or it’s been a while, come on by, take a seat, if you don’t know people, 5 minutes after you show up you will know a good amount of people at the meeting, that is the kind of people that go, ones that will make you feel welcome and will introduce you to people.

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.

Also check us out on Instagram @Colleyelevator see what we have been up to.