Home Safe

What NEII is doing to help make sure elevator industry personnel return home safely to their families and loved ones every day

May celebrates Building Safety Month with a campaign designed to emphasize the importance of building codes in maintaining the safety of the built environment. This year’s theme, “Mission Possible,” encourages people to get involved in all aspects of building safety and to take a closer look at the safety of elevators and escalators. The campaign aims to enhance awareness about these critical elements of daily life that are often taken for granted.

There are thousands of elevator and escalator installers and repairers tasked with ensuring the safe operation of building-transportation systems. With complex mechanical equipment, there are inherent dangers. Attention to detail is critical, and even one miscue can be fatal. Last May, a mechanic in New York was charged with negligent homicide in the death of an apprentice who was crushed when an elevator car plunged six stories during a maintenance operation. Prosecutors allege the mechanic failed to follow proper safety procedures. The apprentice was recently married and was just starting what should’ve been a long career in the elevator industry.

Losing even one member of the greater elevator industry family is one too many. And as an industry, it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure adequate jobsite safeguards and procedures are in place to bring workplace injuries and fatalities down to zero.

Empowering Safety Through Industry Resources

Training is fundamental to maintaining safety standards, and National Elevator Industry, Inc. (NEII) is at the forefront of developing educational resources designed to support elevator technicians on their safety journey. A key resource in this effort is the Elevator Industry Field Employees’ Safety Handbook. Established as the safety benchmark within the elevator industry, this handbook serves as the foundational guide for safe practices and protocols.

The Safety Handbook is periodically reviewed and updated by NEII in collaboration with industry partners such as the National Elevator Industry Educational Program (NEIEP), the Elevator Contractors Association (ECA) and the National Association of Elevator Contractors (NAEC). The next edition, scheduled for release in 2025, promises to continue a longstanding tradition of excellence, focusing on the most up-to-date safety procedures.

In addition to the Safety Handbook, a significant contribution to the industry’s safety resources came in 2019 with the development of the “9 Safety Absolutes.” Created by NEII, NEIEP and NAEC, the “9 Safety Absolutes” is a best-practices guide related to the top nine industry safety issues, outlining the essential safety processes that should be implemented daily.

A Safety Boost

NEII is also continuing its work on a Hoistway Safety Initiative, which will educate other trades about the dangers of working in and around hoistways on construction sites and mitigate the risks to those trades and our industry personnel through awareness and safety tips. Through the analysis of historical data, NEII identified that nearly 70% of hoistway incidents that happen during construction involve non-elevator industry personnel.

Family Ties

Every year, the construction and elevator industries host stand-down for safety events to talk about safety directly with employees and those on the front lines. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction was held May 6-10 this year, while the elevator industry hosted safety stand-down days in April and May.

It is a necessary pause in work to review key safety information, remind the industry why these safety procedures are so important and remember those elevator industry family members who didn’t return home to their families or loved ones. The elevator industry is truly a family that looks after one another and works together to keep people safely moving.

The goal is to ensure everyone returns home safely at the end of every day. Everyone. 

To learn more about elevator and escalator safety, go to NEII Safety.