New Safety Enhancement System

Nonproprietary alarm system for hoistways

Otis’ AccessAlert alarm is a safety enhancement that can be applied to elevator equipment worldwide. Similar to the seatbelt alarm found in a car, an alarm sounds when anyone enters the hoistway. The alarm continues to sound until it is physically switched off. The alarm also sounds when the car is placed in inspection mode. To silence the alarm, the technician must push the silence button at the same time as the inspection station button. This places the technician in a safe position during movement.

The alarm is meant to be heard only in the hoistway, so it won’t disrupt the rest of the building’s occupants. It can be installed on any elevator, including non-Otis products, and meets current U.S. and Canadian elevator safety codes. The top-of-car device is powered off of the existing 110-V lighting, while the pit device operates off of its own 6-V battery. 
Joe Dragich, vice president, field operations, Otis Americas, added:

“AccessAlert is going to make a significant impact on the entire elevator industry. There are times that people get caught up with everything and forget to take each and every safety precaution. AccessAlert is here to remind us to do the most important thing: make sure we keep ourselves safe. The program has been a collaboration of all facets of the organization, and the field has had a lot of say in what this product is and what it can do. The result has been practical and simple, and it will make an immediate and lasting impact on employees’ safety throughout the industry.”

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