Penn State Intercom......March 14, 2002
This job really has
its ups and downs
By Julie A. Brink
Public Information
| Safety tips |
Most
of the time, what goes up must come down.
But for the elevator technicians on the University Park campus, there always are a few exceptions to that rule and they're on hand to make sure that no one gets the shaft.
Six elevator technicians and two preventative maintenance employees keep University Park's 320 elevators, lifts and dumb waiters in prime running condition, according to Jerry Fulare, who supervises the crew. Their motto: "Always leave 'em running."
University Park's vertical people- and freight-movers come in a range of sizes and capabilities. Here's some elevator trivia:
* The fastest elevator on campus runs at 450 feet a minute and is located at Beaver Stadium. The slowpokes, running at 75 feet per minute, are located in Waring, Hammond and Sackett buildings.
* The biggest elevator is a freight carrier at The Bryce Jordan Center which has a capacity of 10,000 pounds. In a related category, the stage lift in Eisenhower Auditorium has a capacity of 61,125 pounds. The smallest is a passenger elevator dating from 1940 in Frear Hall with a 1,000 pound capacity.
*
By floors, Oswald Tower has the highest elevator, traveling 10 stories.
By sheer height, the elevators at the stadium travel the farthest vertical
distance.
* The oldest elevator is a 69-year-old installation in Borland Lab that dates back to 1932.
* The elevator with perhaps the most intriguing history is a hand-operated installation, located in Rider House. The building was a funeral home at one time and the elevator was used to bring the deceased up from the basement. It still is inspected, although seldom used these days.
Recently, Fulare, elevator inspector Ed Jaskowak and lead elevator technician Les Walters took Intercom's staff out to Hastings Hall for a run-through of an elevator inspection. Jaskowak demonstrated what to look for while riding the cable car to the top of the shaft and what could go wrong in the 7-foot elevator pit in the basement, and opened up the machine room on the building's roof. He demonstrated how he checks for scarring on the brakes, for deformity in the cable, for wear on the drive sheave, sparking in the generator, filings in the gear box, problems with the relay switches, worn bearings, etc. Jaskowak also put to rest a popular misconception about elevator cars -- that they dangle from single cables hung in the shaft. In reality, the cars are connected by a minimum of three hoist ropes.
"These are so over-safe it isn't funny," Jaskowak said. "One cable is capable of handling the whole weight of the elevator, plus the capacity."
Most of the elevator troubles occur in the residence halls, because of the heavy use. Common problems include leveling issues, the car stopping between floors, the doors opening before the car reaches floor level and debris stuck in the tracks. "Students throw pennies down the shaft and sometimes they work themselves into the tracks," Walters said.
The University's elevators are inspected on a regular schedule -- every three months for passenger elevators and every six months for freight elevators. When installed, the elevators must pass five standards, ranging from state to national, before being put into use, Jaskowak said.
"We're paying special attention to preventative maintenance," Fulare said. "The more detailed preventative maintenance we do, we find a significant reduction of emergency and nuisance calls. It's really a benefit to the customer."
To that end, the University is replacing elevators on a yearly basis, some of them to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, Jaskowak said.
The technicians and maintenance crew receive updated training annually, either from a manufacturer's representative on-site or by visiting a factory location, Fulare said. They also are trained in rescue techniques. Annually, about 20 to 30 entrapments occur at University Park, many on football weekends.
The best advice for a person stuck in an elevator is to push the alarm button three times every 30 seconds and stay put, Jaskowak and Walters emphasized.
"You don't know what's wrong, so many electrical components could stop an elevator," Jaskowak said as Walters demonstrated how easily an individual could fall into a shaft while trying to exit from a stalled elevator car. "It stopped for a reason, but it could take off. The safest way is to wait until a technician comes and completes the rescue procedure."
Julie A. Brink can be reached at jab81@psu.edu.
Safety tips
* Watch your step when entering an elevator.
* Watch out for the elevator's closing doors.
* Do not use your hands to stop the doors from shutting.
* In case of a fire, use the stairs.
* Keep clothes away from door openings.
What to do if the elevator stops
* Stay calm. You are safe in the elevator.
* Push the alarm button and wait for help. The police will arrive in five minutes with the elevator technician soon to follow.
* Do not accept help from anyone other than an Office of Physical Plant (OPP) elevator technician.
* If the elevator is between floors, do not try to open the doors.
* Do not try to climb out the car hatch.
-- From a list published in
OPP's News and Views