Elevator Safety in Residence Halls
Residence Halls are very high traffic, densely populated communities. The elevators in residence halls get intensely used 24 hours a day, unlike at most other buildings on campus. It is a high priority of University Housing and the University to do whatever is possible to keep the 54 residence hall elevators continuously operating and in excellent condition. This requires ongoing maintenance, inspection, and service by licensed University personnel. It also requires the cooperation of residents and visitors to always use elevators in a proper and safe manner and to avoid unsafe or deliberately malicious practices that may damage the elevators or endanger the personal safety of the resident or others.

What the University Does to Ensure Proper Operation of Elevators

The University's Plant Operations Department includes an Elevator Shop which employs 11 licensed mechanics to service the approximately 525 elevators on the U-M campus; this is one of the most extensive in-house elevator shops at any U.S. college or university. There are currently 54 elevators operational in residence halls. Elevator Shop personnel are on campus from 6am until 11pm and on-call from 11pm until 6am. Response time to a stuck elevator is normally 15 minutes or less during regular business hours. In addition to elevator shop staff, Department of Public Safety officers will also respond to reports of people trapped in an elevator.

The safety practices that the University either cooperates with or manages itself include the following:

• The State of Michigan requires that elevators be inspected once every 90 days by a licensed elevator journeyperson (these inspections are conducted by appropriate University staff).
• The State of Michigan inspects all elevators on a code-required schedule and issues a Certificate of Operation to properly functioning elevators. This certificate and the dates of State inspections are available in the Elevator Shop.
• The State of Michigan requires licensing and training for anyone who enters elevator machine rooms, hoistways, or pits, and who conducts inspections, repairs, or replacement of elevators. The University of Michigan employs 11 licensed elevator journeypeople who have undergone extensive apprenticeship, schooling, and testing prior to becoming licensed. The State also requires that these licensed journeypeople operate under the supervision of a licensed elevator contractor; U-M employs a full-time contractor who meets all State requirements.
• Every residence hall elevator is checked at least monthly by U-M Elevator Shop staff for specific preventative maintenance tasks
• In order to ensure that its staff maintains the highest standards of the profession, the Elevator Shop conducts monthly safety meetings with all personnel; conducts annual code update courses; and consults with equipment suppliers regularly for additional in-house training.
• Elevator accidents must be reported within 48 hours to the State followed by proper investigation and documentation.

What Students Can Do To Contribute to Elevator Safety in their Living Environment

As is the case with every area of safety, elevator safety in college residence halls involves the concerted actions and attention of both the University and the students who live in our facilities. There are a number of specific steps that students can and should do to contribute to a residence hall environment in which elevator safety is viewed by everyone as a high priority. Residents need to appreciate that their reckless and careless behavior can not only negatively affect themselves, but others as well.

What are some of the practices students can follow to maximize their safety when they use University elevators?

What you should do:

• Watch your step when entering or exiting an elevator
• Stand aside and allow exiting passengers to get off before entering
• Push and hold the DOOR OPEN button if doors need to be held open for someone approaching to get on; don't hold open using your arms or feet
• If there is a fire in the building or other situation that could lead to a disruption in electrical service, use the stairs. Elevator shafts are often not sealed and act as a chimney when fire is present.
• Check the posted capacity of elevators and do not get onto an elevator that is already at capacity
• Wait for the next elevator if the car is full or if there is not enough room to stand comfortably in the elevator cabin
• Discourage unsafe behavior in and around elevators by others
• Report elevator vandalism promptly to the Department of Public Safety; reports can be anonymously submitted
• Report any elevator-related accidents promptly to the Department of Public Safety
• If you suspect trouble or are attacked, push the alarm button and as many floor buttons as possible so that the elevator will stop quickly at the next floor. Don't get into an elevator with someone who makes you feel uneasy.

What you shouldn't do:

• Don't try to stop closing doors. Wait for next elevator
• Never attempt to pry open elevator doors
• Never attempt to enter the hoistway outside the elevator cabin
• Never jump up and down
• Never cram into an elevator that is exceeding its capacity; actively discourage anyone else from cramming into an elevator
• Never block the doors open with any kind of equipment or box, or with your foot or arm. In newer elevators, holding the doors open will cause the elevator to “time out” and shut down as a safety feature. In that situation, a mechanic must reset the controller to re-start the elevator. Use the DOOR OPEN button on the floor selector panel to hold doors open longer than the normal timing sequence allows.

• If the doors do not open when the elevator stops, first try the DOOR OPEN button. If doors still don't open, ring the ALARM button and wait for assistance; use emergency phone if elevator is so equipped
• Remain calm, and communicate with those outside if that is possible who should contact Department of Public Safety at 763-1131 to report that someone is trapped in an elevator. Cell phones may work inside an elevator; if you have one and it is receiving a signal, call DPS directly.
• Sit down, STAY IN THE ELEVATOR, away from the doors in case they are opened by rescue personnel. NEVER ATTEMPT ON YOUR OWN TO CRAWL, JUMP OR CLIMB OUT OF AN ELEVATOR BETWEEN FLOORS
• Never attempt to get off a stalled elevator without emergency personnel present
• Do not attempt to exit an elevator that is not properly aligned with a floor unless there are emergency personnel present to assist in evacuation

Residents or students who tamper with or abuse any of residence hall elevator equipment or controls or who create an unsafe environment for themselves or others in or around elevators are in violation of community living standards and will be subject to the Housing conflict resolution process.

For further questions about how University Housing handles elevator safety issues, contact Housing Facilities or Vicky Hueter, Director, 734-763-3175.