Safety Considerations for the Design of Modern Elevator Systems

The main purpose of this work is to perform an analysis on elevator safety considerations in the United States. This report introduces the development of elevators through its history, definitions and commonly used concepts in the elevator industry. Elevators are already an important part of day-to-day life for thousands of people and have significant role to play in the future of urbanization due to increasing population density and decreasing real estate. Elevators not only make vertical transportation convenient, but also play an important role in providing accessibility for people with disabilities; so, its safe and reliable operation is very crucial. Elevator maintenance and safety practices around the country are evaluated in this article and a study on various elevator-related accidents was performed to recommend safety practices. Modern elevators are very safe in general, but poorly maintained systems, passenger safety vulnerabilities, incomprehensive work instructions, negligence and lack of proper safety protocols still cause several accidents every year. The engineering parameters related to elevator safety such as rated load, rated velocity, brakes and safety gears are also explored, and a brief study is done on linear induction motor elevators through ThyssenKrupp Elevator’s MULTI. Ropeless elevators that can move both vertically and sideways are essential in developing mini-cities within large buildings and architectures, so it is important for safety code regulation agencies to keep up with time and technology, while innovators must prove the reliability, safety and applicability of new technologies