Elevators are massive, complex machines, which means any number of components can malfunction at any time. While modern elevators include a range of safety features to respond to malfunctions and mitigate safety risks, these systems still rely on periodic inspections and safety checks to catch problems before they worsen.
What happens if you skip annual elevator checks? This won’t bode well for your system’s safety, your wallet, or your legal compliance.
Learn the potential consequences of failing to meet inspection requirements. Then reach out to ELEVATE Monitoring to learn how to improve your elevator monitoring technology.
Potential Consequences of Skipping Annual Inspections
Annual elevator inspections aren’t optional if you want to maintain a safe, compliant elevator system. What happens if you skip annual elevator checks? These are a few potential consequences.
Greater Risk of Equipment Failures
One of the main purposes of annual inspections is to identify issues with the elevator system that can lead to failure. Elevator technicians can often catch problems early, before they begin impacting the system’s performance. They can then fix the issue and prevent it from worsening.
Without annual inspections, these issues will slide under the radar. In some cases, they continue to worsen until they cause equipment failure. And in the worst-case scenario, equipment failure can lead to entrapment in the elevator or to serious injuries.
Higher Repair Costs When Problems Become Noticeable
Annual elevator inspections are just as important as periodic inspections of your car. During these checks, professionals can catch and repair minor problems you might otherwise miss. But without inspections, issues will continue to worsen until they become much more expensive to fix.
Skipping annual inspections can make maintaining your elevator more expensive moving forward. Responding to emergencies can be especially expensive, but annual inspections help prevent them.
Increased Risk of Liability and Compliance Issues
Failing to schedule annual inspections can also pose legal and liability risks.
Inspection and testing requirements are established by state and local laws and adopted elevator safety codes, and their frequency varies by jurisdiction. Elevators in many jurisdictions must also undergo annual Category 1 testing regularly, which involves assessing the car lighting, restrictors, safety-edge door forces, and driving machine brakes.
Failing to meet these safety compliance guidelines could put you at risk of fees and other penalties, as could violations of ADA accessibility standards, which could leave you financially liable for injuries that occur during a malfunction.
Higher Energy Consumption
Elevators consume significant energy to operate, but those with worn-out components may use even more than necessary. This ultimately leads to higher energy bills and a more significant environmental impact that could be avoided through regular inspections and repairs.
Improve Your Elevator Safety With ELEVATE Monitoring
What happens if you skip annual elevator checks? Even with annual inspections, minor malfunctions can occasionally occur. Reliable elevator monitoring technology is essential for seeking assistance in the event of a malfunction.
Discover how to improve your elevator’s safety with advanced two-way video monitoring technology from ELEVATE Monitoring. Call 877-990-9191 today. Then explore what to expect during an elevator safety audit.
