It’s after midnight, and Jerry is finally ready to head home from work and get a good night’s sleep. His exhaustion gives way to panic, though, when the elevator he’s in grinds to a halt.
Elevator emergency monitoring systems are a lifesaver in situations like these. Below, learn how elevator video monitoring works and how to ensure your monitoring system complies with current ASME standards.
Elevator Video Monitoring Provides a Dependable Lifeline When Emergencies Strike
Your employees can’t always be on hand to answer the phone when something goes wrong with an elevator. If there’s an emergency on the weekend or in the middle of the night, who will elevator riders call for help? That’s where elevator video monitoring comes in.
Video monitoring lets operators see what’s happening inside a car in real time. They can speak with riders, assess the situation, and assure occupants that help is on the way.
Video monitoring and two-way communication help in emergencies like these:
- A woman is riding the elevator up to her office on the weekend, but the elevator gets stuck between floors.
- An elevator rider thinks he’s having a heart attack, but his cell phone isn’t getting reception inside the car.
- Frantic parents announce that their child went missing in your building. Using the monitoring system, you spot the child riding the elevator from one floor to the next.
- A woman fears for her safety after an aggressive man starts hassling her in the cabin. She hits the emergency button, causing the man to flee.
Understanding ASME Safety Standards
Years ago, simply having an emergency phone in elevators was enough to comply with ASME standards. Today, though, emergency signaling devices must meet much stricter requirements to comply with elevator emergency standards.
The ASME code mandates:
- A video system in every elevator cabin
- Two-way text-based communication that allows operators to communicate with speech-impaired riders
- Messaging that tells riders assistance is on the way
- Only trained operators may handle emergency calls from elevator cabins and must answer calls live (building owners may no longer route calls to an automated answering system)
Protecting Your Building Occupants and Reputation With Video Monitoring
How exactly does elevator video monitoring work? Here’s an example:
- While riding the elevator, a woman gets dizzy and collapses. She hits the emergency call button, and the system instantly connects her to a trained operator at ELEVATE Monitoring.
- The operator views the video feed and confirms that the woman is unwell. They ask her questions to assess the situation further. If the woman is speech- or hearing-impaired, she can answer by tapping “Yes” or “No” on the screen.
- The operator sends an emergency crew to assist the woman and assures her that help will arrive soon.
- The system archives recordings of the incident for your review.
Stay ASME-Compliant With Our Remote Monitoring Solutions
The chances of getting stuck in an elevator may be low, but should the worst happen, you’ll be glad you partnered with ELEVATE Monitoring. To learn more about our elevator emergency monitoring service, call 877-990-9191.
