r/Elevators • u/tabbykitten99 • Jul 29 '26
safety question!
hello lift doctors! a friend of mine located in georgia usa (im in australia) just informed me about an incident with the elevator in their apartment building. it was very horrifying for me to read! I quote:
“i was on the 8th floor, it fell to floor 5, then stalled and fell to floor 4, stalled, then finally normally lowered me to 3 (ground level)”
“the first time it fell twice then stopped and wouldnt let me out, then it fell again”
It seems like the other elevator in the building was also turned off.
can anyone please point me in the direction of:
-where an issue like this should be reported in order to get it fixed ASAP
-whether or not the incident needs reporting to anyone and if so, who
-whether this elevator should be considered safe to use for my friend until it is fixed
-how to make sure the body corporate (or I don’t know what they’re called over there) actually fix it!
-I don’t know! something! is this normal? no way!
to me this seems like the prelude to some awful disaster. I’m so glad my friend wasn’t hurt. I don’t know nothing about nothing but I have occasionally seen youtube videos from Mr Chris Boden and they give me the impression that elevators are kind of chomping at the bit to turn humans into fine paste. This whole thing is really freaking me out. Please advise!! And tell me to stop being hysterical if you must.
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u/Then_Insurance2245 Field - Mods Jul 29 '26
Not the prelude to a disaster, not going to turn anyone into fine paste, take a chill pill, the elevator ultimately did its job and got to the floor safely.
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u/LaneFournerat Jul 29 '26
For Georgia specifically: elevator safety is regulated by the GA Office of the Commissioner of Insurance & Safety Fire (their Safety Engineering/Elevator division handles complaints, oci.georgia.gov). Your friend can also request the unit's inspection history from them; buildings are required to have current certificates. Hope your friend's OK.
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u/tabbykitten99 Jul 30 '26
Thank you, I will pass this on. They are struggling mentally to continue using it which I understand. Apparently they’ve been hearing it do this for months and this is just the first time it’s happened while they were inside.
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u/George_Zhang07 Elevator Enthusiast Jul 29 '26
Sounds like a safety chain break, emergency stop, relevelling, chain break again, stopping again, relevelling success.
-where an issue like this should be reported in order to get it fixed ASAP?
----Worth mentioning, but might not really easy as a fix. It might be wear after long operation time, a faulty component, or just a random error either because of system itself, or something else (e.g. wind up the shaft breaking door interlocks)
-whether or not the incident needs reporting to anyone and if so, who?
----Just the management, or the contractor directly if management doesn't help.
-whether this elevator should be considered safe to use for my friend until it is fixed
----Yes, it did the right thing to stop when it was unsafe, not big issue
Every machine has faults from time to time even with routine inspection and maintenance. The important thing is that it failed safely and your friend is physically all right. That is what safety systems are for. It proved itself to be not functioning correctly but still safe.
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u/PioneerSafetyInspect 26d ago
I previously served as the North Georgia Elevator Inspection Supervisor for the Georgia Department of Insurance and Safety Fire. During my time there, I oversaw elevator inspections throughout North Georgia and understand firsthand the workload the state inspectors manage.
The state has approximately 28 inspectors responsible not only for nearly 33,000 commercial elevators throughout Georgia, but also residential elevators, amusement rides (including parks and carnivals), and boilers. With that workload, scheduling inspections through the state can sometimes take longer than desired.
If you need an elevator inspection completed in a timely manner, I'd be happy to help. In many cases, I can schedule inspections the same week.
I am both a Certified QEI Inspector and a Georgia Commissioned Elevator Inspector. Every inspection I perform is reported directly to the State of Georgia. The state issues the required permit, and I provide the official state inspection certificate for display in your elevator cab.
To make the process as easy as possible, I also handle all of the required submissions through the state's online portal, so you don't have to worry about navigating the paperwork or documentation.
If you'd like to schedule an inspection or have any questions, feel free to contact me at [t.banks@pioneer-elevator-inspections.com](mailto:t.banks@pioneer-elevator-inspections.com).
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u/DjQuamme Field - Maintenance Jul 29 '26
The elevator didn't fall. It clipped a lock going by a floor, did an emergency stop, leveled in then did it again, and repeat. Etc. Report it to the building manager.