More often than not, the importance of elevators in our daily commute goes unnoticed, unlike subway rides, airplanes, or buses. For most city-dwellers, the elevator is an unremarkable machine that inspires none of the passion or interest that trains or jets do. That is, until the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of the elevator industry specifically around recovery and resumption of life for their vital role within buildings.
Forward Thinking
Vertical transportation is what makes multi-storey buildings possible. As a result, the elevator industry must constantly innovate, make changes, and be forward thinking. Without safe and properly functioning equipment, billions of people would not be able to move in and through those spaces every single day. In an industry that designs and maintains equipment based on the strictest safety measures, it takes years for new code-compliant technologies to be developed. Therefore, the industry must constantly be innovating and thinking ahead.
Mitigate the spread of disease
A primary concern right now is the safety of people who are required to use elevators to move within buildings, whether it is an office, a condo, a hospital, or a long-term care facility. As a result, the innovations of elevators and escalators that mitigate the risk of disease and increase efficiency are being implemented daily. While COVID-19 was not the reason for these innovations, the forward thinking of the industry made them available to us today. Just as grocery delivery services were not created due to the pandemic, neither were touchless elevator call buttons, destination dispatching systems, or ultraviolet light sanitization capabilities. Originally designed as a convenience, efficiency, or luxury, these technologies are now key to aiding the recovery and our return to normalcy.
Building and facility owners and managers have faced constant challenges, whether navigating the ever-changing requirements and guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization, or working to provide their occupants with the best sanitization and safety protocols available. Elevator service contractors can be consulted to provide expertise on what technologies are available to overcome these new challenges.
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