We are beyond excited to announce that KONE Spares has been honored with the 2024 Ellies Award in our category! This incredible achievement wouldn’t have been possible without the unwavering support and trust of our amazing customers.
Winning this prestigious award is more than just recognition—it’s a reflection of the meaningful relationships we’ve built together. Your votes, feedback, and belief in us have fueled our drive to keep innovating and providing the best service possible.
From everyone at KONE Spares, thank you for being part of this journey. This award belongs to all of us, and we are deeply grateful for your continued support!
If you’re attending NAEC this September, be sure to join our General Manager, Kelly Oberhardt, committee chair of Women in Motion, at the Women in Motion (NAEC) and Elle-evator (CECA) Joint Meeting and Networking Event on Monday, September 23, from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm. This event will include updates on new initiatives and a fun networking icebreaker to help you connect with industry peers.
Women in Motion (WiM) is dedicated to building an inclusive community in the vertical transportation industry, promoting education, networking, and mentorship for all who share our vision of equality and mutual support.
And don’t miss WiM sponsored educational session on “Strategic Succession Planning” the following day, September 24, from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm. This panel discussion will provide valuable insights into ensuring leadership continuity and organizational success in our evolving industry. We hope to see you at both events!
When we uploaded this updated version of this video to YouTube, one of the comments we immediately received said, “Perhaps you shouldn’t make it so complicated???” Trust us, if we could, we would!
It’s hurricane season again, so we’re keeping this checklist up at the top of our blog. Let’s all make sure to stay safe, and if you need us, we’re here for you.
So, on to the hurricane preparedness list…
BEFORE THE HURRICANE
Check all sump pumps, float switches and alarms in elevator pits.
Close up all vents and openings in top of hoistway and machine room to prevent water from entering.
If elevators open to the outside, place sandbags along the bottom of hoistway doors. Since this makes the elevator unusable, do this just before shutting down the elevator.
DURING THE HURRICANE
Run elevators to the top floor of hoistway and pull the main breaker in the elevator machine room (not in the building’s main breaker room).
Park elevators with doors closed.
Do not operate elevators during the hurricane.
AFTER THE HURRICANE
Inspect the elevator pit, cab and machine room for any water. Do not energize main line breaker if water is found.
If water is found, call your elevator service provider immediately!
Do not attempt to start elevator if power is out – call your electric company
Even with the proper preparations, hurricanes often cause power outages and surges that can stop elevators between floors and entrap passengers, and worse, knock out the emergency communication system. Be aware that people may be trapped in elevators with no way to call for help. We can’t state this strongly enough: never try to exit, or attempt to help others exit, a stalled elevator without trained professional rescue workers on hand.
Pop quiz: What is one of the most important things you should do while riding an escalator?
Answer:Always hold onto the handrail.
While that is extremely important, it also poses a problem. With all the people who ride an escalator every day, every one of those riders has their own unique mix of microbes living on the palms of their hands. Most are harmless, and some are even beneficial — but some are not. And this figurative zoo of microbes gets deposited, layer by layer, on an escalator handrail every single day.
It’s like a microbe superhighway, transferring a whole village of little travelers from one person to another, every minute, every hour.
Most are harmless … but some are not so harmless, such as … well, you know. That one. The one that’s set the entire world into turmoil.
The subject of germs on escalator handrails has unfortunately prompted news organizations to actually advise people to not hold onto the handrails: CBS News Article
It’s extremely important to hold onto that handrail for safety, so what’s the solution to this problem? It’s not like you can require all riders to wear gloves. It’s also not a good idea to constantly slather the surface of a handrail with alcohol or other disinfectants, because it might make the handrail slippery, and also it may hasten the deterioration of the handrail material itself.
The good news is there is a solution. In fact, it’s a really good solution: ultraviolet light, or UV-C rays.
What if you could put a small, easy to install and maintain, low power module into the escalator itself which continuously blasts UV-C wavelengths onto the surface of a handrail? Something that sterilizes the entire surface of the handrail with every revolution? So while people are unwittingly depositing their little microbial hitchhikers on the handrail, the bugs are instantly zapped within minutes as the handrail disappears into the balustrade and passes through the ultraviolet emitter?
If you think this is a good idea, we agree with you, and we have exactly this solution.
This is an Ultraviolet Handrail Sterilizer, and it does precisely what you’d want it to do: constantly sanitize the handrail as it runs through the escalator.
Not only does this solve the problem of disinfecting the handrail, but if you advertise the fact that it’s happening with a sign by the escalator, you encourage people to actually use the handrails (which they might not have been doing for fear of all the germs).
This increases the safety of the riding public by reducing the infection vector and encouraging them to use one of the most important safety features of an escalator.
The Ultraviolet Handrail Sterilizer is only one part of our KONE Spares Engineered Escalator Solutions, a collection of mods and upgrades to make older escalators new again.
With what should have been a big bash at The River House, we instead threw a Zoom party for Mary Lewis yesterday, who retired from KONE Spares after 21 wonderful years. We love and will miss her!
When properly maintained, and used as intended, elevators and escalators are some of the safest methods of transportation in existence. But if you use a type of harness or leash on a small child, do not take your child on an elevator or escalator.
Anything dangling like a leash — as well as untied shoelaces, long coat straps, etc. — can be caught in moving equipment with disastrous consequences. This goes not only for escalators but elevators as well, as a child (or pet) on a leash could dart in or out of the cab as the doors close, the doors can catch the leash, and the elevator cab goes into motion … again with disastrous consequences.
The best way to protect children around moving equipment is to hold their hand and guide them safely. If using a baby cart or stroller, always use an elevator — never take them on an escalator. And always, always, always keep an eye on them. Do not let them play or linger around elevators, escalators, or even stairs.
Please help spread this important message.
Escalator & Autowalk Safety Tips
Instruct passengers to ride safely.
Hold the handrail.
Ride the escalator facing the appropriate direction of travel.
Do not lean over the handrail.
Keep feet away from the escalator’s sides.
Step over the combplates at the top and bottom of the escalator.
Children in strollers should never be transported on the escalator.
Physically challenged passengers should never use the escalator.
Do not transport freight on the escalator.
Attend and hold children’s hands when riding escalator.
Children should be accompanied by an adult and never left alone in the vicinity of an escalator.
Do not allow anyone, especially children to play on or around the escalator.
Do not jump on escalator.
Keep hands away from handrail inlets and step.
Elevator Safety Tips
Enter and exit the elevator promptly.
Watch your step when entering or exiting the elevator.
Children should always be accompanied by an adult when using the elevator.
Do not allow children to play on or around an elevator.
Children should be accompanied by an adult and never left alone in the vicinity of an elevator.
No unauthorized person should enter the elevator hoistway.
Elevators must not be used in the event of a fire or other emergency situations.
Do not transport any long objects by opening the car top emergency exit.
Do not jump in the car while the elevator is running.
Do not prevent the operation of the infrared door detection-cells with objects.
Never wedge an object or any part of the body in the path of a closing elevator door.
Comply with the stated number of persons/weight for the elevator.
When cleaning corridors or car interior, avoid sweeping water into the shaft.
Use the ‘stop’ and ‘alarm’ buttons only when required.
When calling the elevator, press only the button indicating the direction you wish to travel.
