Chicago, Illinois, is famous for tall buildings. Those buildings, and many smaller ones, have elevators that thousands of people ride up and down on a daily basis. When people are injured while riding on those elevators, building owners may face premises liability claims. Those claims can be precluded by ensuring that everyone who uses the elevators does so in the safest manner possible.
First, avoid overcrowding elevators. It isn’t fun to be crammed into an elevator with a ton of people, and it isn’t safe either. When there are too many people, the elevator may be in danger of being over the capacity that it can handle safely. Wait until the elevator becomes available again, and ride it with less people, resulting in improved safety with improved personal comfort as a bonus, since you will have more personal space when being on a less crowded elevator. You can plan your rides at less peak times to facilitate this approach.
Additionally, be careful getting on and off of elevators. Wait for people to get off the elevator to get off before you get on, and let those who are ahead of you go first instead of pushing past them. Basic decorum in this situation, like most other situations, maximizes safety.
Keep in mind that young children will need active guidance to do this successfully, so hold them in your arms, or at least hold their hands, when getting on and off elevators. That is important not only to stay out of the way of other people, but to avoid physical dangers as well. Those physical dangers can include misalignment between the elevator floor and the floor that is it opened to, which can result in tripping and falling if not crossed carefully.
Other passengers are not going to be careful about your children’s safety in and around elevators, necessitating that you be doubly careful about your children’s safety in and around elevators to compensate. Exercising care, for your children and yourself, can help to prevent injuries and legal issues. Building owners can help by posting safety guidelines by their elevators.
Source: National Elevator Industry, Inc., “Elevator Safety,” accessed Sep. 28, 2017