Pit Access and Lockout During a Rope Replacement
A two-mechanic crew is replacing the suspension ropes on a 2,000 lb (900 kg) traction elevator in an occupied eight-story hotel. The pit is 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) deep. The car is parked at the top floor with the mainline disconnect open and locked out by Mechanic A, who holds the only key. Mechanic B needs to enter the pit to inspect the counterweight runby and the pit buffer condition before the ropes are cut. The pit ladder is present but the bottom rung is bent. The hotel front desk calls to say a guest is trapped on floor 3 and asks the crew to 'just bump the car down.' Mechanic B says he can enter the pit while Mechanic A stays at the disconnect.
1. Evaluate Mechanic B's plan to enter the pit while Mechanic A holds the lockout at the disconnect. What conditions must be met before pit entry?
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Holding the lockout at the disconnect is necessary but not sufficient for pit entry. The conditions that must be met:
- Pit stop switch and pit access. Before entering, the crew must confirm the pit stop switch is functional and can be operated from inside the pit, and that the pit is provided with the required access and lighting. The bent bottom rung is a defect in the access means and must be addressed or an alternate safe access used; a damaged ladder rung is a fall hazard at the exact point of entry.
- Car position and securing. The car must be positioned so the pit is protected from movement, and the counterweight must be blocked or otherwise secured if work in the pit could be affected by counterweight travel. With ropes about to be cut, the counterweight condition is directly relevant.
- Communication and control of the disconnect. The person at the disconnect must remain there and maintain positive communication with the person in the pit. A single key held by Mechanic A is good, but the plan must ensure Mechanic A does not leave the disconnect for any reason, including the guest call.
- Personal protective equipment and fall protection appropriate to the pit depth and the work.
Mechanic B's plan is acceptable only if all of the above are satisfied; the lockout alone does not make the pit safe.
2. How should the crew handle the trapped-guest request while the lockout is in place and the ropes are being replaced?
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The trapped-guest call does not override the lockout, and 'bumping the car down' is exactly the kind of action that turns a rescue into a second emergency. The crew's response should be:
- Do not energize the elevator. The ropes are being replaced; the suspension system is not in a condition to carry a car with a passenger. Moving the car could drop it.
- Notify the building's emergency response. The front desk should contact the fire department or the building's designated emergency personnel, who have procedures for elevator entrapment that do not depend on the mechanic defeating a lockout.
- Maintain the lockout. Mechanic A stays at the disconnect. If the crew must leave the area, the lockout remains and the key stays with Mechanic A.
- Communicate with the trapped guest through the building's established means (car phone, intercom) if that can be done without entering the hoistway or energizing the equipment.
The mechanic's duty is to keep the equipment in a safe state until the work is complete. The rescue is handled by trained emergency responders, not by improvising car movement on an elevator with its ropes removed.