Going Up: The Work Behind Elevator Safety

From office buildings to hospitals, elevators are part of daily life. But what actually keeps them safe? This episode breaks down how inspections work, what experts look for, and why it all matters.

Transcript

Anastasha Osborn 0:20

Welcome back to the LARA Living Room Podcast. I'm your host, Anastasha Osborn, and today we're taking things to the next level. Literally, that is a pun. Elevators are something most of us use just about every day without a second thought. But behind every smooth ride is a whole world of safety. I'm joined today by the Chief Elevator Inspector, Craig Lalonde, and he works within our Bureau of the Construction Codes, also known as BCC. So we're going to talk about what really goes on behind the scenes, how elevators stay safe, and maybe just a few myths along the way. But first, fill up your coffee or drink of choice, grab a seat, and get comfortable because you are now in the LARA living room.

Anastasha Osborn 0:59

Craig, thank you so much for being here today.

Craig LaLonde 1:01

Hi, good morning. Thanks for having me.

Anastasha Osborn 1:02

Of course. Um, can you tell us first just a little bit about yourself, your role, and how you really got into elevator inspections?

Craig LaLonde 1:09

Well, I uh I've been in the elevator trade about 30 years. I worked in the field for a long time and then at a certain point decided to come over to the um regulatory side of things as an inspector. And after five years in the in the field as an inspector, decided to throw my hat in the ring in the leadership uh area.

Anastasha Osborn 1:29

And how long have you been um the chief inspector?

Craig LaLonde 1:32

I've been the chief inspector uh since 2020. Um been as a code inspection supervisor since 2018.

Anastasha Osborn 1:40

Okay, so you got some years under your belt. Yeah. All right. So what made you actually choose this field specifically?

Craig LaLonde 1:47

Um, it's kind of a culmination of everything I've ever done in my life. I uh I spent 10 years in the Marine Corps and was a vocational and military occupational skills instructor and did uh hydraulic theory, mechanical advantage, roping, and things that kind of all fall right into the realm of elevators. So when I was presented with this opportunity, it was uh it was a no-brainer. It was pretty much the vast experience of of my uh working career and the leading up to that.

Anastasha Osborn 2:17

Yeah, incredible. So before I jump into my next question, I just was wondering, is there something that surprises you about your job that people wouldn't expect?

Craig LaLonde 2:26

Hmm. That most people don't grasp how in-depth elevator inspections are. They they think, oh, you're gonna inspect an elevator, and it's they step in the cab and push a button, it goes up. Okay, you push a button, it goes down. There's far more involved in the inspections and um um testing and maintenance of an elevator than just making sure it goes up and down.

Anastasha Osborn 2:48

Yeah, so let's kind of talk about that a little bit. So, what does a typical, I say typical, I'm sure that's not always the case, but what does a typical inspection look like for you?

Craig LaLonde 2:56

So we have uh several different types of inspections that uh the inspectors in the field will do. Uh we do permit inspections on new and altered elevators. So we're out there inspecting those for code compliance uh in the built environment, and then we do annual safety inspections for certificate issuance. Um those inspections are designed to look to make sure that they're being maintained and or they are safe for uh the writing public.

Anastasha Osborn 3:25

Okay, and you kind of talked about the certificates. Are those um displayed publicly? Are the public able to see those on the elevators themselves?

Craig LaLonde 3:31

So that used to be a requirement that they be displayed. That changed um a few years ago, and now um it's basically an on-demand thing. So we're we're currently working on language uh that that uh states that specifically and leaves out the ambiguity.

Anastasha Osborn 3:47

Okay, great. So elevators obviously falls within kind of your purview of inspections. Are there any other equipment that have to do with elevators or anything outside of elevators as well?

Craig LaLonde 3:57

Sure. We deal with uh we deal with escalators, we deal with residential elevators, we deal with stair chairs, platform lifts, uh a couple different handicap or uh accessibility type devices. We deal with construction equipment uh or construction elevator equipment. Um those are the ones that you typically see on the side of a building being built or torn down. Okay. Um we deal with um one-man elevators uh as opposed to you know larger ones uh like the ones in the Mackinac Bridge. So most people don't realize there are there is an elevator in each set of towers.

Anastasha Osborn 4:34

I didn't realize that either. So you guys actually inspect those?

Craig LaLonde 4:38

We do.

Anastasha Osborn 4:38

Okay. And what are you guys looking for? Um, it doesn't have to be for the Mackinac one specifically, but just in general, what are you guys looking for during these inspections?

Craig LaLonde 4:45

Again, for the for the annual or safety inspection, we're looking for the general condition of the unit. We're looking for the fact that it's being maintained, tested, and serviced in compliance with the requirements of Michigan rules.

Anastasha Osborn 4:58

Okay, yeah. Now let's talk a little bit more about safety. So we are talking about the inspections and why they're so important. So um let's talk about what happens if inspections don't exist and people aren't inspecting these regularly.

Craig LaLonde 5:10

Well, you have in every in every discipline, in every area in our world, good and bad actors. And the the good ones take care of their devices, they they do what is required. Uh, we unfortunately have those that either try to do only the minimum or they don't do anything at all and wait for something to happen. Um, our job is to make sure that they're being done in a preventive maintenance or um preparatory type uh arena so that those accidents or injuries don't occur.

Anastasha Osborn 5:43

Yeah. And for some reason, I'm just thinking about like in movies, right? We see like these these fake scenarios where people are getting stuck in elevators or you know, the elevator just drops suddenly, you know, without any reason. So for the average person riding an elevator every day, I mean, why why should they feel safe and comfortable that that is not going to happen?

Craig LaLonde 6:02

Well, one of the first things is uh the state of Michigan has taken upon itself uh throughout history to be one of the more stringent states in the requirements for service maintenance and testing. Uh that being said, we also um require the the licensed elevator journeyman to keep uh more of a vigilant take or eye on their units. And um the fact of the matter is, is uh Hollywood likes to take a lot of liberty with uh uh elevators and the fact that you know you can throw the doors open at any point in time or or crawl through the escape hatch, and that's not the case.

Anastasha Osborn 6:36

Yeah. Yeah, I was gonna say, like, let's do a little myth busting. So um, you know, jumping on an elevator while it's moving, is that dangerous?

Craig LaLonde 6:46

Oh, absolutely. Um being on top of an elevator is something that the average elevator uh journeyman gets to enjoy as as it's part of the job. It's also very dangerous. So having somebody on top of a moving car is uh presents all kinds of hazards from what we call our silent killer, which is our counterweights that are moving up and down the hoistway, to the just fall hazards, electrical electrocution hazards, um, and so on and so forth.

Anastasha Osborn 7:13

Yeah. Um another one is um if somebody is stuck in the elevator, one, this could be actually just a good learning, but if someone's stuck in an elevator, right you mentioned they can't just like pry these doors open and stuff. But if somebody is actually stuck in an elevator, what do you recommend that they do?

Craig LaLonde 7:27

Well, and back to the back to the the uh role of the inspector, one of the things that we look at is the requirement for emergency phones and elevators. Um all elevators are required to have some form of uh emergency alarm or emergency communication. And the best advice I can give to anyone is if you're stuck in an elevator, make those emergency calls. Sound those alarms. Don't try to escape on uh on your own. The majority of injuries in those types of situations come with people trying to self-recovery.

Anastasha Osborn 7:59

So sounds like we need to use the phone, use the emergency alarms if they're in there and available. That is the first move. Absolutely. Correct. Um, last little myth I have here: are older elevators less safe than newer ones?

Craig LaLonde 8:13

Well, uh, older elevators do are not, we're not required to have the the technological upgrades or the the safety um stringency that new elevators have. However, there are um mechanisms in place, like uh Michigan's recent adoption of A17.3, which requires that existing elevators meet a base safety standard. So some of those existing elevators have been required to do some of those safety upgrades, um required to put in, like say the emergency phone. So we do have mechanisms in place to bring those up. But with uh like again, with with lots of other things, you buy an old car that doesn't necessarily have anti-lock brakes, you're you're you know, you're subject to that result.

Anastasha Osborn 8:58

Yep, very true. Um, how many inspections do you guys do in a year?

Craig LaLonde 9:03

So we have uh roughly 30,000 units that need to be inspected annually, so uh that doesn't include permit inspections and so on and so forth, and then re-inspections of those. So those numbers can be uh thousands.

Anastasha Osborn 9:17

So a lot. And how big is the team that's actually inspecting the elevators?

Craig LaLonde 9:22

Currently, we have uh I have two assistant chiefs, I have four uh field supervisors, and then uh 25 current field inspectors. Um the state of Michigan is uh is looking to fill another additional 25 to 30 positions because we have the demand for that for the amount of units we have.

Anastasha Osborn 9:41

Yeah, absolutely. And I kind of want to talk about that just a little bit. So I know there's been a very high demand. We talk about um kind of getting into this workforce. We've had a couple episodes talking about the skilled trades. Um, so this is kind of an opportunity I would say for you. If there are people who are listening who are interested in getting into the skilled trades, or you know, they are at you know the end of their career and they're looking at the next thing and they maybe have experience with elevators. Um, what would you say to them about working here at LARA and filling those 25 to 30 positions you have?

Craig LaLonde 10:12

Well, I would I would welcome them all because uh I I know what it's like in the field. Um, lots of people, a lot of the the mechanics are away from home a lot. Uh the construction guys go out of town at weeks at a time. Uh our maintenance guys out there in the field um are getting called at all hours of the nice uh of the night, weekends and holidays. The one of the great upsides to this is the fact that it is a structured work schedule, and uh it the only time is there if they want it, um, but nobody's ever mandated to do that. Um the the quality of life steps up uh exponentially when you step over to this position.

Anastasha Osborn 10:49

Yeah, that's good to hear. And I'm sure there's a nice little balance too, right? We we I think we try to find that good balance between your work life and your home life and all that good stuff. Um, I want to kind of talk a little bit about processes um or I guess the licensing process, um, and you don't have to speak to the licensing portion of it, but at least just the process from when these elevators are being installed to inspection to approval and kind of where you are falling, where you and your team are falling, I guess, within that process itself. So I assume you guys are doing the inspections, but are you doing anything prior to when you know, before they're being built? Is there something that you're inspecting before the elevator is actually put together?

Craig LaLonde 11:28

So when a Michigan licensed elevator contractor wants to build an elevator, they have to submit a permit permit application, and that is reviewed with every unit that's put out there. Um, that uh we we go through their plans and make sure that it is a compliant device, that it does the meet the requirements uh that Michigan has set forth. And once all of that has been verified, a permit is issued, and at that point in time it goes back to the licensed contractor uh that uh that individual or team would construct and uh um erect that elevator, and then once they fit they feel that it is done and it's code compliant, we would go out and do what we call an acceptance inspection. Okay, and uh many times uh just like any other position or whatnot, things are missed, um, things aren't adjusted properly, and that's our job to make sure that the that those units meet the requirements of the adopted code.

Anastasha Osborn 12:26

Yeah, okay. And then from there, then after it's it's pass its inspection, they're good to go, and then you guys will then do your is it an annual inspection after that?

Craig LaLonde 12:36

So an annual inspection based on the device, but yeah, typically uh once that unit is turned over for public operation, uh, we go back on an annual basis, and and that is all generated through uh the systems in place here at the state to uh renew the certificates of operation and we get prompts and we go out to make sure again that everything's in compliance. Beautiful.

Anastasha Osborn 12:59

All right. Well, I want to end on kind of something fun. Um, because uh again, I can imagine that you've seen some interesting things on your job. Um so any memorable inspections or close calls or unusual situations that you've encountered.

Craig LaLonde 13:15

So I have uh I've had the pleasure of being one to to uh inspect the elevators on the Mackkinau Bridge. Okay, and I've had actually had the opportunity to stand uh on the very top and and uh I'm assuming you're not afraid of heights. No, not afraid of heights, uh, and have some very interesting pictures of that. So that was that was um a highlight in my career. Uh, I've met some amazing people. We've done a lot of residential work, so I've got to meet uh celebrities and professional athletes and business owners and entrepreneurs, and it's really taken me into places and and meeting people that the average construction person doesn't get to meet. So that is by far one of the the highlights of my career. The other thing is is knowing that we do serve a valuable purpose, uh protecting the writing public.

Anastasha Osborn 14:06

Yep, absolutely, regardless of who you are.

Craig LaLonde 14:08

Correct.

Anastasha Osborn 14:09

Um, but really quickly, because you just said you've met celebrities, you don't have to tell us any any names, but I mean meeting them, is it because they have elevators in their homes?

Craig LaLonde 14:17

Yep.

Anastasha Osborn 14:18

Okay, yeah.

Craig LaLonde 14:19

Yeah, I uh we've we've put elevat- I for instance, um I've done elevator work for professional athletes, um some of the Detroit Lions in the past.

Anastasha Osborn 14:28

Yeah, go lions. All right, well, perfect. Well, to wrap things up, um, I want to give you the opportunity if there's anything else you want to share with our listeners about elevators or elevator safety.

Craig LaLonde 14:39

Well, the what the one thing that people don't realize is is travel, regardless of how it is, is always monitored. And elevator travel is uh considered one of the top three safest forms of travel in the nation. Um we have uh there's over 18 billion elevator trips a year, and there's very low injury or fatality rate in those trips. Um, the majority of injuries and fatalities come from the workers who are behind the scenes building or maintaining those. So elevator escalator travel is uh is something that um I I like to um champion as a safe form of travel.

Anastasha Osborn 15:19

Yeah, well, thank you. Well, we appreciate you guys keeping them safe for us and making sure that they are up to code and following the proper rules and laws. So thank you for all your work you guys do behind the scenes. Absolutely. All right, well, that's all we have for today. So again, it's one of those things that we rarely really think about. We hop on an elevator, we hop on an escalator, and we know that we are going to be safe because there are people behind the scenes that are keeping us safe. So, to all of our listeners, the next time you step into an elevator, you might just have to appreciate that ride a little bit more. Thanks so much for listening from our living room to yours. We'll see you next time.