The 16th Annual Elevator Safety Week was celebrated the second week November of 2009.
According to the National Elevator Industry, Inc., about 210 billion times a year, people in the U.S. and Canada ride an estimated 700,000 elevators and 33,000 escalators that move 325 million elevator passengers and 245 million escalators passengers daily. Excluding automobiles, that is more than the total of riders of all other forms of transportation combined.
National Elevator Escalator Safety Awareness Week is celebrated the second full week of November each year to increase the public’s awareness of the safe riding behavior while using this equipment. Safety Week is a promotion of public safety awareness for the industry’s equipment. Everyone is invited to make this special week a huge success in cities throughout the U.S. and Canada. Safety Week provides a focal point for the industry, on a local and national level, to join together as individuals, companies and organizations and spread the word about public safety in the elevator and escalator industry.
At the same time, Safety Week is an opportunity to celebrate the contributions made by the industry to the quality of life. Volunteers reach millions of riders with important safety messages in many locations during this celebration.
New York City takes Elevator Safety Week very seriously – and why not? A majority of the population of the city lives in high-rise buildings and relies on elevators daily.