Did you know there are more than 50,000 escalators and 900,000 elevators in the US?  Each elevator services an average of 20,000 people every year. The number doesn’t sound that crazy considering how much we depend on them to get to-and-from work every day. But have you stopped to consider how dangerous these seemingly safe elevators can be? Every year, nearly 30 people lose their lives in elevator-related accidents. There are dozens of different ways an elevator can malfunction and the passengers inside can get injured. Here are a few ways an elevator can cause injuries:

• A mechanical breakdown or malfunction in the pulley system can cause the elevator to drop suddenly
• The shaft is open and doors malfunction, causing the people to fall into the shaft
• The elevator isn’t leveled correctly and fails to line up evenly with the floor, causing people to trip and fall while exiting or entering
• When the elevator doors suddenly close due to a malfunction, before the people have had a chance to get out or in safely
• Every time an elevator control malfunctions or the wiring is faulty, there is a risk of electrocution or fire.