by Jbs062210 e3 — June 25, 2010—Although conventional wisdom dictates that it is best to avoid elevators when evacuating buildings, a new ISO technical report reveals that elevators may be viable escape options, and provides a decision chart to help identify risks. ISO says these findings may save the lives of people who have difficulties using stairs, such as the disabled, the elderly, or pregnant women and small children.
The report, ISO/TR 25743:2010, Lifts (elevators)—Study of the use of lifts for evacuation during an emergency, investigates and highlights the main risks associated with using lifts to evacuate persons in various types of emergencies: fires, explosions, chemical or biological attacks, flooding, lighting or storm damage, earthquakes and gas leakage.
ISO/TR 25743 was produced in collaboration with elevator and other specialists. Its key objective is to provide building designers with a decision-making process to determine whether a given design can enable the safe use of elevators in the event of an emergency for a particular building. The report can be applied to elevators and buildings of any size, whether new or existing.
For this purpose, ISO/TR 25743 includes an easy-to-read chart that guides users through a yes/no decision-making process, asking questions such as:
- Is the emergency a fire?
- Should the building be evacuated?
- Has the structure been compromised?
