'The escapator' well received during campaign week
The week of 9 to 15 November 2015 was the Week of the Safe Lift, in which attention was drawn to the topic of lift entrapment. In cooperation with Interlift, RECO Lift Solution ensured that passers-by in the centre of Haarlem could experience for themselves what it is like to be trapped in a lift and what actions are required to be freed. The campaign was an initiative of the Lift Institute, the Dutch certification body and service provider for lifts, façade maintenance installations, aerial work platforms and similar equipment.
Frequency of lift entrapment
With 43 calls per day and a total confinement time of 42,500 hours per year, lift confinement is a problem that should not be underestimated by people with lift anxiety. One in four Dutch people have been trapped in a lift at some time. More than one third of the trapped lift users try to free themselves. "Life-threatening," says a spokesperson for the institute. "The best thing to do is to stay calm, press the alarm button and wait to be freed."
Safety campaign well received
To make people aware of the best way to deal with lift entrapment, RECO Lift Solution together with Interlift and RECO built 'The Escapator', a 12-metre high temporary lift that stood on the Grote Markt in Haarlem on 11 and 12 November. SBS6 presenter Jochem van Gelder performed the official opening by getting in and taking a ride himself. That the action was well received was shown by the large number of visitors who followed his example. Some of them were even filmed in the lift. Thanks to the joint action, many people now know better how to deal with lift fear.