Recent KJA Articles
Escalator Safety for Owners
Injuries occur about 15 times more frequently on escalators than elevators. About 10,000 escalator-related injuries per year result in emergency-room treatment in the U.S. Most of these accidents can be avoided if safety issues are addressed. People who use escalators generally do not recognize the risks and possible dangers associated with these devices, and some escalator service technicians do not consistently adhere to safety protocol. The fact that serious or fatal injuries continue to occur globally underscores the need for diligent implementation of safety measures at all levels.
Elevator Hoist Rope Longevity and Maintenance
KJA Senior Consultant Fartash Razmjoo has a detailed technical article published in the February 2021 elevator industry magazine Elevator World elevatorworld.com . The article provides a detailed overview of installation and maintenance requirements for elevator ropes to ensure maximum life.
Elevators and COVID transmission: a scientific review
There are a lot of claims that elevators are a source of spreading coronavirus but little direct evidence. There are convincing cases where elevators have caused transmission from one person to another but these instances are rare because exposure times are short. It is, however, understandable that people are nervous about entering an enclosed space with strangers and there are some simple, practical steps that can be taken to alleviate these concerns.
Antimicrobial properties of copper and copper alloys
There have been many studies on antibacterial properties of copper and copper alloys. Most have been in hospital or care home settings and concentrating on bacteria, rather than viruses. Although marketing literature of copper alloys as antimicrobials stresses their use in hospital settings, no hospital relies solely on these surfaces to kill microbes. Continuous sterilisation and disinfection with heat, chemicals and steam is practised where contamination could be an issue. Anti-microbial surfaces are used as supplementary and interim cleaners and to prevent biofilm build-up between disinfections. Time to kill microbes is on the scale of hours, whereas equipment, railings and buttons can be touched every few seconds to minutes.