Elevator Installers & Mechanics

Elevator workers face falls down open hoistways, being caught or crushed by moving cars and counterweights, and electrical hazards in machine rooms.

• Construction
• Service

Top hazards

• Falls into open hoistways and from car tops
• Caught between the car and the hoistway or counterweight
• Unexpected car movement
• Electrical shock and arc flash in controllers
• Rigging and hoisting heavy equipment

Key practices

• Barricade hoistway openings; never leave a hoistway door open unattended.
• Lock out and verify before working on equipment. See Lockout/Tagout.
• Use the car-top stop switch and inspection operation; wear fall protection on car tops where required.
• Know where the counterweight is at all times.
• Other trades must never enter a hoistway or use an unfinished elevator without the elevator contractor’s permission.

Hoistway hazards during construction

• An open hoistway is a shaft many floors deep. Each floor opening needs a solid barricade until the elevator doors are installed. See Holes & Floor Openings.
• Material, tools and debris dropped down the shaft can strike workers in the pit. Keep the pit clear when anyone works above, and protect pit workers with overhead protection.
• Hoistways can be used as chimneys for smoke and fire; keep combustibles out.

Car-top safety

• Before stepping onto a car top, place the car on inspection operation and confirm the stop switch works.
• Know the clearances to beams, the counterweight and the overhead.
• Use the car-top guardrail and fall protection where required.
• Never ride the counterweight side, and keep your body inside the car-top area.

Pits

• Use the pit stop switch before entering.
• Check for water, oil and the car’s position before climbing down the pit ladder.
• Know where the car and counterweight are, and how much refuge space exists below the car.

Training and licensing

Elevator mechanics usually complete a multi-year apprenticeship, and many states require a license. Industry codes like ASME A17.1 cover elevator design and safe maintenance.

Before entering a hoistway

• Equipment locked out or placed on inspection operation
• Hoistway door barricade in place when the door is open
• Stop switches tested
• Fall protection plan for open hoistways and car tops
• Lighting adequate in the hoistway and pit
• Other trades kept out

Last updated: October 1, 2026