PROTECT KIDS ON HOLIDAY VISITS WITH FREE HOME ELEVATOR SAFETY INSPECTION

PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- With the holidays and family get-togethers upon us, millions of families in the U.S. are hitting the road to visit relatives or head to vacation getaways. If your home, a home you are visiting, or the rental property you own has an elevator, take steps to protect children from a serious potential hazard associated with some residential elevator installations. Home elevators significantly enhance personal accessibility and mobility but, if installed incorrectly, they can also pose a potential safety hazard to children.

thyssenkrupp Access Corp. is offering free inspections to identify excessive gap spaces – the space between your hallway door and sill and the elevator door. A space guard installed on the backside of your hallway door can reduce the excess gap space between that door and the sill and help protect children from becoming entrapped. If your elevator was installed with an excessive gap space, the company will provide free installation of free space guards for homeowners with any residential elevator produced by thyssenkrupp Access Manufacturing, LLC, thyssenkrupp Access Corp., Access Industries, or National Wheel-O-Vator.

Homeowners with a thyssenkrupp Access Corp. elevator can visit www.homelevator-safety.com or call our toll-free number at 1-800-285-9862 to schedule a free home inspection. thyssenkrupp Access Corp. will send a contractor to measure the gap space and install a free space guard if needed. You can also find easy-to-follow instructions on how to measure the gap space yourself at the website, so you can check the gap space without delay and protect children this holiday season. In addition, the website offers simple, do-it-yourself installation instructions for homeowners who may prefer not to have a contractor visit their home.

Whether at home, on the road, or hosting family or guests, it is vital for parents, grandparents and adult family members to remember basic home elevator safety precautions: Never allow children to use, ride or play around a home elevator without adult supervision under any circumstances. If your home or a home you are visiting has an excess gap space, or you are unsure if the gap space is appropriately sized, BLOCK children from accessing the elevator.

We thank all the residential elevator dealers who have helped us get our safety message out to homeowners. We appreciate their help, and encourage other dealers, contractors, builders, installers, repair technicians, regulators, rental companies, and anyone else with a stake in residential elevator safety to help us get the word out about this important program and the availability of free space guards.

The Home Elevator Safety Program, launched in February 2021, builds on thyssenkrupp Access Corp.'s previous "homeSAFE" campaign to call attention to the potential hazard posed by installations that resulted in an excess gap space, and offers homeowners with a thyssenkrupp Access Corp. home elevator a way to reduce the gap space. Space guards reduce the gap space but may not eliminate the gap altogether. Home elevator requirements vary by state and locality; thyssenkrupp Access Corp. does not guarantee that space guards comply with all codes and standards.

The home elevator products designed and manufactured by thyssenkrupp Access Corp. met all applicable safety codes when sold. Our free space guard program is intended to address issues with installations that resulted in an excess gap space. Note that the ability to send a contractor to your home and/or to deliver space guards may be delayed as a result of the pandemic.

Although thyssenkrupp Access Corp. ceased manufacturing, selling and distributing new products in the United States in 2012, we take our commitment to enhancing homeowner safety very seriously. Our program aims to help homeowners verify whether or not their home elevators manufactured by thyssenkrupp Access Corp. and its predecessors - thyssenkrupp Access Manufacturing, LLC, Access Industries, and National Wheel-O-Vator – may have been installed with an excessive gap space and, if so, offer an option to homeowners to reduce that risk.

To determine whether or not your home elevator was manufactured by any of the companies listed above we recommend that you check your owner's manual or contact the dealer who originally sold you that equipment. Visit www.homelevator-safety.com or call 800-285-9862 for more details today.

SOURCE thyssenkrupp Access Corp.