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Elevators are never just elevators. They involve machinery, codes, inspections, maintenance, modernization, contracts, downtime, budgeting, logistics, people, and judgment—all tied together. As part of the hidden operating backbone of a building, when elevators work well, most people hardly think about them. When they do not, they affect everything around them, including operations, accessibility, user experience, safety, risk, and project planning.
Vertical transportation systems are among the most regulated and least intuitive building assets to manage. Written for facility owners, institutional operation teams, managers, building engineers, and those just starting out in the field, this practical guide explains how elevators, escalators, platform lifts, and dumbwaiters are inspected, tested, maintained, documented, contracted, modernized, and kept compliant over their full life cycle. It translates industry language into owner-side decisions, explains how to read service records and callback patterns, clarifies what contracts should require, and provides real-world frameworks for budgeting, safety, and accessibility, so building teams can reduce downtime, prevent compliance surprises, and plan capital work before it becomes a crisis.
Readers learn how to interpret inspections and test reports, what a real Maintenance Control Program should contain, how to read and interpret callback histories, and how to structure maintenance and modernization contracts that match facility needs. Exquisitely illustrated throughout, Vertical Transportation Systems is destined to become the standard reference for anyone responsible for elevator portfolios, even those who are not licensed elevator mechanics, but still have to get the important details right.
Unique Features
- Detailed explanations of A17.1/CSA B44, ADA accessibility obligations, union issues, and training structures.
- Real-life case studies provide both national context and concrete examples of how compliance works in a specific state regulatory environment.
- Connects equipment, people, codes, contracts, and records into one coherent management system.
1: The History of Elevators; 2: Standard Hydraulic and Traction Passenger Elevators; 3: Freight Elevators; 4: Wheelchair Lifts and Vertical Platform Lifts; 5: LULA Elevators; 6: Chairlifts and Stair Climbers; 7: Dumbwaiters; 8: In-Ground Hydraulic Cylinder Replacement; 9: Escalators and Moving Walks; 10: The Elevator Technician; 11: Different Elevator Technician Trades; 12: A Day in the Life of an Elevator Technician; 13: Elevator Service Provider Field Office Team; 14: Elevator Inspections; 15: Case Study: State Elevator Inspections; 16: International Union of Elevator Constructors; 17: International/Local IUEC and NEIEP/NEBA; 18: Current IUEC Master Agreement; 19: Vertical Transportation Consultant; 20: Maintenance Control Program; 21: Service Records and Callback Logs Reports; 22: Elevator Maintenance Contracts; 23: Elevator Modernization Contract; 24: ASME A17.1/CSA B44; 25: Case Study: 524 CMR MA Board of Elevator Regulations; 26: The ADA and Vertical Transportation; 27: Case Study: Facility Owner Responsibility; 28: Elevator Industry Cost and Facility Owner Budgeting; 29: Elevator Owner Safety Responsibilities.