Maybe Take the Stairs?: 94 Percent of Elevators in Beijing Fail Safety Test

OMG. The Beijing Municipal Administration of Quality and Technology Supervision recently tested 3,053 “high-risk” elevators in the city and found that an incredible 94 percent of them failed the safety test.

According to the survey, that means about 54,000 elevators in Beijing can be put into this category, more than half of which are in residential communities.

Zhang Dihua, the director of the investigation and procedure affairs division of the Beijing Special Equipment Inspection and Testing Center, which is responsible for all elevator safety checks and maintenance in Beijing, said that people should avoid elevators that don’t have a annual safety check sticker in them, much like he apparently avoids doing his job.

Zhang also advised that people should not panic if their elevator suddenly stops. "It's not malfunction, but a protection mechanism," he told The Global Times.

"People should not press the elevator buttons too hard, use their hand, or other obstacles, to hold the elevator doors open, lean on the doors, smoke, or jump inside the machines," he said. 

Maybe it’s time to stick to that New Year’s Resolution, skip the elevator, and take the stairs instead.

Photo: hizliresim.com, dhbc.ky.gov