Editorial standards

Elevator advice travels in small distortions. A myth about snapping cables, a rule quoted from the wrong edition, a rescue tip that would hurt someone who tried it. These standards describe how this guide tries to avoid that, so you can judge how far to rely on any page.

How we source

Every guide lists its sources at the foot. We prefer public bodies: occupational safety agencies, consumer product safety agencies, accessibility authorities, standards bodies describing their own documents, state, city and national elevator regulators, universities and museums. A figure goes into a guide only if we opened the source and found it there. When we cannot confirm a number, we leave it out or describe the idea without it. We do not use manufacturer or installer marketing as a source for a factual claim.

Codes and standards are revised, and they apply differently from one jurisdiction to the next. We say which edition or body a statement comes from when the source does, and we avoid presenting one place's rule as universal.

How we handle safety topics

Much of this site touches safety: stuck passengers, escalator injuries, inspections, lifts used by people with disabilities. On those subjects we report what named public bodies say, we attribute it, and we point to the local authority or a qualified professional when the sources do. We never describe how to open elevator doors, bypass a safety device or enter a hoistway. We do not give code-compliance, repair, installation or purchasing advice, and we do not recommend products, brands or companies.

How we write

We use plain words and short paragraphs, and we define a technical term when it first appears. We state exceptions instead of hiding them, and we avoid scare tactics and promotional language. The guides carry no advertising and no product recommendations. The drawings on this site are our own diagrams, simplified on purpose, and are not engineering drawings of any real product.

Updates and corrections

Each guide shows when it was last updated. We recheck a guide when a major source changes its advice. If you find an error, an out-of-date statement or a broken link, tell us through the contact form. We correct factual errors in the guide itself and change the date, and we do not leave a known mistake in place.

Independence

This guide is independent of any inspection firm, manufacturer, installer, maintenance provider or regulator, and it sells and arranges nothing. Naming a type of machine or a public body describes it and does not endorse it. Read more on the about page, or see how we explain inspection in the guide to inspection, maintenance and regulation.

The short version

Sources are named and opened, figures are verified or left out, and the guide stays out of professional advice. When something is wrong, it is corrected where you will see it.