5 scariest lift breakdown scenarios (and how to survive them)

Gone are the days when HDB lifts only stopped at every five floors. If anything, it seems that our dear Housing & Development Board has grown overboard. In older flats that have undergone the islandwide Lift Upgrading Programme, it’s common to find multiple elevator shafts, sometimes 10 or more.

In newer BTO flats, residents share a centralised lift lobby. You might think this is a more sensible option, but things still go wrong. Throughout 2017, residents of newly-completed BTO projects in Punggol, Boon Keng and Choa Chu Kang and have reported frequent lift breakdowns. Tellingly, the lifts were all from the same manufacturer, Sigma Elevator.

To date, Sigma lifts are still banned from tendering for new HDB projects. In public estates like Punggol Arcadia, Edgefield Walk and Waterway Cascadia, Sigma lifts continue to break down repeatedly. The situation at Punggol Arcadia gotten so bad that the ward’s MP Sun Xueling had to intervene. According to the residents there, the lifts take turns to break down once or twice a month. At times, both break down together.

So, for our safety, we have to be adequately prepared in case our lift has a really bad day. Here’s a list of scenarios we hope you will never have to encounter in an elevator, and how to survive them if you do.

Lift Breakdown Scenario 1: Elevator free fall

This is when the lift plunges all of a sudden. To date, we haven’t had a lift go into free fall to the point where it crashes to the ground; but there have been sudden and violent jerks. When a lift plunges several stories before coming to a abrupt halt, it can cause serious injuries.

According to what research we could muster, the best thing to do when this happens is to lie down flat on the lift floor, arms and legs spread out to absorb any impact. Do not attempt to time a jump as the lift comes to a halt as it is likely you will fail and still bear the brunt of the stopping force.

Lying down flat not only spreads out the force, it also takes critical pressure off the knee joints and neck, whereas crouching or remaining upright can cause whiplash and even a damaged spine.

So although there’s no guarantee you will be fine just because you’re lying down flat, it’s probably your best shot.

On the plus side, a plunging lift often creates an air cushion under it as it falls quickly through a lift shaft. In 1945, an American by the name of Betty Lou Oliver survived a 75-storey plunge when an Empire State Building elevator failed (this is the current world record, although we suspect she didn’t set out to make one). So to be clear, it is possible to survive such an event.

If it reassures you, lift designs in Singapore involve the use of counterweights (heavy weights that pull the lift up as they go down), so a sudden plunge all the way to the bottom is almost impossible.

Lift Breakdown Scenario 2: Elevator shoots up, or suddenly stops and then shoots up

Elevators may shoot up in the event of a power surge or worn out hydraulics. This is usually nothing to worry about. As with Scenario 1, you just need to watch out for stress on your neck and joints as there may be a sharp jerk when it comes to a halt. In these cases, simply sitting down should do the trick.

Falls usually happen when an elevator stops and then suddenly starts up again. So, if the elevator stops abruptly, you may want to relax your body and grab a railing, or sit down if you’re unsteady (on crutches, for example). 

Lift Breakdown Scenario 3: Lift door sensors fail

The door closure itself doesn’t exert enough pressure to sever a limb (although it can result in serious bruising or fractures). The worst case is when lift doors close and “pin” a limb in place, and the lift moves and severs the limb.

Your best bet here is preventive. Don’t charge at a lift as the doors are closing, or try to shoulder or pry closing doors apart. If you see that the lift doors are repeatedly opening and closing, then use common sense and find another lift. That’s either a prelude to a horror movie, or a sign that it’s malfunctioning.

Lift Breakdown Scenario 4: Lift is stuck without power

Even without the fan, it is almost impossible that you will suffocate to death. Things might get sweaty and smell ripe (especially if there are plenty of people in the lift), but you won’t die from lack of oxygen.

Ring the alarm in the lift and wait for rescue. Do not open the hatch at the top of the lift, or attempt to pry the doors open for air. Damaging the lift could prolong the rescue process. If you climb out of the lift shaft, you may plunge to your untimely death.

Lift Breakdown Scenario 5: Lift is not aligned with the floor

If there is a misalignment between elevator car and the floor, it may be considered a serious malfunction. If it’s misaligned to the extent that you’d need to actually climb to get out, don’t — ring for help instead.

When the lift car sinks below the actual floor by a little, it’s often because it’s overloaded. The lesson here: don’t insist on cramming into crowded lifts when the warning beeps are going off.

If the lift car is above the actual floor instead, do not jump up and down to try and “level it”. Just step off carefully if you can. If you can’t (the lift is stuck halfway between floors, for instance), then call for emergency rescue and wait. Never try to crawl out.

Most importantly, yell at your condo management/town council/residents committee if the lifts are not working. Don’t keep quiet.

Ok we don’t really mean yell, but feedback through the right channels. If everyone keeps ignoring the little malfunctions in lifts, those lifts could keep getting worse. For the safety of the next person getting in, don’t just shrug off misalignments or temporary power failures. Sometimes the management is not aware of what’s going on, and something like a damaged brake line could continue to degrade further.

So call the people in charge and holler. You might just save someone’s life.

If you found this article interesting, you may want to read more about 9 ways your renovation could get you in trouble with your condo’s MCST and things Singaporeans think affect property value (which probably don’t).

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