Since Oct. 1, 2015, the escalators in Baker Center have been shut down 44 times, Steve Wood, associate vice president of Facilities Management and Safety, said in an email.
Wood said escalator six, which runs from the third to fourth floor going up, and escalator two, which runs from the second floor to the first floor going down, usually break down the most in Baker Center.
With Baker’s hours being Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 12 a.m and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., the escalators run the majority of the day, and therefore it can be hard to keep them fixed, Wood said.
“As with other mechanical systems, like a vehicle or a lawnmower, they must be serviced periodically and occasionally parts fail or otherwise malfunction,” Wood said in an email.
When the escalators malfunction, it can be caused by a variety of problems.
“Items get dropped or stuck in the stairs, mechanical failures, vandalism, holding the handrails too tight or too long (safety switches activate and shut down the operation),” Wood said in an email.
Although Facilities Management and Safety oversees the escalators, it also oversees a service contract with KONE to operate on the escalators. KONE is a company that manufactures and provides maintenance services to elevators and escalators.
“KONE has two technicians that support all elevator, escalator and lift issues on a daily basis,” Wood said in an email.
Escalators will normally be fixed within the same day depending on the seriousness of the issue, he said.
“There are times when specialty parts must be replaced and the escalators are offline longer while we are awaiting delivery of these parts,” Wood said in an email.
Patrick O’Connell, director of marketing and communications for KONE, said there are some common maintenance issues.
“If something gets caught, a safety mechanism stops the machine, and depending on how old the escalator is, it might be experiencing some end of life issues,” O’Connell said. “Escalators might last 20 to 30 years with good maintenance.”
O’Connell said if dirt gets trapped inside the comb plate, which is the yellow bar at the top or bottom of the escalator, the machine will shut down because it is designed to make sure the steps guide themselves correctly into the machine.
Wood said the state of Ohio inspects the escalators, which requires them to be shut down twice a year.
“We typically schedule these inspections when classes are not in session,” Wood said.
When an escalator is down, students often find different ways to get to class.
“When an escalator is down, I take the stairs,” Katherine Schafer, a freshman studying pre-nursing, said. “This doesn’t affect my schedule. I leave early to get to class on time.”
