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NHK announces safety guidelines in an elevator in the event of an earthquake

NHK provides guidelines as to what to do when stuck in an elevator during an earthquake. (AFP)
NHK provides guidelines as to what to do when stuck in an elevator during an earthquake. (AFP)
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16 Jun 2023 07:06:38 GMT9
16 Jun 2023 07:06:38 GMT9

Arab News Japan

DUBAI: Japan’s NHK, Japan’s public media organization, announced guides and methods to stay safe in an elevator in the event of an earthquake.

Earthquakes are frequent natural disasters that occur in Japan due to its geographic location; its topography is rugged and it is located in the pacific earthquake belt.

The seismic activity that occurs where geologic plates meet creates mountainous geography not leaving enough surface area for buildings.

To counter that, buildings are built taller not wider, which in turns make elevators something indispensable.

Proceeding the strong earthquake that hit Chiba prefecture, Tokyo’s neighboring prefecture, in May, NHK released their safety reminders that guides people on the safest way to act in the unlikely possibility of an earthquake hitting while people are in elevators.

To start with, the first thing that needs to be done is hitting all the floor buttons starting with the ones closest to the elevator’s current location; if the elevator can safely move down to the closest floor, then doors will open and people can safely exit the elevator.

In the case of an emergency stop, and the elevator happened to stop between two floors, the possibility of the doors being partly opened due to the impact is very high; in that case the electric circuit will be broken causing the elevator to completely stop, so people must always ensure that the door is fully closed to regain the circuit of electricity allowing the elevator to come at a safe stop to its closest floor.

If none of these options work, NHK advises people to repeatedly press the call button; this will connect to emergency staff.

While help might take some time to arrive, all elevators are equipped with basic necessities such as water, some sort of preserved food, emergency toilets, and maybe even blankets and a radio.

The main guide in this kind of unlikely situation is to always remain calm; Japan has a high rate of earthquakes so all elevators manufacturers and building managements have taken into consideration the likeliness of such an event and hence built appropriate equipment with safety guidelines to ensure the health and safety of people.

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