This guy stops the lift when he gets to the floor of his choice. We only used the rope switch for emergencies, you had to get on and off the step on the fly. Some of ours were more than 10 stories tall.
In Washington DC; they have not allowed these to be installed in any new buildings. Any Manlift installed before the code changes is grandfathered in. But new ones are not allowed. Also, all operators have to have a license from the District of Columbia to operate a Manlift. IF you don't get off at the right place, you can be seriously injured or killed.
I love these. I was a supervisor in a 10 story building, and you got where you wanted before the freight elevator got started. Don't carry something over 2 ft long, horizontally!
Interesting, very reminiscent of the man engines used in old mines. One of these failed in the 1800s causing an entire lift with nearly 40 men on board to plummet hundreds of feet and cause a partial cave in
Our nearby Quaker oats facility was full of them when I started there. some going to the top of large elevators with few floors to hop off. After a fatality at another plant they were slowly replaced with Alimak rack and pinion lifts. This guy stops the lift when he gets to the floor of his choice. We only used the rope switch for emergencies, you had to get on and off on the step on the fly.
