Before the First Step: What should be inspected during daily start-up and shutdown of escalators?

📌 Every inspection is an investment in safer journeys, reliable performance, and long-term asset health.

During the start-up and shut-down of escalators in your facility, an inspection should be performed to ensure that the equipment is operating safely and remains in good working order.

These high-frequency inspections will help detect issues early on, protecting patrons from injury and preserving the condition of the asset.

Guidance on what your team should look for

• Good overall housekeeping
• All areas of the escalator are free from obstruction
• Adequate lighting
• Functioning start / stop button
• Stopping distance of escalator
• The landing / combplate and step edges are painted yellow for accessibility
• Adequate and consistent escalator speed
• Handrail speed and condition of the handrails
• Look for cracks and pinch points
• Handrail speed should match step speed
• Steps and skirt panel are in good condition i.e., no broken teeth on steps
• Unusual noises and vibrations

Digital inspection tools can elevate your team’s escalator inspections

• Staff are provided with a detailed overview of the remaining escalators, helping to ensure that none are overlooked.
• Staff receive tailored questions and/or on-the-spot information about the inspection.
• Notes and photos can be added to inspection reports, and if any issues are found, the right people are automatically looped in, enabling speedy remediation.
• Managers can stay on top of their facility’s escalator inspections via a dashboard with an overview of inspection statuses, including prompts for annual inspections performed by service technicians outlined in the service contract.
• Inspections are recorded. Records are date and time-stamped; they include who the inspection was performed by, and if any deficiencies were found. Reports are stored electronically in an organized and easy to retrieve repository.
• Inspection data is used to generate powerful analytics such as peak months for incidents, trends in malfunctions, upcoming service dates, and other information that will help you forecast where resources are needed, and help with capital planning.

For more information on digitizing escalator checks, especially those performed at start-up and shutdown, contact us at customerservice@tapreport.io.

Resources

• ASME A17.1-2019 / CSA B44:19 - Safety code for Elevators and Escalators
• Elevating Devices Code Adoption Document Amendment 277-19 - TSSA
• Escalator / Moving Walk Daily Start-Up Log template - TSSA
• Compliance Standards: Escalator Owners and Operators - TSSA
• Ontario Regulation 209/01: Elevating Devices
• Escalators present an often overlooked hazard - Canadian Property Management, Remi Network

About Tap Report

Tap Report is a Canadian software company that provides a digital solution for managing workplace inspections, safety compliance, and operational reporting. It replaces manual processes, such as paper checklists and spreadsheets, with a mobile and web-based system that allows teams to complete inspections, capture data, and generate compliant reports.

Through an easy-to-use interface and automated workflows, Tap Report helps ensure that inspections are completed, deficiencies are categorized and tracked, and issues are escalated efficiently to the right people. It also offers analytics, customizable reporting, and integrations that helps organizations improve safety, compliance, and operational performance.

For more information, visit www.tapreport.io or contact us at customerservice@tapreport.io.