Paternoster
The lift in my building was on the fritz yesterday and my workmate told me today about a lift in a place where she used to work in the UK. It scared the hell out of her.
More at Wiki.
Accidents waiting to happen.
I think they're still in use in the UK and Europe.
5 comments:
kae,
Truthfully, I can't recall any accidents re. paternoster lifts, and they been in use longer that I can remember. (I'm sure there were some)
They are no worse then the moving stairs at major shopping centres, probably more benign.
(my mum would not use either!)
Cheers Mark
I had no idea they were so common. In the 1970s, I daringly took a ride in one that was open to public use in the Copenhagen city hall. I thought it was the only one in the world.
Even in those pre-OH&S days, they were probably unlikely to get approval in Oz.
Notice in the Wiki article that most of them are now in university buildings. A method of culling below-average students, perhaps?
Wonder what it's like to hold on to the handles and go feet-first through the bottom floor and back up the other side.
Having been caught in a lift once for a few hours on a weekend (the dozy security guard would not pick up the emergency phone, and it was pre-mobile phone days), I never get into a lift without going to the toilet first.
Boab, when you get to my age, you don't do anything without going to the toilet first.
I've seen these in an old movie, but when I try to remember which I get mixed up with the elevator/phone booth at start of Get Smart. Comedians used them in a skit I think, Marx Bros? They used a Dumbwaiter anyway, I'm sure.
Anyone else remember the Lift Operators in city buildings before the 1970's? They were often disabled men with missing limbs, here in Sydney.
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