Dianne Pajo https://www.excelsolutions.com 2m 381 #pads
The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.
If you’ve ever waited for an elevator and one opens up with quilted pads on the walls, you might have wondered, “What’s going on here?” These padded elevators, often found in warehouses, hotels, apartment buildings, or industrial facilities, serve a critical purpose and are more common than you might think. Here’s an answer to that perennial question, “Why does one elevator have quilted pads on the walls?”
The Purpose of Quilted Elevator Pads
The quilted pads aren’t just for aesthetics. They protect the interior of the elevator from dents and scratches, especially when transporting large objects, such as furniture or cleaning equipment. Fixing damaged elevator walls can be costly and time-consuming, so these pads play a crucial role in maintaining the elevator’s condition.
Who Uses Padded Elevators?
Various professionals rely on these padded elevators, also known as service elevators, in their daily operations. For instance, in hotels and apartment buildings, maintenance and housekeeping staff frequently use them.
Hotel housekeepers and servers might transport cleaning supplies, linens, or room service carts, while maintenance crews could use them to move tools or replacement parts needed for room repairs. The padded walls ensure that these items, as well as the elevator walls, remain undamaged during transit.
Importantly, service elevators comply with safety requirements for carrying people. Freight elevators, in contrast to service elevators, are in warehouses and industrial facilities that must lift or lower heavy loads from one level to another. They’re typically not for safe transportation of people. They hoist or lower goods that workers load and unload, but the workers don’t ride in the elevators with the equipment, supplies, or goods.
Beyond Protection: Aesthetic Considerations
Elevator pads serve a protective function, and they come in a variety of colors and materials to make them more aesthetically palatable. These pads can match the color scheme and overall decor of the building to temper the utilitarian appearance of a purely functional space.
So now you know why there always seems to be at least one elevator with quilted pads on the walls. Those quilted pads aren’t just for decor. They protect the elevator’s interior and ensure safe, damage-free transportation of goods and equipment in offices and hotels and for move-ins and move-outs in apartment buildings.
(
