Shenzhen plans to allocate 110 million yuan (US$16 million) to inspect more than 7,100 elevators in old residential areas across the city within the year and subsidize the repair or replacement of 745 of them, according to the city’s special equipment safety watchdog.
The market supervision and administration bureau said it conducted safety assessments on more than 4,600 elevators in the first half of this year, and replaced or repaired 167 elevators, handing out subsidies of 9.9 million yuan.
Elevators with a history longer than 15 years are entitled to the subsidies, the bureau said.
Shenzhen has over 150,000 elevators across the city, ranking third among big and medium-sized cities in the country, the Daily Sunshine reported.
As of the end of 2018, there were 15,000 old elevators. The city has helped replace or repair 2,317 of them to ensure residents have safer travel conditions.
The bureau has ramped up efforts to promote the renovation and upgrade of old elevators since the beginning of this year. It urged each district to issue or extend subsidies to encourage relevant actions.
The bureau also introduced preferential policies for residents to speed up elevator renovation.
This year’s application period for elevator renovation has already ended. Residents should get ready for next year’s applications in advance, said the bureau.
Public concerns have arisen following many elevator-related accidents, some of which have been fatal.
According to a national draft law on the safety of special equipment including elevators, boilers, cranes and large recreation facilities, personnel in charge of maintaining elevators should be qualified and strictly observe technical standards to ensure safety.
Figures from the China Elevator Association in 2015 showed that more than half of all accidents involving elevators and escalators are connected to maintenance and repair negligence.
China has the world’s largest number of elevators, with the figure soaring from 350,000 in 2002 to an estimated 1.14 million by 2021. The rate of accidents in every 10,000 elevators dropped from 1.56 to 0.15 from 2006 to 2015.