Elevator Installer and Repairer

Elevator installers and repairers assemble, install, and replace elevators, escalators, moving walkways, dumbwaiters, and other various equipment in buildings. They start out studying a set of blueprints that helps them decide the necessary parts for the job. They then work on scaffolding or platforms to attach the required machinery and set up the electrical wires and components. Once the equipment is installed they also maintain and repair it, oiling and greasing parts and testing different aspects of the elevators with special gauges. Workers have a vast knowledge of hydraulics and electronics, as nearly all modern elevators are controlled electronically.

Most elevator installers and repairers enter into this field of work through the International Union of Elevator Constructors. In order to get an apprenticeship position one must be 18 years old, have a high school diploma, and pass an aptitude test. There is a four year period of on-the-job training and classroom instruction before apprentices can take an exam administered by the National Elevator Industry Educational Program and will be considered fully qualified in their profession.

Elevator installers and repairers earn an average of $33.35 per hour and usually work a 40-hour work week, although there is the possibility of being on-call and working overtime. The job outlook for this profession is positive. Employment opportunities are expected to increase at least nine percent before 2018 due to growth in commercial office and business buildings, the expansion of access for the disabled, as well as the need to maintain and repair equipment after it has been installed.

Although this profession provides good pay and benefits, one must weigh that against the possible hazards and physical challenges of the job. Workers have to carry heavy equipment and function in small or awkward spaces. There is also the risk of falling, being electrically shocked, or pulling muscles. Unlike most fields of construction, weather usually doesn’t deter the work of an elevator installer or repairer because jobs are nearly all completed indoors.