What do people with mobility issues do during an emergency if they are in a building with an elevator? Wade Corbitt, Water Treatment Plant Instrument Technician, recently identified this hazard and received GUC’s highest level (Level 3) of hazard recognition incentives for it.

Wade recognized that the Water Treatment Plant (WTP) is a multi-story building with an elevator, and in the event of an emergency, the elevator gets locked out. Without the use of the elevator, people with mobility-related disabilities do not have a safe way to reach ground level and evacuate the building.

With over 500 visitors annually to the WTP, Wade identified this as a potential problem. After submitting a form to our Safety Office, staff researched solutions and recommended the “Evac+Chair,” which is a rescue chair designed to go down stairs. The chair has been placed at the WTP, and one will also be provided at the Main Office.

Along with the hazard recognition incentive, Wade was awarded a plaque at a WTP employee safety meeting. And when Lieutenant Alfred Everington of Greenville Fire & Rescue came out to inspect the chair installation, he praised Wade for thinking outside the box.

Check out the video above to see Wade's demonstration of the Evac Chair.