KONE and the Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation Partner for Awareness During National Safety Week

LISLE, Ill., Nov. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- KONE Inc., a global leader in the elevator and escalator industry, and the Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation (EESF) are proud to celebrate the 18th annual National Elevator Escalator Safety Awareness Week (Safety Week). This year, they are joined by 15 governors and 33 mayors who have signed a proclamation officially recognizing the week as well. The Safety Week program provides a focal point for the industry to join together at the national and local level to spread the word about public safety in the elevator and escalator industry.

As part of the weeklong campaign, local KONE branches throughout the country will educate their communities on the safe and proper use of elevators, escalators and moving walks through several programs provided by the EESF.  For instance, the "Rise UP Safe Rider" program features booths and brochures for distribution at high risk customer locations, including malls, airports or public transportation locations.  Additionally, KONE employees will teach safe riding habits to senior citizens at retirement communities through the "A Safe Ride" program and to children through the "Safe-T Rider" program which feature video and printed materials.  To prepare for the week, KONE conducted a viral email campaign to promote elevator and escalator safety, which was sent to customers in the U.S. and Canada in two languages.  

"KONE is committed to transporting people in a safe and efficient manner.  Educating our customers and their users on safety and proper use is an important part of reducing and eliminating accidents," said Vance Tang, EVP and Area Director of KONE Americas. "The program is a great reminder to the public and our customers that safety comes first."

Throughout the year, KONE and the EESF teach school children the importance of safely riding elevators and escalators through the national "Safe-T Rider" program.  The program is a fun, interactive safety awareness program geared towards grade school children.  In the past four years, KONE has engaged in the "Safe-T-Rider" program to educate and bring awareness to nearly 25,000 young children.

"Our partnership with KONE not only helps us meet our goal of reaching over 600,000 children a year, but serves as a great example of how the industry can help educate the public on the safe and proper use of elevators, escalators and moving walks," said Laurie Dueitt, EESF Program Director.

For more information about the "Safe-T Rider" program, volunteering with EESF or for general information, please visit the website at www.EESF.org or contact EESF by calling (800) 949-6442 or emailing [email protected].

About EESF

The Elevator Escalator Safety Foundation was founded as a non profit 501 (c) (3) organization in 1991 to educate the public on the safe and proper use of elevators, escalators and moving walks.  The children's Safe-T Rider program has reached over 7.4 million students since 1991.  Other programs include the A Safe Ride for seniors, National Elevator Escalator Safety Awareness Week celebrated annually the 2nd full week of November and the newly released Rise Up Safe Rider program.  General safety information is also available at www.eesf.org.

About KONE

KONE is one of the global leaders in the elevator and escalator industry. The company has been committed to understanding the needs of its customers for the past century, providing industry-leading elevators, escalators and automatic building doors as well as innovative solutions for modernization and maintenance. The company's objective is to offer the best people flow experience by developing and delivering solutions that enable people to move smoothly, safely, comfortably and without waiting in buildings in an increasingly urbanizing environment. In 2010, KONE had annual net sales of EUR 5 billion and approximately 33,800 employees. KONE class B shares are listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd in Finland.

www.us.kone.com

SOURCE KONE Inc.