Recently, Yunnan Poly Property Services Management Co., Ltd. was fined 100,000 yuan by the Guandu District Market Supervision Administration in Kunming for failing to properly fulfill elevator safety management responsibilities. The penalty stems from an incident in August at the Yu Yun Yuan residential complex in Kunming Poly City Phase 3, where an elevator malfunction trapped three family members—a grandmother and her two grandchildren—for nearly four hours, drawing widespread attention.
**Elevator Malfunction Leaves Family Stranded for Hours** On August 14, a frightening scene unfolded at Yu Yun Yuan in Kunming Poly City Phase 3. Ms. Yang, a resident, was traveling with her two grandchildren when the elevator suddenly malfunctioned and stopped abruptly on the 12th floor, leaving them trapped inside the confined space for nearly four hours.
"The elevator made a loud clanking noise and just stopped. Only the number 12 was lit; none of the other buttons worked no matter how many times I pressed them," Ms. Yang recalled. She immediately pressed the emergency call button and shouted for help through the elevator's surveillance camera, but no one responded. With one of her grandchildren running a fever and crying uncontrollably, she could only try to comfort the child while repeatedly pressing the alarm. It wasn’t until around 7 p.m. that help finally arrived—nearly four hours after the ordeal began.
Ms. Yang’s daughter-in-law, Ms. Wang, later explained that the building had two elevators serving six households. When she and her husband returned home from work that evening, they noticed one elevator was out of service but assumed it was a routine issue. They had no idea their family members were trapped inside the faulty elevator.
Residents of the complex told reporters that they had repeatedly reported elevator malfunctions to the property management over the past two years, only to be told each time that the issue was due to "inadequate maintenance by the service provider."
**Property Management Appeals for Leniency, Receives 100,000 Yuan Fine** According to the Guandu District Market Supervision Administration, the incident triggered significant public concern. Investigators reviewed surveillance footage, which showed that at 3:06 p.m. on August 14, the elderly woman and children entered the elevator on the 14th floor heading to the 1st floor. The elevator malfunctioned and stopped at the 12th floor, trapping them inside. Due to a lack of emergency knowledge, the occupants failed to effectively signal for help, and the monitoring staff also failed to notice the situation promptly. The family was not rescued until 6:51 p.m., having been trapped for 3 hours and 45 minutes.
Yunnan Poly Property Services Management Co., Ltd. violated Article 64, Paragraph 1, Item 3 of the *Special Equipment Safety Supervision Regulations*, which classifies incidents where "elevator passengers are trapped for more than two hours" as general accidents. The company was found negligent in fulfilling its elevator safety management duties.
On September 29, the authorities issued a *Notice of Administrative Penalty* to the company, detailing the proposed fine and the legal basis for the penalty while allowing the company to present a defense. On October 10, the company requested a reduced penalty. After review, the authorities acknowledged that the company had taken corrective actions, cooperated with the investigation, and actively promoted elevator safety awareness. As a result, the fine was set at 100,000 yuan.
Public records show that Yunnan Poly Property Services Management Co., Ltd., established in 2008, is a subsidiary of Poly Property Group and has faced multiple penalties from fire and rescue authorities in the past.