Advice and guidance for owners and operators of lifts

At Motion Elevators we are constantly asked for our advice, the following information aims to provide answers to the most frequently asked questions to assist you in your responsibilities and concerns about lift products.

Safety is top of the list, followed closely by meeting Regulations and Standards. A more recent set of questions concerns the modernisation or replacement of existing equipment, particularly focusing on ways of improving energy efficiency.

Owning or managing lifts need not be onerous so long as you remain well informed by your lift service provider.

• Am I legally obliged to have my lift maintained:  YES

The general duties imposed by The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (supported by Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) regulations 5 &10) mean that you are obliged to keep your lift in safe working order. This means you must arrange for regular maintenance of your lift.

• Am I legally obliged to have my lift Thoroughly Examined?:  YES

Regulation 9 of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) requires that a lift undergoes an inspection/thorough examination by a competent person at regular intervals (twice a year for passenger lifts, once for goods lifts or according to the lifts’ situation) and applies to all lifts and lifting equipment used at work.

• I have a lift in my building. What do I need to do?

You should arrange for the lift to be maintained (regularly serviced and kept in good repair) and, if the lift is in a place of work, thoroughly examined at intervals in line with legislation.

• What is the difference between ‘Maintenance’ and ‘Thorough Examination’?

Maintenance is the regular servicing of the lift, encompassing the routine adjustment to components, replacement of worn or damaged parts, topping up of fluids and so on, and should be carried out by an experienced and competent lift company, such as Motion Elevators.   Maintenance is carried out to ensure the lift runs efficiently and safely. Thorough Examination is the systematic and detailed visual inspection of the lift and all its associated equipment and would usually be carried out by a third party, or an appointed ‘competent person’. Thorough Examination provides a good check that maintenance is being carried out properly. It focuses entirely on the safety of the equipment.

Authoritative guidance on Thorough Examination as required by Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) can be found in The Guidelines for Supplementary Testing of In-Service Lifts published by SAFed. Thorough Examination may also be referred to as Form 54 or F54 inspection – the code given to the form prescribed by repealed Factories Acts. Although no longer prescribed, the term remains in use.

Other common terms used are: periodic inspection, statutory inspection (because it is required by law) or insurance inspection (inspections were often on behalf of insurance companies).

• Do I have a responsibility for trapped passengers?:  YES

You have a responsibility to have an emergency plan in place, in line with BS EN 81-28.

• My ‘competent person’ and/or service provider have mentioned supplementary tests. What are they?

Annex documents are the code for The Guidelines for Supplementary Testing of In-Service Lifts which provides guidance to inspectors (and therefore the industry) on what tests may be required to ensure continued safe use of the lift.

• Once I have arranged maintenance and Thorough Examination can I forget about the lift?

No. The ultimate responsibility for the equipment in your building stays with you.  For this reason any reports, documents or certificates of examination provided in connection with the lift should be read (some may require action on your part) and retained. Additionally, when visiting your building to carry out a service visit, or attend a breakdown, lift engineers need to be able to get to and from their working area safely and, once there, be able to work safely.

• During the life of my lift, will it be necessary to modernise the equipment?

BS EN 81-80 is the latest lift standard which identifies how to ensure your lift remains safe. Upgrading parts of your lift may be necessary when new technology will improve its safety as a  service provider our duty is to advise you of any such improvements available.