What you Need to Know About Lift Services
The lift industry is well known for taking health and safety highly seriously, which in turn, explains why lifts are the unheralded but obviously safest form of mechanical transport. Best practice and the key to perfecting lift maintenance are planned regular servicing to maintain safety standards as well as prolonging the life of lifts and decreasing downtime. In this blog, we shed some light on a few of the things for you to know about lift services.
What will a service visit involve?
During a service visit, an engineer will oversee the safety features on the lift, as well as cleaning, lubricating and adjusting all components for the best possible performance. An engineer would then carry out a service screen on his laptop, stating the work carried out and detailing any comments such as suggested repairs or works of improvement not covered by any contract. A report needs to be issued after each engineer visit to be used as a maintenance record.
Will my lift be out of action while an inspection or service is taking place?
In almost any scenario - yes. The engineer has to check many items within the shaft or structure and motor room and so the lift will be ‘out of service’ while the engineer is on site.
Lift rules and regulations are often evolving to improve the lift industry and its maintenance practices. The strict but impactful guidelines permit facilities managers to maintain safe lift systems all over the UK, adhering to not only current protocol, but also new and developing standards in place. Lifts installed after this time will need to have features such as improved strength and durability of car walls, roofs and doors, higher requirements for fire resistance of car interiors and mandatory elevator control panels complete with a “stop” button in the pit. The new standards will go on to uphold the lifts obvious reputation for excellent safety practices.
As with almost all aspects of facilities management, one of the most crucial steps to take in keeping elevators in top condition is to inspect them often. Not many people understand that lift maintenance is not a legal requirement; the only compulsory practice is that an insurance inspector needs to review a lift system once every six months so the owners are covered legally. This is the bear minimum of work that should be carried out, but advised practice is to have a lift system serviced every month. Neglected lifts often go on to result in long delays while waiting for repairs, lead to premature ageing, create huge financial expense and, worse yet, become a danger to both passengers of the lift and service personnel.
Facilities managers need to always have a planned preventative maintenance schedule in place with a selected lift service provider. This takes into consideration obvious issues such as elevator-system peak times, impossible dates for servicing and so forth. A mobilisation plan should also be put in place to cover any risk assessments, method statements and health and safety procedures in relation to any lift maintenance.
The age of a lift system and size of the building are two of the factors that have to be taken into account when planning for any kind of maintenance, as older systems with additional floors to cover may need a more thorough service, which will take a greater length of time. So, the amount of footfall a lift means it may mean the system wears a lot quicker, so there will need to be a discussion about the level of predicted lift use with the service provider. It is crucial that a facilities manager can rely on the lift service provider and trust it. A good partnership has to be made during the planning stage to ensure the contractor will deliver excellent ongoing service and support.
Keeping up to date with technology
Technological advancements in the lift industry are very much improving health and safety for both passengers and engineers. Facilities managers must embrace fast-changing trends to take advantage of the huge benefits. Modernizing a lift system will end up with a faster lift and with a smoother ride, reduce overall costs and make a lift more reliable and less prone to breaking down.
New thermal-imaging technology, providing engineers with the ability to locate, troubleshoot and fix impending issues to prevent costly shutdowns. Moreover, there are a few technological developments that can drastically lower a lift system’s energy consumption. It is crucial that service providers notify clients of changing environmental legislation and provide advice on product innovation and environmentally efficient technologies during the term of their contract.
For lift maintenance specifically, customer-management portals or even being able to contact your lift maintenance provider on the phone easily offers you a bespoke and reliable service, which both reduces downtime and improves communication between clients and servicers. Online presence as well as good frequent communication delivers clients detailed lift information, including real-time updates, electronic exchange of orders and proactive maintenance reporting.
It goes without saying that, despite a facilities manager’s best attempts, accidents very much still happen. For lift users, a frequent hazard is being struck by closing lift doors, and, despite it being essential to ensure your lift system’s detection system is updated, this type of accident is very much the result of user error for example, a passenger may need to run for a lift and stick his or her hand or arm between the doors to prevent them from closing. An early education for lift passengers, by offering visible signs and aids detailing lift best practices, is a facilities manager’s best hope for the prevention of accidents such as this.
ADL Lift Services - Quality Lift Servicing in Scotland
Installing, maintaining, and servicing a lift can be stressful if you do not know who to rely on when you need service and help. That’s why, at ADL Lift Services, we provide professional lift maintenance in Scotland. All of our customers know that when they need professional help, we are able to complete the work that they need in a timely and professional manner.
At ADL Lift Services, we realise the importance of personalised service and the right lifts for your needs. That’s why our team of professionals offers quality service as well as all of the equipment and parts that you will need to keep your lift working the way that it should. If you’re searching for parts, equipment or services to ensure that your lifts work properly at all times, look no further than ADL Lift Services. Our team of lift manufacturers in Scotland provide some of the very best services across the country, with expert knowledge, years of experience and unbeatable customer service. If you’re stuck with a problem with your lifts, we have a solution to help.
Before starting any work, we always perform a robust risk assessment at your location and will send fully-trained, experienced and knowledgeable staff to complete the work efficiently and effectively. Our years of experience in the industry and our wide-ranging catalogue of spare parts mean that we can fix your emergency in no time at all. To find out more, please get in touch.
